Alexander/Atlas

==Strategic resources (and where to find them)==
Citrus 	
Citrus fruits can be traced back to Asia, where they were first cultivated. Oranges and lemons first made their appearance in Mediaeval Europe, following the arrival of Islam which discovered that it was expedient to grow citrus trees in the Mediterranean. Much later, Europeans discovered that citrus could prevent scurvy, and so fleets who could afford it issued citrus to their sailors. For this reason, the British — a major maritime power — were sometimes called "Limeys".	
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*Naval units regenerate over time.
Wool 	
Aside from producing food if slaughtered, sheep also provide valuable milk and wool which is easier to weave than tree bark fibre. Sheep are also of great ritual significance: Etruscan priests were said to have practised hepatomancy — a form of divination where sheep livers were used to predict the future.	
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*Villagers 33% faster; 15% cheaper
Papyrus 	
This fragile but useful material is produced from flattening the fibres of a marsh plant found in Egypt into thin sheets which can then be written upon with ink.	
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*-25% research cost for
Wine 	
There are many differences between wine and other alcoholic brews, most notably in the content of sugar and alcohol of the drink in question. It is thought that viticulture first took place in Western Asia, before being spread westward by Phoenician and Greek colonists throughout Europe and Africa.	
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*Units 20% cheaper to upgrade
SlaveEmporion	
The best way to dispose of your foes and other undesirables is to sell them off to others willing to endure them. At the drop of a coin — or a few more — troublemakers become the prestige and profit of others, wherever slavers congregate with their grisly traffic in human flesh and misery.	
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*Citizens and slaves construct buildings and wonders 10% faster.
*Spawns slaves in your capital whenever commerce research is completed: 1 from levels 1-3, 2 from levels 4-5 and e from 6-7
Seals 	
These strange-looking creatures have a hide that is both light, yet resistant and waterproof, making them a prize worth hunting.	
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*+20% naval unit speed
Spices 	
With salt and spices, food could be preserved and kept for longer periods, or at least have the taste of spoilage concealed with strong flavours, with the most desired spices being pepper, cinnamon, saffron and ginger.	
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*+20% income from Tradesmen
Silk 	
Comfortable and resilient, silk bought China much wealth and was the one reason for the existence of the Silk Road until the Late Middle Ages when the Romans managed to smuggle silkworm moths into Greece. Silk however was somewhat scandalising as it was somewhat seethrough: Roman emperors tried to proscribe the use of silk without success, while Muslims considered it inappropriate clothing material for men.	
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*-25% research cost for
Salmon 	
A voracious predator which lives mostly in the more frigid waters of the world, salmon was considered a delicacy by the Celts of Gaul and Britain. The Irish tale of the Salmon of Wisdom, a fish which upn being eaten could confer all knowledge in the world on whoever consumed it, attests to its importance well into our own times.	
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*-20% to cost of naval units
Obsidian 	
This precious material, formed from vitrified igneous rock, can hold an extremely sharp blade despite being fragile. For this reason, surgical instruments may be made out of this material.	
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*+1 to all arrow attacks
Gold 	
Malleable yet enduring, gold was the ultimate prize in the classical world: it was, after all, the reasons for the fame of the Egyptian pharaohs and possibly the power of the Argeadae of Macedon as a stable denominator of value.	
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*-10% cost to
Incense 	
The scent of incense can be of such great strength that it obscures other less desirable odours. For this reason, incense featured greatly in many religious rituals, such as invocations and funerals.	
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*-25% to cost of House of Worship research
Granite 	
Granite is a coarse-grained, light-colored igneous rock and has been used for thousands of years in both interior and exterior applications, although not as preferable as marble. The most famous use of granite in construction was in Egyptian funerary monuments: the interior reaches of the Pyramids are lined with granite slabs.	
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*-10% to all costs
Furs 	
Exploiting natural animal resources is one of the cheapest and most effective ways of making profit from virgin territory as they are tough enough to hunt their quarry, or fight or trade with the natives for pelts.	
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*-25% to research cost for
Horses 	
By virtue of their dexterity and sociability, horses formed the economic and military lynchpins of many empires. Nomadic tribes on horseback were feared for the deadly speed and flexibility their warriors had. Horses also had a vital non-belligerent role as well: the Persians (formerly a nomadic tribe themselves) used of horses in the chaparkhaneh, a courier system which can be considered the world's first postal service.	
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*-15% to Stable unit cost
Iron Ore 	
Despite being the most common metal in the world due to its presence everywhere, it is however harder to find deposits of iron ore large enough for economic exploitation. Nevertheless, there are countless areas in the world where this strange metal can be found.	
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*-10% cost for
Peacocks 	
If there was a way of proclaiming one's own worth through opulence, the mere possession of these animals from distant lands would be the ultimate prestige symbol.	
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*+10% to population cap
Marble 	
A beautiful metamorphic rock, marble has been the dream medium of choice for sculptors and stonemasons everywhere ever since man learnt to build tall walls .	
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*-10% cost for wonders
Glass 	
Thought to have been first created in the Middle East during the Bronze Age, glass was used for various kinds of bottles, utensils, mirrors and more.	
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*Tribute-related requests during scenarios can be fulfilled without expending tribute.
Gems 	
Apart from being asthetically attractive, gems were also thought to have mystical powers, a belief that has lasted well into our own day. Most gems in the ancient world were mined in Egypt, Bactria and India.	
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*+2 to borders
Fish 	
Fish and seafood formed a vital component in the diet of beach-dwellers, but not everyone would be content with bland fish meat. The most notorious use Romans had for fish was to ferment it to form garum, a fish sauce which they used to flavour almost everything which was edible to them — but whose production was a smelly process which resulted in laws regulating the location of garum refineries!	
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Sugar 	
Sugar — today the bane of dieters and diabetics alike — was once a luxury which could only be imported from India..	
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*-10% cost in
Dyes 	
Although the ancient world could use all sorts of materials for dye including lime, ochre (petrified rust), soot, woad and even human urine, the most prized of all dye was derived from the murex, a crustacean whose bodily secretions contained high levels of iodine, producing a beautiful purple colour. So prized and so difficult was it to extract murex dye that only the extremely rich could afford fully purple fabrics. Roman emperors had the benefit of full purple vestments — senators had to make do with purple coloured trim in their clothing to denote their status, and commoners none at all.	
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*-25% research cost for
Diamonds 	
Romans regarded diamonds with much reverence, believing it powerful in making its wearer brave and daring, giving him the victory over his enemies. If set in fine steel, it was considered a charm against insanity.	
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*+10% to commerce cap
Relics 	
Relics served as a link to a holy personage or to divinity itself. In Homer's Odyssey, the Argives tried to steal the Palladium, a relic which supposed was sent down from heaven, as they thought it would give them victory over the Trojans. The appeal of relics as cultic objects was so robust that it lasted even into the mediaeval era.	
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*+33% research and upgrade speed
Silver 	
While gold often stole the limelight for precious metals, silver was no less significant, although it was liable of tarnishing much faster than gold normally would. Contrary to popular belief, Roman soldiers weren't paid in salt, but were salaried instead in silver.	
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*-15% cost to research of Reforms
Salt 	
Equally as vital as gold was salt, which is fundamental to the functioning of the human body as well as for the task of preserving meat and vegetables. So valuable and vital was salt that the term "salary" refers to the practice of frequent payments to Roman soldiers to allow them to buy salt.	
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*Cost of barracks troops reduced by 15%
Dates 	
While considered a delicacy to most civilised nations, dates are however a vital source of food for those living in the desert. High in sugar and other nutrients, dates are not merely just eaten as they are, but are also fermented to produce a liquor by some desert cultures.	
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*+10% HP to all units
Copper 	
Although the onset of the Iron Age almost two millenia ago effectively reduced the importance of copper, the mining of copper still continued to take place. Copper continued to be the metal of choice for cooking utensils as it was elegant, and tended to resist heat better than iron. Some also believed that cooking with copper pans also improves food's nutritional value.	
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*+20% HP to mechanical units
Bitumen 	
This strange viscuous fluid can be found in abundance in many places in Asia, and has proven to be useful as both a sealant and a waterpoofing agent. The vapours of this material are thought to induce visions from the gods — but nobody takes that seriously.	
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*-15% to cost of
Cattle 	
Cattle was by the preferred choice for pastoralists in Classical Europe: aside from providing leather and meat, bulls could be used as beasts of burden, and cows would provide milk which was then used to produce butter and cheese. The Celts were known to be expert cattle farmers...as well as rustlers.	
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*+1 armour for Citizens.
Sulphur 	
This strange foul-smelling substance has a variety of uses, most notably in medicine and alchemical operations.	
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*Siege units 20% cheaper
Bison 	
Formerly ubiquitous and native to almost all but the loftiest heights of the world, bison are now confined to the northern reaches of Europe.	
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*-33% costs to Granary upgrades.
BeaverPelts 	
Beavers were not just hunted for fur but for their castoreum, an oil secreted from glands in their groins, which was then thought to have medicinal qualities. Widespread hunting however decimated the indigenous beaver population, and it is only thanks to vigorous conservation efforts that beavers have begun to return back to Europe's ecosystems.	
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*Free Scouts and Merchants