When a player selects to play as the Egyptian civilization in the original Ages of Empires their player icon is a warrior in a chariot wearing a simple nemes headdress, a yellow pectoral collar, and a linen kilt. The structures the player builds are Egyptianizing in style and loosely based on traditional Egyptian temple-structures, including the use of pylons, Egyptian-style statues, lotus-topped columns, and obelisks (see image of the Iron Age Egyptian architecture set and the in-game UI screenshot). The Egyptian style architecture is also shared with the Assyrian and Sumerian playable civilizations, demonstrating the popular culture trend of associating and combining motifs and characteristics of the near eastern ancient civilizations, regardless of accuracy.

The original Ages of Empires also includes four main single-player campaign missions, the first of which is entitled “Ascent of Egypt Learning Campaign,” in which the player must play as the Egyptian civilization in order to learn the game mechanics. The campaign description notes that the player will play as Egypt, “the world’s longest continuous civilization” and will begin by waging war alongside Narmer to unite Upper and Lower Egypt and progress through to the New Kingdom period where they will help Hatshepsut build a great temple at Karnak. In the actual game-play, these scenarios do not strictly follow Egyptian history, but rather the player accomplishes goals to learn how to play the game, including hunting, foraging, exploring, building an army and skirmishing with “Egypt’s enemies”, researching to increase their level and skill, and, finally, building a wonder. Although it is described that the player will help Hatshepsut build a temple in the mission description, the Egyptian wonder is the pyramid (see image). The in-game notes describe the Egyptians as great monument builders in stone and note that the pyramids were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In the game the pyramid is not necessarily associated with the burial of the pharaoh, but rather it is described more as a victory monument, since, if the player can build a pyramid and protect it for 2,000 years, they win the scenario.

Author: Tara Sewell-Lasater