EUPRAXIA TIPS

This diagram shows a city which has been built to produce Sesterces and other resources to supply my other cities: I have three such cities providing resources and Sesterces to the other two main cities.

It's a level 10 city not yet expanded to it's full size, but you'll notice that it only has 2 sets of barracks and 2 sets of workshops. Those are taken up in my main cities where troops are produced and I have 8 in each of those cities. Over 5 cities in total, I have 27 sets of barracks which are always making troops with the resources provided from my resource cities. On expansion I can include more barracks or anything I like.

Although the rectorate protects my Sesterces, and the 2 level 8 warehouses protect my resources, I don't need them because I transfer those into my main cities and into barracks and wall defences.

I do not keep troops in my resource cities because I want those troops in my main cities which defend my resources and Sesterces whilst I'm not playing.

If another player marauds the above city then he or she will gain nothing and will not gain any honor either because there are no troops to kill. I on the other hand have maximum defence in my main cities yet keep resources to a minimum because they are always being used to build troops.

Troops: 

It doesn't matter what number troops you have for they will never be enough if you are attacked by an entire league or a greater number of players, each with more troops than you. Just build as many troops as you can and ensure you feature heavily on producing Onagers because they will provide maximum defence. You will know when you have produced enough of those when you are unable to keep up feeding, but use the food from your resource cities because there are no troops there to feed. You can set up an outpost too so that will transfer food automatically. I haven't gotten round to doing that with mine yet because I maximised spaces for cottages to produce Sesterces. When I expand the resource city I'll probably put one in then.

Running negative food:

Ideally, you should look to run into negative with food but make sure you're managing it right. The basic rule is if you are not in negative with your food then you haven't got enough troops. So as soon as you are able, maximise the rivers you take and always look to increase these levels until you have reach level 10 with 10 rivers. Then you're in business if you are still running negative with your food, but remember you are also able to maraud it from rivers and from other players, and of course you can buy it.Also note: You can simply reinforce your resource cities with heavy consuming troops like Ballistae and Onagers whilst you're playing, and recall them if you're attacked. This depletes the need to transfer food all day long and happily furnishes you with the ability to defend a producing city from invasion or give a scouting city reason to believe you lack proper defence units in your main city because they won't appear until you recall them to defend. You can also 'hide' troops in rivers and wildernesses and in other cities which you have colonised and simply recall them when needed. Remember though that they will still be consuming food from your city.

Defending:

Never leave your 'Engagement Protocol' as 'HEAD ON', unless you deliberately want to engage the enemy. Since you can see who it is who might be attacking you, then you have chance to consider if he has more troops than you before you engage. But remember, to look in your Arena if you are under attack because it might not be an attack but rather a maraud. - Remember that a maraud is not an attack and will not engage battle with your troops unless you have forgotten to untick 'HEAD ON'.

Secondly, if you are being marauded, then the enemy will not gain any resources from you if you have used those in your barracks and wall defences or sold them at market or moved them to another city, and your warehouses will in any event protect them if you have built warehouses to a good enough level.

Joining Arena:

When you see flames extruding from another city or from a wilderness, check in the arena to see who is attacking or marauding it. You might want to join them in the arena, in which case you will gain resources and you will have been assisted by other troops belonging to the other player. Note: It is best you do this only with your own league members unless you know the other player otherwise he or she might not like you getting their resources.

An expanded level 10 city with extra barracks and workshops and with 3 level 8 warehouses. (last one under production)

Notice my food is in negative 52,000 per hour. I want it into minus 200k per hour because that equals 4.8 million per day. I can supplement food from marauds, from production in my other cities and from knowing that all I have to do is to buy 5 million food per day, which you'll note is far cheaper than stone or lumber. Also, I am working to build up my rivers to level 10's so in essence they will allow me to keep more troops.

Brilliant Footage of Polar Bears in the Wild

Brilliant Footage of Elephants in the Wild

Britain's True History

New archaeological discoveries made by Professor of archaeology Dr Francis Pryor and his team of archaeologists, are re-writing the history of Britain.

New historical evidence shows that British culture has never been eradicated by "invasion". He shows that early Britons developed social and economic independence as opposed to being in a so called dark age, and evidences that before early Romans settled amongst us we had a developed culture which was civilised. Evidence also exists to show that British King Verica invited Rome to Britain rather than as we've learned, that Britain was "invaded". This pretext for this so called invasion of Britain, of a nation which had traded with Rome for decades, is now quite unbelievable. It is more reasonably believed to have been a peaceful relationship at least with some Britons, along with a "celebration" of British cultural power, Dr Pryor says.

Since Dr Pryor made his history programmes for Channel 4, the BBC has produced a timeline of early history which I've condensed a little here below in order to help make more sense of our ancient history. In addition, you can see Dr Pryor's absorbing documentaries below, which prove that British culture has been alive and kicking, and that it was civilised for several thousands of years before the Roman Army even set foot here. You can see it is still prevalent today in the DNA of the native people of these islands who mostly still remain fiercely independent.

4500 BC to 3000 BC
Small permanent settlements are developed
There are fewer earlier Neolithic (Late Stone Age) settlements in England and Wales - which may reflect a more mobile lifestyle among early farmers in these areas - than in Scotland and Ireland. Most earlier Neolithic settlements in Britain were of about one to three houses with possibly a few outbuildings. They were rarely defended, except in Cornwall. Most settlements were placed at some distance from areas of barrows.

3807 BC to 3806 BC
Europe's first wooden trackway (footpath) is built
The Sweet Track in the Somerset Levels consists of a wooden footpath raised above boggy ground on crossed timber supports. It extended across a marsh between what was then an island and an area of high ground. It was excavated between 1970 and 1982 and its precise age revealed by tree-ring dating (dendrochronology).

3000 BC to 1500 BC
Settlements proliferate and more land is cleared for farming
Technology changed at the start of the Bronze Age (2500 BC in Britain), but the basic way of life continued much as before. The greater frequency of known settlements, allied to evidence for increasing clearance of land for farming, indicates steady population growth. From circa 2500 BC, roundhouses were the main form of domestic building. From circa 2000 BC there is evidence of field systems, often aligned on pre-existing barrows which suggests they followed earlier systems of land partition.

2500 BC
Metalworking develops with improvements in furnace technology
Following the introduction of pottery two millennia previously, the appearance of metalworking was another important technological step in the control of heat and the production of ever-higher temperatures using small furnaces and hide bellows. The earliest British metalwork was made of pure copper, bronze (an alloy of about 90% copper, 10% tin) or gold. Gold was used for ornaments and jewellery, bronze and copper for spearheads, axes, knives and daggers.

2500 BC to 800 BC
Metalwork becomes increasingly sophisticated
Early Bronze Age (2500-1500 BC) saw the regular production of more sophisticated metalwork, consisting mainly of axes, daggers and 'tanged' spearheads (attached to the shaft by a prong).

'Specialists' create highly decorated 'beaker' pottery
While household pottery was probably produced domestically, the appearance of metalwork and new, highly-decorated forms of drinking vessels called (by archaeologists) 'beakers' indicate the presence of 'specialists' in Britain. The very first makers of beaker pottery probably came from the continent, but after a short interval these specialists were local. It seems probable that with metalworking went certain religious practices that may have marked the smiths out from other members of society.

Elite leaders are buried with elaborate grave goods
A series of burials of individuals beneath round barrows and with elaborate grave-goods, including special funerary pottery, bronze and copper daggers and gold and amber objects, were discovered in the 19th century in the Wessex area (Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire), and then in the 20th century as far afield as Norfolk. There are strong parallels with Brittany, France, suggesting regular contact between the two areas.

1800 BC
First industrial-scale copper mines are dug
Shortly after 2000 BC the first deep copper mines were dug. Two of the best known are at Mount Gabriel in County Cork, Ireland, and Great Orme, north Wales. Another major area of prehistoric mining was in mid-Wales. Most Bronze Age mines went out of use in the Iron Age. The scale of metal production was truly industrial. Mount Gabriel is thought to have produced about 370 tonnes of copper and Great Orme 175 to 235 tonnes.

1500 BC
More sophisticated metal weapons and ornamentation appear
In the Middle Bronze Age (1500-1200 BC) smaller forms of axes (palstaves) began to appear alongside the first 'socketed' spearheads (attached to the shaft by a hole in the base). Thrusting weapons (dirks, rapiers) appeared, as well as elaborate bronze pins and bracelets.

Major lowland valleys are extensively settled
The scale of later Bronze Age settlement was poorly understood until about 1970, when it became possible to differentiate pottery of the period from that of the Iron Age. This coincided with increased aerial survey data and excavation ahead of commercial development. Current knowledge suggests that this was the period when the major lowland river valleys were extensively settled.

1200 BC to 800 BC
Celtic culture and tribal kingdoms start to emerge
Changes in religion, ceremonial and burial practices imply social change. The new structure persisted through the Iron Age and has been labelled as 'Celtic'. It seems probable that the later Bronze Age controlling elites comprised a larger proportion of society and may have been centred upon a 'warrior aristocracy'. This is the period when the numerous tribes of Britain began to combine into the larger groupings that became the named tribal kingdoms of the Iron Age.

700 BC to 43 AD
Small farming settlements with networks of fields start to develop
Throughout the Iron Age there is evidence for extensive networks of fields associated with small farming settlements. A mixed farming economy is suggested by cattle, sheep and pig remains and the processing of cereals including wheat, barley and oats. Improved cereal crops and breeds of domestic animal were developed and introduced during the Iron Age. The best surviving areas of Iron Age farming can be seen on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, the Cheviot Hills and other upland areas.

330 BC
Pytheas of Massilia circumnavigates Britain
Pytheas of Massilia (now Marseilles), a Greek merchant and explorer, circumnavigated the British Isles between about 330 and 320 BC and produced the first written record of the islands. He described the inhabitants as skilled wheat farmers, usually peaceable, but formidable in war when they used horse-drawn chariots. He also described the Cornish trade in tin with the Mediterranean.

Built on large timber platforms, these settlements were set on the edge of a now vanished area of marsh and open water. Excavation has recovered thousands of wooden and other organic artefacts that rarely survive from dry-land settlements, and which provide greater insight into the skills of Iron Age woodworkers. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, smaller lakeside settlements called 'crannogs' are known. Many of these survived into the Roman period and later.

100 BC
Coins are used and produced for the first time
The first coins found in Britain were gold and minted in France. Around 80-60 BC, production started in Britain and by 20 BC silver and bronze were used in south east England. Coins began to bear the names of rulers, some titled 'Rex' (Latin for king) and some naming the place they were minted, such as Camulodunum (Colchester). These inscriptions suggest a growing level of literacy and familiarity with Latin. No Iron Age coins were produced in northern England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland.

55 BC
Julius Caesar raids south east England

54 BC
Julius Caesar launches a full-scale invasion of England - Was it really an invasion?

"Cheddar Man" and Mitochondrial DNA testing
In 1996, Bryan Sykes of Oxford University first sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of Cheddar Man, with DNA extracted from one of Cheddar Man's molars. Cheddar Man was determined to have belonged to Haplogroup U5a, a branch of mitochondrial haplogroup U. U5a, the specific haplogroup of Cheddar Man, is known to be the oldest truly modern human (not Neanderthal) mtDNA haplogroup in Europe.

Bryan Sykes' research into Cheddar Man was filmed as he performed it. As a means of connecting Cheddar Man to the living residents of Cheddar village, he compared mitochondrial DNA taken from twenty living residents of the village to that extracted from Cheddar Man’s molar. It produced two exact matches and one match with a single mutation. The two exact matches were schoolchildren, and their names were not released. The close match was a history teacher named Adrian Targett.

Sykes argued that this modern connection to Cheddar Man (who died at least three thousand years before agriculture began in Britain) makes credible the theory that modern-day Britons are not all descended from Middle Eastern migratory farmers, but rather modern Britons are descended from ancient European Palaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherer tribes who much later on adopted farming.

As stated by Dr Pryor and his team, our ancient ancestors are still with us today in an unbroken line of DNA which spans at least 9,000 years.

Britain AD

"In the year 407AD, the Emperor Constantine III, led the last few Roman troops from these islands", says archaeologist Dr Francis Pryor, as he explains a TRUE historical account of "Britain AD and "King Arthur's Britain". In the following video Dr Pryor makes a compelling case to suggest history has held a distorted view about Britain after the Romans which it called the Dark Ages. I'd say the view we've been given is anything but the truth when you listen to Dr Pryor's interesting historic account of our islands history. "This version of our history is wrong", says Dr Pryor, who exposes archaeological evidence which proves "ancient British culture was strong", and that we have ALWAYS had a strong and independent culture of our own which "we did not get from the Romans". In fact, the way it looks, is that the Romans and others, have simply tried to crush it. Dr Pryor says; "Britain's culture survived the Romans intact", as he shows Medieval axes and swords along with remains of ancient causeways, iron age spears, and an array of many archaeological finds, which give testament to the fact that ancient Britons were indeed very well advanced for hundreds of years before Britain was invaded, and for a long time after they left. "Archaeologists are beginning to re-think the history of ancient Britain", says Prof Pryor.

"Britons were trading with and associating themselves with the 'New Imperial Order' of Rome years before Rome invaded us", says Prof Pryor. And he says that the invasion by ancient Romans was really a "liberation" under "invitation". Early historians even got the position of the Roman landing wrong, says Dr Pryor and a fellow archaeologist who shows firm evidence that it was in Fishbourne under the request of King Verica who "opened his doors to the Roman troops", says Dr Pryor.

It begs the question why our English history has been given to us that we knew nothing before the Romans, and why our English culture has been subjected to constant and repeated attempts to subjugate and even to try to eradicate it. Dr Pryor's account really re-writes (and re-rights), the wrong's perpetrated against the isles of Britannia and in particular our very own historical cultural heritage which existed "Several thousand years" before Christ, and Britons living in our islands today, still have the DNA to prove it.

See Dr Pryor's video presentations HERE - BC PART ONE - BC PART TWO - AD PART ONE - AD PART TWO

So who exactly were the first inhabitants of Britain?

Geneticist, Stephen Oppenheimer says;

Everything you know about British and Irish ancestry is wrong. Our ancestors were Basques, not Celts. The Celts were not wiped out by the Anglo-Saxons, in fact neither had much impact on the genetic stock of these islands.

"Based on the overall genetic perspective of the British, it seems that Celts, Belgians, Angles, Jutes, Saxons, Vikings and Normans were all immigrant minorities compared with the Basque pioneers, who first ventured into the empty, chilly lands so recently vacated by the great ice sheets"

Don't do it China

Sure as night follows day, a growing economy is followed by spiralling house prices that leaves many people in an almost impossible situation of being unable to afford a home.

Stuck in a job they may not like, with less ability to build a family, and with more stress in life which in many cases will even lead to suicide. Many will look back at some point and ask themselves "why"?

As the inexorable frenzy of unbridled capitalism continues to see corporations seeking ever higher profits and bigger market share which eats up smaller businesses that find it impossible to compete against giants. Vast changes occur in society in the wake of 'growth', 'modernisation', 'social mobility', 'cultural diversity', and so called 'progress'. Where society becomes fragmented as the rich become even richer and the poor become slaves to the economy and a way of life that many find bewildering, the economic crusade for growth continues.

We see governments embattled against their peoples on issues under global contention as global corporations deploy their arguments for cheaper labour with less restrictions on their employment practices and calls for political changes with no democratic mandate, that sees countries wiped away as a result of treaties on trade, ever closer union with others, to meet the corporate freedoms they want for themselves but without any care at all for the mess they are making to our nations or to our cultures and to our own freedoms.

As CNN reports today on "another blistering quarter of economic growth", it outlines a story just in the making which mirrors our own demise as it follows the story of "fever-pitch" grumblings over exorbitant home prices as it follows the story of an ordinary couple who now "rent a shabby old attic and subsist on a diet of instant noodles, only to find skyrocketing prices pushing their dreams of a new home beyond their reach."

"Haiping finally sets her sights on a flat on the outskirts of the city, even though the couple could barely afford the 900,000-yuan (US$131,800) price tag. Their 20-year mortgage comes to nearly $900 a month, but their combined salary is only around $1300 a month."

"Haizao, steps in to help her relatives pay for the 20 percent down payment by becoming the mistress of a high-ranking official in the city mayor's office. It ends tragically for Haizao when she suffers a miscarriage and her lover commits suicide after being accused of taking bribes."

"To pay off the mortgage, they refrain from changing jobs, spending money on entertainment or travel, and worry about falling ill. But for the Chinese, worrying about house payments itself is becoming a health risk. A survey on the health of Chinese white-collar workers, released by the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, showed that buying property ranks as the top cause of pressure among 46 percent of the respondents, followed only by parents' health, difficulty in finding a spouse and children's education."

Unless governments reverse the march of corporate greed then the peoples of China will like us, be turned into economic migrants or a life of struggle against poverty, only to find the roots of their society are in a pile of sand from where they'll find that the rich corporate sharks and politicians have already moved on without them when the inevitable economic bubble finally bursts.

Don't do it China. Don't be like us!