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"If the Pharoah wishes it, so shall it be"
-Egyptian Scribe
Introduction[]
After the death of Alexander the Great the empire he had created tottered and fell into disarray with remarkable speed. His empire was the largest ever seen, and the generals struggled against each other for the ultimate prize that none of them was quite strong enough to gain. The Diadochi, or Successors, were only strong enough to hold together fragments of Alexander’s empire.
Egypt was one part of that empire and by anyone’s standards it is an ancient land. It is now ruled by Greek Pharaohs, the descendants of Ptolemy I, one of Alexander’s able generals. The Ptolemaic dynasty adjusted rapidly to Egyptian ways and adopted the royal ways of the Pharaohs - including divine status and marriage between the Pharaoh and his sister in each generation. All the succeeding Pharaohs have been called Ptolemy, and their sisters (more often than not) Cleopatra in the Egyptian fashion.
Egypt, therefore, is a rich land under the new Pharaohs and a centre of learning for the Greek world. The Ptolemaic Pharaohs hold together a formidable kingdom and must be seen as a major power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Their potential in warfare against the other successor states is also impressive, and an aggressive Pharaoh could well expand Egypt’s boundaries far beyond the Nile valley...
Description[]
The Egyptian faction in Rome: Total War begins with several cities in the Nile Delta and Cyprus, and is quickly at war with the Seleucid Empire due to their southward expansion but can be brushed aside with ease. Egypt also initially controls a large navy based in Alexandria, which allows more flexibility early-game. Egyptian players may also wish to expand west towards Carthage and Numidia, but should be wary of the Romans. When controlled by the AI, Egypt quickly becomes a prominant power and can be a challenge for those who choose to play as the Seleucids.
Egyptian armies are based on Nubian and Nile spearmen, phalanx units with similar stats to the Greek hoplites. Egypt can also recruit light and heavy cavalry, along with heavy axe infantry. Unique to the Egyptians are the Pharoah's Guards, an elite phalanx unit, Pharoah's Archers, elite armoured bowmen, and Egyptian Chariots and Chariot Archers. Egyptian Generals fight as chariot archers and later on, cavalry. The Egyptian navy consists of standard civilised units, the bireme, trireme, and quinquireme.
Units[]
- Peasants
- Nubian Spearmen
- Nile Spearmen
- Desert Axemen
- Pharaoh's Guards
- Slingers
- Skirmishers
- Bowmen
- Pharaoh's Bowmen
- Desert Cavalry
- Nubian Cavalry
- Nile Cavalry
- Egyptian Chariots
- Egyptian Cavalry General
- Egyptian Chariot General
- Camel Archers
- Egyptian Chariot Archers
- Onagers
- Heavy Onagers
Trivia[]
- Egypt as a faction has been criticized for the historical inaccuracy of its unit roster. The combination of Chariots, Infantry Axemen and traditional phalanxes present in Rome: Total War would have been replaced by more Macedonian-like sarrissa phalanxes in real life. Egyptian people had by then become part of the Ptolemaic Empire, one of the successor kingdoms of Alexander the Great, and had widely adopted Greek culture.
- Egypt as an AI faction in the first Rome Total War (on very hard difficulty for campaign and battles), if the player has no influence in Africa or Asia, the Egyptians usually takes over all of Asia, with the Egyptians becoming the top ranked faction and one of the most powerful in the game.
- The symbol of Egypt is based on the ancient Egyptian Ankh symbol.