Is EB 1.2 the most sophisticated turn based computer strategy wargame to this date?

[SlickNicaG69]

Though (as a side issue) I would question placing the blame for the civil wars entirely upon Caesar's shoulders (and most especially the era of the principate that followed - I have my doubts as to whether that 'sort of thing' was what Caesar had in mind), the main point is well made. In fact, prior to the aristocracies and their 'senates' within the Gallic 'proto-states', life as a lesser Gaul would likely have been much better. Those aristocracies were making their fortunes, and power bases, by essentially betraying their own people - feeding the slave markets of Rome with their 'bretheren' Gauls..... from what little information we have, these polities were oligarchic, the lesser classes becoming - even within their own country - all but slaves.

Again, what does this say about their government and people, and their ability to be great!

Indeed. Cultures don't necessarily have to follow the same path..... I think that the Roman interference with much of Europe (and beyond) tends to suggest that this is so, in many peoples' minds. As a counter example I will offer Switzerland, and it's sovereign Cantons, it's Landsgemeinden - people's assemblies. Just because a culture/polity might not have become Rome, might not have subjugated it's own and it's neighbours people, doesn't mean that civilisation was beyond them. It just depends upon what you regard as civilised....

Wait Switzerland was never conquered by the Romans? I thought the people of the Alps were seen as more barbaric than the Gauls themselves... and when you say Canton, were they the original people of the Alps, or modern Swiss who are probably more German than Alpian.

One thing that really grates is when I read something along the lines of 'We know that the Gauls were illiterate......'. We know no such thing. We have been told so, but look a little closer and little cracks appear in this version of history. Caesar refers to the alphabets that the Gauls used for different functions. The Helvetii had conducted a census of their tribes before (and for the purpose of) their migration. Dumnorix is attested as being granted the tolling and taxing rights of the Aedui - which require literacy and numeracy. He speaks of the Druids as being forbidden to write down their teachings...

You must learn to interpret what people say. When the Gauls are "illiterate," they don't mean that every Gaul didn't know how to read and write. It meant their culture had not developed their own system of letters. The Helvetti census was written in Greek, fyi, and is the reason why the Romans could decipher it...