Rome

“I came, I saw, I conquered.” – Julius Caesar

The Roman Empire stands as one of history’s greatest civilisations, renowned for its military discipline, monumental engineering, and an unrivalled network of roads that bound a vast empire together. From a small city on the Tiber, Rome grew to dominate the Mediterranean world and beyond, leaving a legacy that shapes Western civilisation to this day.

Civilisation Bonus

Via Romana – Roads cost 50% less production to build. Rome’s legendary road-building programme is reflected in dramatically cheaper infrastructure. This allows Roman players to connect their cities and territory faster than any rival, improving trade income and enabling rapid military redeployment across the empire. The savings compound over the course of a game, freeing up production for military units or buildings.

Unique Unit

Legion (replaces Swordsman)

The Legion trades raw combat power for extraordinary versatility. Unlike ordinary Swordsmen, Legions can build tile improvements just like a Worker unit, constructing roads, mines, and farms while still serving as a competent frontline fighter. This dual-purpose capability means Rome can push into new territory and develop it simultaneously, without needing to escort vulnerable Workers behind the advancing army.

Strategy

Rome excels at rapid expansion and infrastructure development. Your first priority should be connecting your cities with roads as early as possible – at half the normal production cost, you can establish trade routes and military corridors far ahead of other civilisations. This economic backbone funds everything else you do.

The Legion is best used as a combined arms and engineering force. Send Legions to the frontier to both fight and build, saving your dedicated Workers for safer interior development. A column of Legions can carve roads through hostile territory, establish improvements on newly conquered land, and still hold the line against counterattacks. This flexibility is Rome’s greatest strength.

In the mid to late game, Rome’s road network provides a decisive strategic advantage. While other empires struggle to move reinforcements across their territory, Roman armies can rapidly redeploy along their extensive road system. Leverage this mobility to strike at vulnerable points and withdraw before the enemy can respond in force.

Historical Background

Rome began as a small settlement on the banks of the Tiber River around the 8th century BCE. After overthrowing its Etruscan kings, the Roman Republic emerged as a formidable military power, gradually conquering the Italian peninsula before turning its attention to the wider Mediterranean. The Punic Wars against Carthage, culminating in the destruction of that great city in 146 BCE, established Rome as the dominant power in the western Mediterranean.

The Republic gave way to the Empire under Augustus in 27 BCE, ushering in the Pax Romana – two centuries of relative peace and prosperity across a territory stretching from Britain to Mesopotamia. Roman engineering achievements, including aqueducts, roads, and monumental architecture, were unmatched in the ancient world. The famous Roman road system, totalling over 400,000 kilometres, facilitated trade, communication, and the rapid movement of legions across the empire.

The Western Roman Empire eventually fell in 476 CE under pressure from Germanic migrations and internal instability, though the Eastern Empire endured as the Byzantine Empire for nearly another millennium. Rome’s legacy – its law, language, engineering, and political institutions – remains foundational to Western civilisation.

City Names

Rome, Constantinople, Carthage, Alexandria, Antioch, Naples, Pompeii, Milan, Ravenna, Syracuse, Florence, Venice, Genoa, Bologna, Verona, Turin, Palermo, Capua, Brindisi, Taranto