What Is the Historical Setting of Europa Barbarorum II?

Updated

Europa Barbarorum II (EB II) is set in 272 BC, at the dawn of the Hellenistic age. It is a total conversion mod for Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms that places you in the world just after the funeral games of Alexander the Great had ended and his successors had divided his empire. The setting covers the major conflicts of the era, including the Second Syrian War and the First Punic War, and spans the Mediterranean from Iberia to Anatolia.

The Starting Point: 272 BC

The mod's own description frames the moment this way: the funeral games of Megas Alexandros (Alexander the Great) had long since concluded, and the victors of the struggle for his empire had either passed their spoils to their sons or been swept aside by usurpers. This is the political landscape you enter — a world of successor kingdoms, rising republics, and tribal confederations, all jostling for power.

The Major Conflicts

EB II is built around several epoch-defining wars rather than a single campaign narrative:

  • The Second Syrian War — the Seleukid and Ptolemaic kingdoms contesting the vital borderlands between their realms.
  • The First Punic War — Rome and Carthage bound, for now, by an uneasy friendship while Rome casts a hungry eye toward Sicily.
  • A host of other regional conflicts across Greece, Gaul, and the Balkans.

Factions and Regions in the Setting

The mod's world spans a wide geographic and cultural range. According to the site's description, the setting includes:

Region Factions / Peoples
Syria and the East Seleukids, Ptolemaioi
Greece and Macedon Pyrrhos of Epeiros, Antigonos Gonatas, the Hellenic League
Italy and the West Roman Republic, Carthage
Gaul and Central Europe Aedui, Arverni, Boii
Across the Rhine Sweboz, Lugiones
Lower Danube Getai
Iberian Peninsula Lusitani, Arevaci
Anatolia Smaller kingdoms such as Pergamon

Each of these groups is positioned within its own regional struggle — Celtic tribes jostling for dominance among hill-forts and sacred groves, Germanic confederations eyeing expansion, Iberian peoples honing guerrilla tactics while wary of Phoenician traders and emerging Mediterranean powers.

Historical Authenticity as a Design Goal

EB II is the successor to the original Europa Barbarorum for Rome: Total War, but it is a distinct project built from the ground up by a new team. It inherits the same "rigorous devotion to historical authenticity and period atmosphere," while using the Medieval II engine for improved visuals, gameplay depth, mechanics, and immersion. The setting is not just a backdrop — it is the organizing principle behind the factions, conflicts, and atmosphere the mod aims to recreate.

What This Means for Players

If you are looking for a strategy game set in the Hellenistic world on the eve of the Second Syrian War and the First Punic War, EB II places you there with a focus on historical detail. The current download listed on the site is v2.4a, with installation instructions available on the official page.