History Characters / Civilization

* TheSpymaster: Catherine De'Medici in ''Civ VI''. Her "Flying Squadon" ability gives her a bonus to espionage and diplomatic access, while her "Black Queen" agenda drives her to dig up as much information and use as much espionage as possible. Likewise, she appreciates it when ''you'' do the same, saying her ladies-in-waiting would love to accompany your spies during the festival[[Note: ("Won't you come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly")]].

* TheSpymaster: Catherine De'Medici in ''Civ VI''. Her "Flying Squadon" ability gives her a bonus to espionage and diplomatic access, while her "Black Queen" agenda drives her to dig up as much information and use as much espionage as possible.

->Leaders: Dido* (II, V), Hannibal (II-IV)
->Unique Units: Numidian Mercenary (III), Numidian Cavalry (IV), African Forest Elephant (V), Quinquereme (V)
->Unique Building: Cothon (IV)
->Ability: Phoenician Heritage (V)

According to legend, Carthage was founded in the first millennium BC by the princess Dido, who gave up co-rulership of Tyre to [[StartMyOwn start her own]] domain in modern-day Tunisia. Carthage developed into a powerful trading empire that outlasted its Phoenician forebearers, and by the 3rd Century BC it controlled much of North Africa's coast, southern Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, and contested Sicily. But this inevitably brought it into conflict with the rising power of Rome, resulting in a series of wars starting in 241 BC. The first was a loss, and while the renowned Carthaginian general Hannibal led his famous pachyderm assault force over the Alps to deal Rome a crushing defeat during the second conflict, Carthage was forced to agree to a harsh peace. The Third Punic War ended in 146 BC after a three-year siege, and the capital of this empire that once rivaled Rome was annihilated.

Carthage has an interesting mix of abilities. Its Phoenician Heritage gives every Carthaginian coastal city a free harbor, helping it build trade routes and keep its empire connected without relying solely on roads, but the ability also lets Carthage's armies cross over normally-impassable mountains once a Great General has been created. Likewise, the Quinquereme allows Carthage to dominate the Ancient seas, while the African Forest Elephant will strike fear in the hearts of enemies and produce those Great Generals faster. By land or by sea, nowhere is safe from Carthage's might.

* BadassBoast: Dido's war declaration in ''Civ V'': "Tell me - do you know how my army numbers, my trains of elephant or fleets of ship? No? Well, you'll soon find out."
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Dido's high deceptiveness rating earns her a reputation for one of the most backstabbing leader.
* IntangibleMan: Sort of; their ability to pass through mountains is effectively this game's equivalent of wallhack.
* JackOfAllStats: They receive unique bonuses to both their economy and military ability, but their income isn't as strong as specialists like Morocco, Portugal, and Arabia, while they also lack the power of warmongers like Mongolia or the Zulu.
* LoopholeAbuse: African Forest Elephants, their version of the Horseman, can be made without Horses. This is incredibly handy as Elephants have a "fear aura" around them that lowers opposing melee damage by 10%, and it stacks with other Elephants. Combined with having more attack power than the Horseman, a group of Elephants is all you need to overwhelm early land units, including [[AntiCavalry Spearmen]], who are [[ScissorsCutsRock normally the go-to unit for countering mounted units]].
** A lesser known gimmick of Carthage, after getting a Great General to allow passage over mountains, is to build ''roads'' on the mountains. This equates to instantly-passable tiles that ''only the Carthaginians can use'', which gives any of their mountain-based cities a massive defensive advantage.
*** This can also be used as an obscene sneak attack route into ''other'' civs protected by mountains, should the Carthage player be bold enough to bring Workers along with their army. It's definitely rare, but sending a herd of elephants tumbling down the mountainside of a city's "safe" zone is as effective as it is hilarious.
* NotTheIntendedUse[=/=]EmergentGameplay: Strangely for a Domination-oriented civ, Carthage has a dirty little tactic that can win them a Science victory. The free Harbors they get with each city form City Connections with the capital for added Gold gain, and with the "Messenger of the Gods" Pantheon belief the connections will also produce Science. With clever city placement and appropriate measures to combat unhappiness, an expansion-happy Carthage can become a ''huge'' scientific competitor on par with Babylon while at the same time landlocking any nearby civs. And should another civ somehow jeopardize the Science victory? Now Carthage has a large number of cities from which to produce a military, allowing them to bury the violator in elephants and warships.

Suleiman makes his return in ''VI'', and the Ottomans are once again geared towards rapid expansion. Their "Great Turkish Bombard" ability lets them build siege units in half the time, and with +5 combat strength against district defences. Ottoman-controlled cities not founded by them don't lose population when conquered, and get +1 Amenities and +4 Loyalty, making consolidating gains much easier. In terms of naval power, their Barbary Corsairs are Privateer replacements that can commit coastal raids without sacrificing movement points. The Janissaries make their return, and are stronger musketmen that can be built at a quicker pace; the only downside is that building them in Ottoman-founded cities consumes population. Meanwhile, the Grand Bazaar is the Ottoman's version of the Bank, which grants them additional strategic resources worked by the city and amenities from luxury resources. Suleiman himself has the "Grand Vizier" leader ability, and allows him to use his own unique governor, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pargal%C4%B1_Ibrahim_Pasha Ibrahim]]. Ibrahim can be used domestically for extra production to your military, but where he really shines is that he can be stationed in the cities of other Civs. He can either be used to foster alliances and give your allies some needed help, give your units combat strength bonuses against an enemy, or stop a certain Civ from exerting loyalty pressure onto you completely. Suleiman's "Lawgiver" agenda means that he'll expand rapidly, but also makes sure that their amenity and loyalty levels are good; he'll see anyone who fails in these areas as the next target of Ottoman rule.

* {{Jerkass}}: Tamar has a rather unpleasant personality, to say the least. Even friendly interactions result in sarcastic or demeaning comments from her. Then again, she seemingly expects at least as much as she gives in terms of unpleasantness...
--> Accepting a declaration of friendship: "I thought this a cruel jest, but upon reflection, I note your sincerity."
--> Agreeing to a trade deal (including trades she initiated, gifts, and alliance proposals): "It pains me to agree, but I must."
* NiceGirl: Her unpleasant personality aside, Tamar is actually very easy to befriend and a loyal ally. This is due to her agenda preferring civilizations that fortify their cities with walls, which most players are very likely to do early. [[PetTheDog She'll even give you a genuine compliment with no hint of sarcasm or insults]].

The Hapsburgs famously ruled territory all over Europe thanks to the strategic use of weddings, and as such Austria's "Diplomatic Marriage" ability allows it to simply buy a city-state it's been allied with for at least five turns. Instead of building Windmills to aid the construction of other buildings, Austria has its famous Coffee Houses, which instead help generate Great People; coffee has served as the heart of negotiation and inspiration for far longer than you may think. Maria Theresa is an easygoing leader who prioritizes diplomacy and culture, but those who would threaten city-states under Austria's protection should beware the Hussars, which boast super speed, sight range and flanking bonuses compared to standard Cavalry. Through diplomacy, build your nation; through coffee, make it great.

In ''Civ VI'', Scythia can build a Kurgan burial mound to help get out a pantheon early, but for the most part they're a military-focused civ specializing in mounted combat. Their "People of the Steppe" ability gives Scythia a free copy of any unit of light cavalry, or their unique Saka Horse Archer, that they train, allowing them to build a massive number of fast units in an alarmingly short time. Queen Tomyris will use her cavalry horde to dominate the battlefield, and her "Killer of Cyrus" leader ability lets her forces more easily dispatch wounded foes, but her a strict code of honor prevents her from attacking those who declare their friendship with her. Those who declare surprise attacks, or betray an ally, will quickly find themselves the target of her wrath.

* CoupDeGrace: Tomyris' units get a bonus when fighting wounded units.

->Leaders: Charles V (III), UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa (V)
->Unique Units: Hussar (III, V)
->Unique Building: Coffee House (V)
->Ability: Diplomatic Marriage (V)

The Ostmark was designated as the eastern borderlands of the Holy Roman Empire in 976 and given over to the Babenburg dynasty, but it wasn't until the Hapsburg family took over three hundred years later that Austria rose to prominence. From the 14th to the 18th century, the Hapsburgs grew in power and influence, at times being elected the Holy Roman Emperor and expanding into Hungary after defeating the Ottomans. In 1748 Maria Theresa became Austria's first female ruler and its last Hapsburg ruler, and though derided by the male leaders of Europe, brought political stability and prosperity to her country. Following the Napoleonic Wars, Austria became a major player in the German Confederation, then was defeated by its erstwhile ally Prussia, and finally evolved into the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867 in order to survive rising Hungarian nationalism. Austria-Hungary's competition with Russia and Serbia over the Balkans caused the spark that ignited World War One, and Austria briefly became a republic afterward until being annexed by Nazi Germany. Following the Second World War, Austria was given its sovereignty with the stipulation that it would remain neutral during the Cold War, and today is a member of the European Union with a commitment to peaceful conflict resolution.

The Hapsburgs famously ruled territory all over Europe thanks to the strategic use of weddings, and as such Austria's Diplomatic Marriage ability allows it to simply buy a city-state it's been allied with for at least five turns. As might expected, this makes a Diplomatic Victory quite attractive to this civilization, but don't mistake Austria for some meek pushover - its Hussar cavalry are fast-moving and have an increased flanking bonus, making them excellent scouts and flankers. Instead of building windmills, Austria can construct its famous Coffee Houses, which don't give quite as much bonus production but help churn out Great Engineers faster; coffee has served as the heart of negotiation and inspiration for far longer than you may think. Through diplomacy, build your nation; through coffee, make it great.

* TheAssimilator: Austria is the only civilization that can completely annex a city-state (Venice can only puppet them). As such, a well-funded Austrian can spread like wildfire during the mid-to-late game, snatching enemy alliances from under their noses and eroding their ability to control the World Congress.

* MisplacedAccent: Ironically enough, Austrian leader Maria Theresa [[AvertedTrope averts the mistake]] ''absolutely every other such game makes''. She speaks in a proper Viennese (Austrian) German dialect, rather than [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment (German) High German]].
* MustHaveCaffeine: Apparently the power of coffee inspires Austrian citizens to become Great Engineers.
* NiceGuy: Maria Theresa is quick to make declarations of friendships with other leaders and can prove to be a trustworthy ally throughout the entire game (provided that you're not a warmonger).

"Scythia" is a Greek name dating back to the 8th century BC, referring to the central Eurasian lands east of the Vistula River and north of the Black Sea, which was inhabited by a loose confederation of initially-nomadic people. Little is known about them since they never developed a written language, but their mastery of mounted warfare and the presence of warrior-women in their burial mounds may have inspired Greek tales of centaurs and Amazons. The Scythians were situated along the Silk Road, and enriched themselves through both the slave trade and by raiding their neighbors, like Macedon and Persia. One account of the death of King Cyrus, as related by Herodotus, is that the Persian ruler used treachery to capture the son of the famed Scythian warrior-queen Tomyris, and after Cyrus refused her demand to release his hostage, Tomyris' son killed himself, driving Tomyris to annihilate Cyrus and his army in a rage. But eventually Roman expansion drove other tribes like the Sarmatians and Goths into Scythian lands, so that by the second century AD, all the remained of the Sycthians were legends and their distinct burial mounds.\\\

In ''Civ VI'', Scythia can build a Kurgan burial mound to help get out a pantheon early, but for the most part they're a military-focused civ specializing in mounted combat. Their "People of the Steppe" ability gives Scythia a free copy of any unit of light cavalry, or their unique Saka Horse Archer, that they train, allowing they to build a massive number of fast units in an alarmingly short time. Queen Tomyris will use her cavalry horde to dominate the battlefield, and her "Killer of Cyrus" leader ability lets her forces more easily dispatch wounded foes, but her a strict code of honor prevents her from attacking those who declare their friendship with her. Those who declare surprise attacks, or betray an ally, will quickly find themselves the target of her wrath.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The lore of the game claims that Scythians were animists, having "all the usual ones – sun, moon, war, death, hunting and so forth – one would expect of [[UnfortunateImplications unenlightened pagans]]". While its arguably true to some degree the Scythian gods are poorly understood and its highly likely that the pantheon covered by Herodotus didn't include a moon, death or hunting god. Go to Myth/ScythianMythology for what we know so far.
* AscendedExtra: It was possible to encouter a Scythian tribe (either friendly or barbarian) in ''III''.
* BullyHunter: Tomyris has a strong dislike of leaders who launch surprise attacks against other civs, so be careful not to draw her wrath while you're conquering your neighbors.

* HordesFromTheEast: The resident one in the original release of ''VI'', where neither Attila's Huns nor Genghis Khan's Mongols are featured.
* HorseArcher: The Saka Horse Archers are this. In an odd example, you are not required to have Horses to build the units.

* TreacheryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: She dislikes those who declare Surprise Wars, and ''hates'' civs who do so against former friends or allies.

->Leader: Harald Bluetooth (V)
->Unique Units: Berserker (V), Norwegian Ski Infantry (V)
->Ability: Viking Fury (V)

As the Viking Age wound down around 936 AD, King Gorm the Old began forging the Kingdom of Denmark, which was fully unified by his son Harald Bluetooth, the first Christian king of Denmark who also expanded into the rest of Scandinavia. By 1016, King Canute/Cnut controlled not only Denmark, but also Norway, parts of Sweden, and even England, which sent monks over to aid the conversion process as Canute paid a Danegeld for all those sacked monasteries. From 1397 to 1523, Denmark was part of the Kalmar Union that included Norway and Sweden, but around the Thirty Years' War the kingdom's power began to wane. During the Napoleonic Wars, England's concerns over Denmark's trade with France led to war, the destruction of Denmark's navy, and bankruptcy. Though neutral in World War II, the country was occupied by Nazi Germany, but Denmark nevertheless managed to save its Jewish population and scuttle its navy so the enemy couldn't use it. Following the war, Denmark became a member of both the United Nations and NATO, later joined the European Union, and today is a thriving economy and progressive innovator of wind power.

Don't expect Denmark to get any sort of improved windmill, however, its incarnation in ''Civ V'' is built around attacking from the sea. Its Viking Fury ability not only increases the movement speed of embarked troops, but lets them land and move in the same turn, and pillage at will. The Berserker is a fearsome shock trooper that's faster than a Longswordman and starts with the Amphibious promotion, perfect for raiding foes from the seas in the Medieval era, destroying their infrastructure before they even know what's hit them. The units can later be upgraded to Norwegian Ski Infantry, which get a combat bonus in and move twice as fast through snow, tundra or open hills. Unsurprisingly, Harald Bluetooth likes to go for a Domination Victory, and though hard to get on your side, will rarely betray an ally - especially a fellow warmonger. All said, if Denmark's in the game, everyone else better look to their coasts!

* BloodKnight: Harald himself, albeit with more shades of SpiritedCompetitor than leaders like Montezuma - upon meeting the player for the first time, he excitedly refers to them as "new challengers" and judging by his dialogue seems to simply prefer war to diplomacy as a natural means to settling disputes (which is reflected in his tendencies - he is quick to become Hostile and declare War, but surprisingly average when it comes to forgiveness). When you declare war, he even congratulates you on your Viking-esque boldness... while in the same breath "lamenting" having to kill you.

* DecompositeCharacter: They and Sweden are this to the Viking civilization from past Civilization games. Denmark is themed to Viking Age Scandinavia while Sweden is themed to the time long afterward to early modern Scandinavia.
* HornyVikings: Aside from the horned helmet itself, Harald Bluetooth is presented this way with his winged helmet and greeting you on his longship while talking about pleasing the old gods. In real life, Harald was a Christian convert who more or less had done away with the old Norse customs.

* LightningBruiser: Berserkers have 3 move compared to the usual 2, pillage at no cost, and can transfer from sea to land nearly instantly. Sadly, the higher speed isn't kept when upgraded.
* TheMunchausen: When he meets the player for the first time, he (in the text) offers to regale them with tales of his many exploits.
* RageQuit: Manage to best Harald and he'll chuck his helmet over the side of his longship and storm off. A few {{beat}}s later, and ''[[BrickJoke splash]]''.
* RapePillageAndBurn: A specialty of berserkers. They can sail in from the fog of war, quickly embark on the shores of a weak city, ruin tiles, and then have movement left over to capture workers or pick off units. Other Danish melee units can similarly pillage at will.
* SoreLoser: Ironically for someone who is enthusiastic for war, he doesn't really take his loss well, accusing the player for having Loki's favor and throws his helmet into the water as he RageQuit from the leader screen.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Denmark is essentially ''Civilization V''[='=]s version of the Viking civilization from earlier games--it retains the Berserker unique unit and focus on naval warfare.

** Denmark isn't usually seen as one of the best civilizations in the game... but on a map with a lot of water, he's one of the few civilizations that can pull off an amphibious invasion with aplomb. He's also extremely good at taking down Polynesia, since they can easily make hit-and-run attacks, tearing up Moai all the while.
** As mentioned below, the Norwegian Ski Infantry's distinct advantage in snow and tundra tiles are a [[UselessUsefulSpell Useless Useful Ability]] due to the lack of snow and tundra tiles - unless you're playing on a [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Ice Age map.]] Due to the overwhelming presence of snow and tundra tiles to be found on those kinds of maps, suddenly the Norwegian Ski Infantry's unique ability becomes almost downright [[GameBreaker game breaking]] due to the massive combat bonus those kinds of tiles give to them, alongside the free movement bonus. They become even more dangerous if the map happens to be an Archipelago-themed map, to which the Danish's unique ability is at it's best.
* UndyingLoyalty: Despite his warmongering nature, Harald's easily one of the best allies you can have, as he has a Loyalty rating of ''7.''[[note]]To put that into perspective, Genghis Khan has a Loyalty rating of 7 too, and he's widely reputed as one of the most loyal allies in the game.[[/note]] He's somewhat difficult to befriend being a warmonger, but if you get on his good side, you'll have an alliance that will last you the entire game.
* [[UselessUsefulSpell Useless Useful Ability]]: The Ski Infantry's combat bonus in snow and tundra terrain is nice and all, but those only exist at the top of the map and rarely have anything worth fighting over. Averted when it comes to hill terrain, although induces FridgeLogic instead (skiing on sand dunes and jungle hills?).

* CrutchCharacter: Their unique ability is extremely useful for mobility and exploration early in the game, allowing Polynesia to find more tribal villages than rivals, snap up natural wonders or luxuries, make contact with distant civs or city-states for trade or alliances, or even dominate early naval combat by being able to move onto normally-impassible ocean tiles. But as soon as a rival civ researches Astronomy, "Wayfinding" is essentially obsolete.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: King Kamehameha looks a lot like [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson]], whose mother is incidentally from a Samoan WrestlingFamily.

->Leader: Tomyris (VI)
->Unique Unit: Saka Horse Archer (VI)
->Unique Improvement: Kurgan (VI)
->Ability: People of the Steppe (VI)

Scythia was a region of Central Eurasia in classical antiquity, occupied by the Eastern Iranian Scythians, encompassing parts of Eastern Europe east of the Vistula River and Central Asia, with the eastern edges of the region vaguely defined by the Greeks. The Ancient Greeks gave the name Scythia (or Great Scythia) to all the lands north-east of Europe and the northern coast of the Black Sea. The Scythians – the Greeks' name for this initially nomadic people – inhabited Scythia from at least the 11th century BC to the 2nd century AD. Scythia was a loose state that originated as early as 8th century BC. Little is known of them and their rulers. The most detailed western description is by Herodotus, though it is uncertain he ever went to Scythia. He said the Scythians' own name for themselves was "Scoloti". The Scythians became increasingly settled and wealthy on their western frontier with Greco-Roman civilization.

Scythia's leader in ''Civilization VI'' is Tomyris, a legendary warrior-queen who led her armies to defend against an attack by Cyrus the Great (see Persia above), defeating and killing him in 530 BC (although this is debatable since Herodotus mentions that this was only one of many stories relating to Cyrus' death).

In-game, Scythia is a military-focused civ specializing in early mounted combat, much like the Huns and Mongols. Whenever the Scythians build a horseman or Saka Horse Archer, they receive a second one for free, letting them build a massive number of fast units in an alarmingly short time. Scythian units receive a strength bonus when attacking wounded opponents, and heal slightly after victorious combat.

* ActionGirl: Tomyris is the only female leader to don a full armor in Civilization VI, and the only female leader alongside Greece's Gorgo to get a combat-focused bonus.
* ArmourPiercingQuestion: Upon defeat in Civ VI Tomyris states that she will be remembered while looking down away from the camera, then she looks up and asks “Will you?”

* BrokenBird: Upon meeting you, before pleasantries such as "Hello", "Nice to meet you", "I am Tomyris", etc., Tomyris shouts at you that she will repay treachery with blood. After that, she smiles, saying that you two will be friends IF you are a true friend.

* HordesFromTheEast: The resident one in the original release of VI, where neither Attila's Huns nor Genghis Khan's Mongols are featured.

* LightningBruiser: Early on, their incredible bonuses to light cavalry can make for fast and devastating attacks using Horsemen and Saka Horse Archers. And even though the Saka Horse Archer becomes obsolete rather quickly, the ability to get a second light cavalry unit never does, which means that Scythia will also get a free ''helicopter'' when building one in the late game.
* NeverBeHurtAgain: Her reason for, in her words, repaying treachery with blood.

** In Scythia, when you train a light cavalry unit or a Saka Horse Archer, you gain an extra one. While normally this would mean an extra military unit to use, you could also "sell" this extra unit for gold. With good production, you could spawn many light cavalry units (which can go up to Modern era with Helicopters counting as light cavalry) and sell them for easy gold. However, this was patched out a month after release.

* ReligiousBruiser: They're able to build primitive Faith-generating tombs called Kurgans at the start of the game, but what REALLY qualifies them for this is their civ's natural ability to heal units after a successful combat. This even extends to their religious units like Apostles, which normally can only heal when retreating to a Holy Site. Which makes Scythia a shoe-in for religious victories as well as military ones.

* ZergRush: Much like the Huns, they're perfect for bumrushing your enemies early on.

* AscendedExtra: In ''VI'''s first expansion ''Rise & Fall'', Babylon became a replacement city-state for AscendedExtra UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}}, before then becoming a full civ two and a hlaf years later.

* MadScientist: Collectively, as a civilization, in VI: the way they ''do'' scientific research is mostly out of whack with other civs, and yet they zoom through the tech tree if played right.

* ZergRush: While in other versions of ''Civ'' the Babylonian Bowman is primarily a defensive unit, in ''Civ IV'' it gets an attack bonus against melee units, which combined with Hammurabi's Aggressive trait means that Babylon is a viable early-game spammer.

->Leader: Kamehameha (V)
->Unique Unit: Maori Warrior (V)
->Unique Improvement: Moai (V)
->Ability: Wayfinding (V)

Polynesia is a roughly triangular section comprising 60% of the Pacific Ocean, with its three corners approximately at New Zealand, Easter Island, and the Hawaiian Islands. The Polynesian peoples who live on the many island chains within this triangle all share a common set of cultural, linguistic, and genetic similarities; modern historians and anthropologists believe that all these populations descend from a single group starting from Southeast Asia that expanded outward rapidly, settling Easter Island sometime in the mid-to-late first millennium, Hawai'i around 500 AD, and New Zealand in 1000 AD. Their skills as navigators are well-attested, allowing them to maintain an active web of communication and trade networks between islands even over thousands of miles. While no one island ever managed to dominate the entire region by itself, a number of islands and island chains served as hubs for great seafaring empires, such as Samoa, Fiji, and Hawai'i. Today the Polynesian people are minorities in their own post-colonial homelands, including the largest population, the Maori of New Zealand, but they continue the cultural traditions that helped them settle so far and make them exceptional sailors.

True to their real-life counterparts, the Polynesians are a seafaring people, reflected by their trait, their usual starting location and AI Polynesia's preference for naval units. The Wayfinding ability allows Polynesian units to not just embark on coasts, but cross oceans from the very start of the game, meaning that when other civs start exploring the world in the mid-game they'll liable to come across well-developed Polynesian colonies already occupying the best lands. The Maori Warrior is Polynesia's early-game special unit with the ability to demoralize enemy troops, while instead of a special building, Polynesia can build Moai on coastlines, producing additional culture that increases with adjacent Moai. King Kamehameha is a pretty mellow leader who focuses on keeping his people happy, but he has little tolerance for warmongers, and will have built up a navy worthy of his far-flung empire.

* CrutchCharacter: Their unique ability is extremely useful for mobility and exploration early in the game, but peters off and becomes nearly irrelevant by the Renaissance. On the other hand, it does mean that you'll manage to meet every civilization before anybody else, allowing you to found the World Congress and get an early start railroading your resolutions through.

* FragileSpeedster: Being able to cross oceans at the start of the game is fantastic for early expansion, but also becomes obsolete when everyone else hits the Renaissance.
* LoopholeAbuse: While their Unique Ability in V can be irrelevant when everyone hits the Renaissance, their ability to cross ocean at the start gives great advantages. Like obtaining extra ruins, meeting city states, searching natural wonders, and setting cities in places that no one else can reach.

* MoraleMechanic: The Maori Warrior's [[BattleChant haka]] reduces any adjacent enemy's combat effectiveness by 10%, and retains this ability when upgraded to subsequent units. You'll want to build a lot of these guys.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: King Kamehameha looks a lot like Wrestling/DwayneJohnson -- also known by his ring name of "The Rock" -- whose mother is incidentally from a Polynesian (specifically Samoan) WrestlingFamily.

->Leaders: [[UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi Mohandas Gandhi]] (I-VI), Indira Ghandi (II), Asoka (IV), Chandragupta (VI)\\

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: One update to ''Civ VI'' introduced Chandragupta, who is the opposite of Ghandi policy-wise, letting India go on the offense with declarations of territorial expansion.

* CompositeCharacter: A combination of ancient India (The WarElephants), the Mughal Empire (their Mughal Forts), and modern India (their unique ability that allows them to have highly crowded cities, and their leader, Ghandi).

* MadScientist: Collectively, as a civilization: the way they ''do'' scientific research is mostly out of whack with other civs, and yet they zoom through the tech tree if played right.

* AscendedExtra: In VI's second expansion ''Gathering Storm'', Babylon became a replacement city-state for AscendedExtra Stockholm, before then becoming a full civ a year and a half later.

* MadScientist: collectively, as a civilization, in that the way they ''do'' scientific research is completely out of whack with other civs, and yet they zoom through the tech tree if played right.

* SparkOfGenius: Of sorts, applied to the entire civ: in VI, Babylon does ''normal'' science at half the rate of other civs. However, its eurekas grant it the ''full'' technology, rather than just part of it - ''even if you do not have the prerequisite techs''.

->Unique Unit: Bowman (III-V)
->Unique Buildings: Garden (IV), Walls of Babylon (V)
->Ability: Ingenuity (V)

* TheSmartGuy: One of the only two civs in ''V'' that has a science boost as their main ability.

->Leaders: Hammurabi (I-VI), Ishtar* (II), Nebuchadnezzar II (V)

->Leaders: Hammurabi (I-IV), Ishtar* (II), Nebuchadnezzar II (V)

->Leaders: UsefulNotes/ElizabethI (I-V), UsefulNotes/{{Henry VIII}} (II), UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria (IV, VI), UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill (IV) UsefulNotes/EleanorOfAquitaine (VI)

Byzantium was the heartland of Orthodox Christianity, and its ability in ''Civ V'', Patriarchate of Constantinople, allows it to choose an additional belief when founding a Religion, further customizing it towards whichever victory it seeks. When piety is not enough, the Byzantines' special units allow them to dominate the early game - the Dromon uses Greek Fire to annihilate any ships foolish enough to oppose it, while the Cataphract is a slower but stronger Horseman able to make use of terrain and more effectively attack cities. Through faith and Roman arms, the Byzantines will once more rise to glory.

* GreekFire: Dromons replace Triremes as the earliest military ship. They have a useful ranged attack, and a hefty bonus against enemy ships. As a bonus, they also follow the ranged ship upgrade path instead of the trireme's melee path, so their promotions remain useful forever.

''The'' empire for the western part of the globe, Rome was founded in the 8th century BC and would continue to exist in some form for over two thousand years. After becoming a republic, Rome began expanding its rule into the rest of Italy, eventually bringing it into conflict with the rival Mediterranean power of Carthage, which it finally defeated in 146 BC. In the unrest that followed a general named Julius Caesar took power as a dictator, and his successor Octavian formally declared Rome an empire. At the height of its power in 117 AD, Rome controlled North Africa, Western Europe, southern England, the Balkans, Anatolia, and the coasts and river valleys of the Middle East, but the empire eventually stagnated and fractured. The western half finally fell to barbarian invaders in 330 AD, while its eastern portion would continue as the Byzantine Empire. Rome had an incredible impact on western history thanks to its achievements in law, engineering, language, and tactics, so much so that medieval Europe was largely concerned with trying to match its predecessor, much less surpass it.

--> *When inviting you to his capital*: "Will you come to my city? We have opened a cask of wine that is, I promise, entirely safe to drink and not at all poisoned."
--> *When you accept his offer of friendship*: "Welcome to my camp! I promise that there is no one hiding in the closet with a sword. At this time."
--> *When requesting an alliance*: "Let us sign a binding agreement where no one can betray each other. I'm serious this time."