Where are the Good Saxon Units?

[Shatov]

I played for a long time as the Saxons. I couldn't recruit that many good units, so when the Franks overwhelmed my lower settlement I built a few ships and headed for the future England. Sacked every city on the Island, built up a fair empire in the South and started expanding north, only when the Franks decided they were bored and wanted to take England while they were taking Gaul, I didn't have a single sword wielding unit, a single medium or heavy cavalry unit or even the good axeman unit. I felt a bit like Beowulf facing Grendel naked, only Grendel is now on a huge horse and has chainmail armor and an axe and I'm five hundred miles from Denmark. I noticed that I can't expand my cities as I can't build large markets, but I don't even see the ability to recruit them listed for larger townhalls. What's up?

Also: why do the Sassanids have the Arabic word for God in one of their standards?

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

I think you have to conquer high level Roman cities to open up access to those units - it encourages conquest. No idea about the Arabic word, though . . .

[Julianus Flavius]

that would be "Allah" I think... that makes no sense at all.

[Shatov]

that would be "Allah" I think... that makes no sense at all.

They use the symbol from the current Iranian flag. If anything, the symbol from the Royal flag would make a lot more sense, as the Persians didn't use that script, weren't Muslim and certainly didn't call God Allah.