Here's a suggestion for era advancement, It's mix from Gurp, D20 modern, Ravenloft and Civilization progression.
Ideas: form of government available for each era, weaponry and siege engine progression
WIP, STILL VERY MESSY
0-Primitive: first priority is survival
Inventions: firemaking
travel: on foot
Weaponry: wooden weapon, raw stone
1- Stone age (-10 000 to -5000) : nomadic tribes, hunter/gatherer, live in cave or small tents, small villages made of stone possible,
Technology: barter, basic mathematic, oral tradition (no writing), haven’t mastered magic yet, shamanic cult
Travel: ski, simple boats...
Weaponry: leather armor,stone/obsidian tools, shortbow, spear, club, hide/leather/wooden shield,
2-Bronze age (-5000 to -2500) : beginning of civilization, states, large cities arise, ,
Inventions (technology) : agriculture, animal husbandry, metal working, weaving, writing, scrolls, calendar, mathematic, architecture, pottery(conserve food), levers, wheels, pulley,organized religion, magic mastery, stone construction , masonry
travel: horse back, chariot, sail boat, galley
Weaponry: bronze weapon and armor, studded and padded armor
3-Iron age (-2500 to 0): new government form..., first empires
Technology: Iron working, advanced military tactic, code of law (separate the state from religion), shipbuilding, coinage, trading, glassmaking, medicine, measurement of time( sundial, hourglass), hydraulic engineering, roads, canals, windmills, water mills, saddle,
travel: saddled horse, bigger ship (trireme)
Weaponry: breastplate, tower shield, siege engine,
4- Classical ( 1 to 500) : high quality roads,
Society organization:
Technology: philosophy, theology, algebra, geometry, astronomy, alchemy, paper (replace scrolls), books, libraries, stirrup,
Travel:
Weaponry: first true cavalry,
5- Dark age (500 to 800) (this on is only in europe) might mix it the the others): still some progress: monastic orders,
Technology: astrolabe, crop rotation, mechanical mills,
Travel: advanced ship (ocean travel),
Weaponry: crossbow (China had repeating crossbows before Jesus was born),banded mail, scale mail, splint mail,
6-Early Middle age (800 to 1200) (still mostly about Europe) : castle, cathedral, guild, insurance, healers, collegue of bards,
Technology: gothic architecture, compass, water clock, stern rudder, Universities
Travel: cog
Weaponry: chain mail, lance ,
7- Middle age (1200 to 1400) : ,medical school, , standing army (Europe)
Technology: Gothic flamboyant, block printing (on textile or paper, existed in china’s antiquity), glassblowing, optic, mechanical clock (huge), spinning wheel (textile),
Travel: on foot is still very popular, carrack
Weaponry: longbow, mounted knight, half plate armor, heavy barding,
8- Chivalric (1400 – 1550) : government records, disease control, beginning of postal service (o my !)
Technology: smaller mechanic, banking,
Travel: caravels, sea navigation made common
Weaponry: basic gunpowder weapons (bombard), early musket, bastard sword, full plate, Knight zenith,
9- Age of sails/renaissance: (1550 to 1750) more comfortable castles, opera, newspapers,
Technology: printing press, sophisticated clock and mechanical devices, microscope, telescope, bigger ship (more reliable), scientific method, Newton, Chemistry, biology, electromagnetism,
Travel: galleon
Weaponry: firearms, cannon, fencing, no more heavy armor/weapon,
10- Industrial revolution (1750 to 1880… ): factories, urbanization, corporations,
Technology:steam engine,assembly line, Military science (Clausewitz not Sun Ci) Interchangeable parts telegrapher,vaccine
Travel:train , steam boats, steel ship,
Weaponry: rifling,machine gun,
11- Mechanized age: (1880-1940) aviation, radio, phone, submarine, steel battleship, mass media, electricity, combucstion engine, mass production, plastic, refregiration, globalisation
12-nuclear age (1940-1980) . Television, fission, computer, satellite, microwave, automobile, highways, rocket/missile, transnational organizations, guided weaponry, atomic bomb,
13-Digital age (1980- 20??) : personal computer, internet, electronic devices, telecommunication…
14- the future: it's tomorrow so we don't know what's in it yet. Where science become magic !
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