 | Age: Stone Prerequisites: Build Town Center Cost: 125 Wood Hit Points: 350 |
| Description: The Barracks lets you train infantry, including the Clubman, Axeman, Short Swordsman, Broad Swordsman, Long Swordsman, Legion, and Slinger |
You must build the Barracks before you can build the Archery Range, Siege Workshop, Stable, or Academy.
 | With Logistics, barracks units (including *Updated* Slingers) only count as half units toward your population, so you can essentially exceed the population limit by building Barracks units. For example, if the population limit is 50 and you build 20 normal units, you can build 60 Barracks units (for a total of 80 units) without exceeding the population limit. |
Researching Architecture increases hit points and decreases construction time. When the first armies came into being, places were needed eventually to make weapons, store weapons, drill troops, and house troops. The Barracks in Age of Empires represents these places.
 | Age: Stone Prerequisites: Build Town Center Cost: 100 Wood Hit Points: 350 |
| Description: The Dock lets you create boats, including the Fishing Boat, Fishing Ship, Trade Boat, Merchant Ship, Light Transport, Heavy Transport, Scout Ship, War Galley, Trireme, Catapult Trireme, Juggernaught, and Fire Galley. |
The Dock is also where fishing vessels deposit food and trade vessels deposit gold from trading.
 | The earliest boats simply tied up to rocks or trees on shore to take on or drop off cargo or were physically pulled up on the beach. Later, wooden structures were built out into the water to facilitate loading and unloading. Docks were also safer for ships because ships could avoid being beached, which strained the hulls and increased leaking. When the dock was extended beyond the shallows, even larger ships could be tied up, further improving efficiencies. |
Researching Architecture increases hit points and decreases construction time.
Note: You cannot build Fire Galleys if you select the Full Tech Tree option before starting a game.
 | Age: Bronze Prerequisites: Build Town Center Cost: 175 Wood Hit Points: 350 |
| Description: The Government Center lets you build additional Town Centers and research technologies that improve your buildings and military units, including Writing, Architecture, Engineering, Aristocracy, Alchemy, Ballistics, and Logistics. |
The Government Center was the administrative center of the town, village, city, kingdom, or empire. It was often the palace of the strongman or king in charge. It was here that justice was dispersed, records kept, taxes collected and stored, diplomacy conducted, and plans made.
| With Logistics, Barracks units (except Slingers) only count as half units toward your population, so you can essentially exceed the population limit by building Barracks units. |
The development of the Government Center spurred technology such as architecture through the commission of public works and writing for the keeping of records. The expansion of kingdoms led to a hierarchy of elites, often a nobility, that were needed as middle managers when the expanse of lands exceeded the ruler’s ability to control directly. The provinces of the Persian Empire, for example, were ruled like independent states by satraps who owed tribute and allegiance to the king back in Susa.
Researching Architecture increases hit points and decreases construction time.
 | Age: Stone Prerequisites: Build Town Center, build Barracks Cost: 150 Wood Hit Points: 350 |
| Description: The Stable lets you train cavalry units, including the Scout, Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry, Cataphract, Chariot, War Elephant, Camel Rider, Scythe Chariot, and Armored Elephant. |
Researching Architecture increases hit points and decreases construction time.
   | The horse that survived the last Ice Age was a relatively small animal unsuited for riding or pulling. They were hunted out of existence in the Americas and domesticated first for food on the steppes of Asia. Over many generations of selective breeding, they grew large enough to be of use other than as food. One issue that had to be resolved was how to harness them without causing choking. Humans learned eventually to ride, first from the rear, non-control position over the hips, and then the forward control position that we are familiar with today. The first evidence of horses being ridden appears in the second millennium BC, although it is accepted generally that they were ridden earlier in Asia. |
The Stable represents the application of animals, primarily the horse, to warfare, first pulling chariots and then carrying warriors. Detailed records survive from Assyria and elsewhere related to the acquiring, training, equipping, and employment of horses in battle.
 | Age: Stone Prerequisites: Build Town Center Cost: 120 Wood Hit Points: 350 |
| Description: The Storage Pit lets you research technologies that improve the armor and attack strength of military units, including Toolworking, Metalworking, Metallurgy, the Bronze Shield, the Iron Shield, Leather Armor for Infantry, Scale Armor for Infantry, Chain Mail for Infantry, Leather Armor for Cavalry, Scale Armor for Cavalry, Chain Mail for Cavalry, Leather Armor for Archers, Scale Armor for Archers, Chain Mail for Archers, and Tower Shield. |
Hunters and Miners can deposit food, stone, and gold at the Storage Pit instead of at the Town Center.
 | With Tower Shield,+1 infantry armor against Ballista, Helepolis, and missile weapons. Infantry and Academy units benefit from this technology. |
The Storage Pit was the functional equivalent of the Granary, but for meat instead of grain. Storing meat presented special problems because it spoiled so quickly and easily. Meat was stored generally by drying or salting. The Storage Pit represents also the tool and weapon making skill of hunting societies, leading eventually to metal working, making war, and armor making. In this capacity it also serves as a storehouse and collection point for the raw materials of tool and weapon making: wood, stone, and gold (representing all metals).
Researching Architecture increases hit points and decreases construction time.
 | Age: Bronze Prerequisites: Build Town Center, build Granary, build Market Cost: 200 Wood Hit Points: 350 |
| Description: The Temple lets you train Priests and research technology that increases their powers, including Polytheism, Mysticism, Astrology, Monotheism, Afterlife, Jihad, Fanaticism, Martyrdom, Medicine. |  
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Researching Architecture increases hit points and decreases construction time.
The Temple was a religious center. It was often the earthly home or point of communication with a particular god or goddess. Priests or priestesses on duty in the temple acted as the servants of the resident god or goddess and managed contact to and from the people, plus instruction, rituals, petitions, and answers to questions. The most common form of petition was the prayer. Another was the provision of gifts that supported the Temple and its servants. A less common petition was the sacrifice of animals or even humans.
The general belief of the time was that the more elaborate a Temple, the taller it was, and the more grand, the more disposed the god or goddess would be to provide good weather, rainfall, and crop yields, while keeping away pests, disease, and human invaders.
