Just one small remark: The spearmen are, allthough your most basic unit, also your best.
Let me explain.

First, they are basic. That means you can retrain them everywhere, wile ist is a pain to retrain heart troops or axemen.

Also, they get experience bonus if trained in a city with better barracks. If you have top-level-barracks, they come with silver chevrons.
Also, their weapons count as ranged, so they benefit from Ull-temples.
If you build your city right, you can train troops that come vith silver chevrons and golden weaopons right out the barrack.
That makes them very tough in close combat, but their pila-volleys are just devasting.
I´ve seen two of these units wipe units of spears in sieges before they could even reach the walls, or break enemy units with two salvoes befor they could even reach the line.

If you play Saxons, use these guys, they rock.
(The keel however isn`t worth anything)