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This article is about the building in Age of Empires. For similar buildings in other games, see Market.

Used to research technologies that improve military units and the effectiveness of villagers. Required to build Farms, Temple et Government Centers.
—In-game description in the Definitive Edition

The Market is an economic building in Age of Empires that features the ability to pay tributes to other players, and provides the ability to research many useful upgrades that benefit the economy of a civilization. In Return of Rome it is the land trade building.

Gameplay[]

In all versions of the game, the Market is a research building. Its technologies increase the rate of resource collecting, improve the food quantities of Farms, and lengthen the range of arrows. Wheel is widely considered to be the most useful upgrade, since it makes Villagers move much faster (thereby minimizing the time between resource gathering and returning to the depot), as well as enabling the development of Chariot units, and (in Return of Rome) Trade Carts.

Players can only tribute resources to other players after building a Market. The other player does not need to have a Market, but in Return of Rome, it can't be sent to an enemy when Lock Teams is enabled.

A Market is also required to unlock Farms in the Tool Age, and the Government Center and Temple in the Bronze Age, unless the match starts from the Bronze Age or later.

The Granary is required for its construction, unless the game starts from the Tool Age in Return of Rome, or Bronze Age in earlier versions of Age of Empires.

Trading[]

In Return of Rome, the Market conducts land trade in the same way that Docks conduct naval trade. After researching Wheel, Trade Carts can be recruited at the Market. Trade Carts travel to another player's Market, and deliver gold when they return to the player's own Market.

The amount of gold increases with the straight-line distance between the target Market and the home Market. This doesn't take into account obstacles to movement, but the furthest Market is usually the more profitable one: if the route is direct, +100% distance yields approximately +225% gold per trip, or +62.5% average gold per minute. Traders automatically return to the furthest accessible Market from the target to maximize the gold yield.

The amount of gold also scales with the map size. So for example, a route of 100 tiles will yield far less gold in a Ludicrous map than a Tiny one, but a route stretching over the entire length of the map will yield the same average gold per minute in both the Ludicrous and Tiny map.

Markets yield more gold per trip than Docks over the same distance, but because Trade Carts are so much slower than the naval units, the average gold per minute is 4% less than the Trade Boat.

The absolute best yield that a Trade Cart can get, with Markets in opposite corners of the map and a direct route between them, is 0.58 average gold per second. This is only slightly better than an unupgraded Villager, so most viable routes will be significantly less lucrative than gold mining.

The target player neither gains nor loses resources, and diplomatic stance has no effect on trading (although enemy military will attack the Cart). Note that unlike previous versions of Age of Empires, trade does not require the player to donate any resources.

Exchanging resources[]

Another feature added in Return of Rome is Age of Empires II's commodity trading. Resources can be sold or bought in exchange for gold.

Clicking the sell icon exchanges 100 resources for the indicated amount of gold, clicking the buy icon exchanges the indicated number of resources for 100 gold. Trades can be made in batches of five by holding shift while clicking.

The sell and buy prices decrease by 1 and 3 each time 100 of that resource is sold, and increase by 1 and 3 each time 100 of that resource is bought. The minimum price a resource can reach is 10 to sell / 30 to buy; there is no maximum limit.

Technologies[]

Age Technology Cost Effect
Tool Age Icon (DE) Woodworking Woodworking 120 food
75 wood
Woodcutters work 20% faster and carry +2 wood
Archers, Scout Ship-line units, and Towers get +1 range and Line of Sight
Stone Mining Stone Mining 100 food
50 stone
Stone Miners work 30% faster and carry +3 stone
Slingers get +1 damage, range and Line of Sight
Gold Mining Gold Mining 120 food
100 wood
Gold Miners work 30% faster and carry +3 gold
Domestication Domestication 150 food
50 wood
Farms produce +75 food (valid only for newly built Farms)
Bronze Age Icon (DE) Artisanship Artisanship 170 food
150 wood
Woodcutters work 20% faster and carry +2 wood
Archers, Scout Ship-line units, and Towers get +1 range and Line of Sight
Wheelicon Wheel 175 food
75 wood
Villagers get +0.55 speed
Enables Chariots, Chariot Archers, and Trade Carts
PlowAOE Plow 250 food
75 wood
Farms produce +100 food (valid only for newly built Farms)
Iron Age Icon (DE) Craftsmanship Craftsmanship 240 food
200 wood
Woodcutters work 20% faster and carry +2 wood
Archers, Scout Ship-line units, and Towers get +1 range and Line of Sight
Enables the Helepolis upgrade
Siegecraft Siegecraft 190 food
100 stone
Stone Miners work 30% faster and carry +3 stone
Slingers get +1 damage, range and Line of Sight
Villagers get +10 bonus damage against Towers and Walls
Enables the Heavy Catapult upgrade
Coinage Coinage 120 food
100 wood
Gold Miners work 25% faster and carry +3 gold
Gold Mines last 25% longer
Tributes is free
Irrigation AOE Irrigation 300 food
100 wood
Farms produce +125 food (valid only for newly built Farms)

Availability[]

Technologies not listed in this table are available to all civilizations

Blue: Available
Red: Unavailable
Civilization Craftsmanship Siegecraft Irrigation AOE All
Assyrian AOE DE ROR icon Assyrians X
Babylonian AOE DE ROR icon Babylonians X
Carthaginian AOE DE ROR icon Carthaginians
Choson AOE DE ROR icon Choson X
Egyptian AOE DE ROR icon Egyptians
Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks X
Hittite AOE DE ROR icon Hittites
Lac Viet AOE DE ROR icon Lac Viet
Macedonian AOE DE ROR icon Macedonians
Minoan AOE DE ROR icon Minoans X
Palmyran AOE DE ROR icon Palmyrans
Persian AOE DE ROR icon Persians
Phoenician AOE DE ROR icon Phoenicians
Roman AOE DE ROR icon Romans
Shang AOE DE ROR icon Shang
Sumerian AOE DE ROR icon Sumerians
Yamato AOE DE ROR icon Yamato X
Civilization Craftsmanship Siegecraft Irrigation AOE All

Further statistics[]

Building strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Nothing
Weak vs. Everything
Improvements
Hit points Architecture aoe Architecture (+20%)
Line of Sight RoR City Watch City Watch (+3)
Writing Writing (share exploration with allies)
Build time Architecture aoe Architecture (-33%)

Civilization bonuses[]

Team bonuses[]

Changelog[]

The Rise of Rome[]

Definitive Edition[]

Return of Rome[]

  • Team bonuses added:
    • Babylonians: Markets are built 10% faster.
    • Palmyran AOE DE ROR icon Palmyrans: Technologies researched at the Market, or benefiting it, are researched 30% faster.
  • Markets can train Trade Carts and exchange resources with varying rates as per supply and demand.
  • Choson AOE DE ROR icon Choson (team bonus): With update 93001, Markets have +2 Line of Sight.

History[]

The specialization made possible by the development of agriculture created the need for a place where craftsmen could meet to barter their wares for those of others and for food.  The Market in each town and village was the place where barter and exchange took place.  The development of the Market marked the change from the small hunting/ foraging group that shared its harvest to the much more complex economy that rose with the rise of towns and cities.  Specialization resulted in efficiencies of scale and greater overall production fairly among the food providers  and specialists.  The profit motive spurred innovation to increase production.  The potter, for example, looked for ways to make more and better pots for the same effort to increase the amount of food that he could obtain by trading pots.
Age of Empires manual

Tech tree[]

Blue: Units
Red: Buildings
Orange: Buildings which cannot train or research anything
Green: Technologies
Market
Requires
AOEDE Granary icon Granary
Farm
Stone Age Icon (DE)
Tool Age Icon (DE)
Bronze Age Icon (DE)
Iron Age Icon (DE)
Aoede woodworking available
Aoede artisanship available
Aoede craftsmanship available
Stone Mining
Aoede siegecraft available
Gold Mining
Coinage
Domestication
Plow
Irrigation
Aoede wheel available Trade Cart


Buildings Tree
Stone Age Icon (DE)
Stone Age
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek barracks available
   
   
Starting
Aoede greek town center available
   
   
Aoede storage pit available
   
   
Aoede house available
   
   
Aoede granary available
   
   
Aoede dock available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Tool Age Icon (DE)
Tool Age
   
   
Aoede stable available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede archery range available
   
   
   
   
Aoede watch tower available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede market available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede small wall availableReturnofrome small gate available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede farm available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Bronze Age Icon (DE)
Bronze Age
   
   
Aoede greek academy available
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede siege workshop available
   
   
   
   
Aoede sentry tower available
   
   
Aoede greek government center available
   
   
Aoede temple available
   
   
Aoede greek medium wall availableReturnofrome medium gate available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Additional
Aoede greek town center available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Iron Age Icon (DE)
Iron Age
   
   
Wonder
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek guard tower available
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek fortified wall availableFortified Gate
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Aoede greek ballista tower available
   
   


Gallery[]

Buildings in Age of Empires
Civilian buildings
GeneralReturnofrome stone age house icon House · AOEDE Temple icon Temple · AOEDE Government Center icon Government Center · Returnofrome greek wonder icon Wonder
EconomicAOEDE Town Center icon Town Center · AOEDE Dock icon Dock · Storage Pit icon Storage Pit · AOEDE Granary icon Granary · Market AOEDE icon Market · AOEDE Farm icon Farm
UnconstructableAqueduct aoe2DE Aqueduct · Army Tent icon nuRoR Army Tent · Barricade aoe2DE Barricade · Chain aoe2DE Chain · Amphitheatre aoe2DE Colosseum · 2de granary new icon Granary · Pyramid aoe2DE Great Pyramid · Hut small aoe2DE Hut · Returnofrome greek wonder icon Monument · Pyramid aoe2DE Pyramid · Returnofrome ruins icon Ruins · AOEDE Trade Workshop icon Trade Workshop · Yurt thatch small aoe2DE Yurt
Military buildings
ProductionAOEDE Barracks icon Barracks · AOEDE Archery Range icon Archery Range · AOEDE Stable icon Stable · AOEDE Siege Workshop icon Siege Workshop · AOEDE Academy icon Academy
TowerAOEDE Watch Tower icon Watch Tower · AOEDE Sentry Tower icon Sentry Tower · Returnofrome greek guard tower icon Guard Tower · Returnofrome greek guard tower icon Ballista Tower
WallReturnofrome small wall icon Small Wall · Returnofrome greek medium wall icon Medium Wall · Returnofrome greek fortified wall icon Fortified Wall · Small Gate (AOE RoR) icon Small Gate · Medium Gate (AOE RoR) icon Medium Gate · Fortified Gate (AOE RoR) icon Fortified Gate
UnconstructableReturnofrome greek guard tower icon Mirror Tower · Returnofrome roman guard tower icon Zenobia's Tower
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