Copper (5,000 BC - 2,500 BC)
The spread of farming forced mankind into a period of urbanization that continues to this day. The surplus food that is generated in some areas creates the need for a means of exchange, rules to govern exchanges and new buildings to house and protect a growing population. Copper working creates new weapons and tools and soon legitimate kingdoms are arising where once there were only small tribes.

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Bronze (2,500 BC - 1,000 BC)
Mankind's drive towards urbanization has resulted in advances in architecture, farming, tool-making and literacy. Religion becomes organized and military discipline and training begins to appear. At this point, the player has access to all of the basic units and structures needed to follow any upgrade path.

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Iron (1,000 BC – 400 AD)
The Iron Age is witness to the brutal rise and fall of mighty empires as well as the teaching of the world’s most profound philosophies. Advances in construction in various types of stone have made cities more permanent, while advances in currency and government have allowed more leisure time for citizens. The results are giant leaps forward in all areas of civilization.

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Dark (400 AD – 800 AD)
Although Western Europe suffers a loss of stability and a stagnation of learning, the rest of the world manages to continue advancing in certain areas. Innovations in farming and mathematical processes continue to improve humanity’s quality of life, while the battle between logic and magic create social upheaval. This epoch will concentrate on the advances that historically took place all over the world during this time, not necessarily the effects of Europe’s darkest years.

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Middle (800 AD – 1300 AD)
The feudal system takes hold as a social, economic, and military means of governance in many areas of the world. Several technological and social innovations improve weapons and learning. Inventions in the area of sea travel also begin to open up more possibilities for trade and warfare.

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Renaissance (1300 AD – 1500 AD)
The use of gunpowder in military weapons and the common use of crossbows brought about the downfall of the feudal system – a commoner now could kill a knight with very little economic investment. As social structure began to evolve, so too did science and philosophy.

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Imperial (1500 AD – 1650 AD)
The difference between applied and theoretical science begins to make itself evident as inventions like the worm gear appear just as people are searching the stars with telescopes. Advances in gunpowder weapons bring cannons to the battlefield and wars become more offensive and bloody. An extensive period of aggressive colonialism characterizes this epoch.

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Enlightenment (1650 AD – 1800 AD)
The Enlightenment represents the period of time when rigid social structures finally fell apart – when education and a merit system began to decide class hierarchy. Republican forms of government began to replace monarchies, sometimes violently. More advances in naval technologies gave rise to mercantilism and facilitated the rise of capitalism.

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Industrial (1800 AD – 1900 AD)
The invention of the steam engine lead to significant changes in the quality of life for most people, for better and worse. Technology started to advance at a pace never before seen as people could witness changes in society in their own lifetime as opposed to the hundreds of years it had taken in the past. The Industrial sector and the military were the two most revolutionized during this period.

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Modern (1900 AD – 1940 AD)
The Modern Age brings the results of the marriage between industrial innovation and military tradition – warfare on a scale never before witnessed. Steel, mechanized transport, aviation, and mass production all serve to facilitate massive carnage. Although the brutality of this period was everywhere, important advances in improving citizen’s quality of life through regulation and moderation of capitalistic practices were coming to light.

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Atomic (1940 AD – 1980 AD)
The ability to manipulate the world at an atomic level, even if only in a destructive way, emphasizes the direction of technological progress in this age. Miniaturization allows for more technologically advanced goods and services to come to larger and larger numbers of citizens. Nuclear war hangs like a cloud over this era of unprecedented progress, however.

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Digital (1980 AD – 2030 AD)
The personal computer brings the pace of technological progress to a whole new level, as multiple networked computers do much more work in much less space than older machines. Industrial processes and military test labs benefit from the faster analytical feedback computers offer. Soon, the internet begins to tie the world together and offers the promise of increased cooperation with increased communication.

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Genetic (2030 AD – 2130 AD)
The advent of genetic engineering and the common usage of gene mapping make this epoch an exciting, and terrifying, time to be alive. Genetic research is curing diseases left and right, but genetic experimentation and identity confusion cause significant social unrest. On the more artificial side of things, robotics reaches new heights in the creation of affordable machines to do everything from clean the house to detect and diffuse bombs.

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Synthetic (2130 AD – 2230 AD)
Advances in genetic engineering, computers and robotics have combined to create something truly amazing: actual artificial intelligence. Although the debate rages about whether the “androids” have achieved true sentience, it is clear that they show reasoning skills independent of human input. Unfortunately, with the risk to actual human life minimized, “smart bots” are used extensively in another round of world wars.

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