1. both - as much historical and mythological accuracy as they can considering the heroes are children of the gods with great powers fighting gorgons / minators etc

2. 20-25% is instanced (approx)

3. scroll down here http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/setView/features/gameID/187/loadFeature/0/GodsandHeroesFeatures.html to see some feat trees to level 20 - since it is still early in CB no one will know how long it would take to get to the current level ceiling of 50

4. little data on economy atm - but i hope and expect a forum where you can sell stuff without wasting time opening a personal shop

5. no craft at launch (except player camp minion npc blacksmith making equiptment for minions only) - Steig Hedlund has stated that they are very interested in adding player craft later - but completing the game for launch comes first. It may arrive in a patch or expansion, possibly after additional factions - no time frames mentioned

6. there are no historico-mythic squad based MMOs out there. But expect a 'more realistic' graphical style than the toony WoW look

good luck in your search for something to hold your attention, but i think the Q1 2007 estimated release stated on this site may prove to be optimistic

4. little data on economy atm - but i hope and expect a forum where you can sell stuff without wasting time opening a personal shop

Personal shops kickass, a site would be a nice addition to that but, They have never been a waste of time imo.

1) The instances are for story/performance reasons.

2) We haven't had much info on auction/item selling systems, you could start a thread on the official forums if you want.

3) Your character is a hero, wielding the power of the gods, you shouldn't be slaving around that furnace. Is there any real difference between you taking the crafter mnion your stuff and you making it yourself at the end of the day ?

4) We've been told that we can grind to max level if we want, but god powers will most likely all be some sort of quest reward.

3) Is it complex in terms of its' combat system, its' spells and its' world? Does it have longevity or a fast pace that gets you to top level in a month?

Looks like the combat system will be very dynamic, and the minion system will add a level of complexity that should make this game a whole lot of fun.  The minion implementation basically allows you to create a camp full of NPC squad members you can choose from when venturing out to battle.  These minions can have a number of different abilities, which you can select based on how you want your group to function.   You can issue them a lot of commands to have them do what you want.  A part of the leveling process is getting access to more minions over time.  Battles should look more realistic due to the excellent animations - no other MMO has this.  Also, battles are more tactical with the minions.  Do you attack together?  Or do you set up your ranged attackers in one area, then attack from another area?  And, you can group with other squads so that with just a few squads, you can have a whole lot of attack power without having to wait hours to put together a larger group. 

As far as speed of leveling, I suspect that anyone who wants to level fast will find ways to do so, but it sounds like there are a lot of other things you can do that would allow you to choose how fast or slow you want to level.

4) Is G+H promising a complex economy without the use of Auction House style environments?

From what I've been able to gather, G&H will not have a very extensive economy.  There is no crafting, per se, at least for actual players (there is a crafting element related to minions, however).  Also, drops during battle, quests, etc. appear to be more random in nature (like Diablo) and likely will have more bind on pickup/bind on equip attributes so that you may not have the ability to sell as many items for distribution within an auction house type system, even if there was one.  I know they are looking at having something like this, but they want it to work seamlessly in the game, and don't want to have any systems at launch which are half-baked.

5) Will there be a fully utilised crafting sphere?

No, but again, there is a way to have items crafted for your minions.  I believe your camp, which is an instanced area, or your home base, can have a blacksmith, to whom you can give recipes you find during quests/drops.  As you collect the things you need for those recipes, you give them to your blacksmith, and they will create items for your minions.  I don't believe you can use actual armor/weapon drops from your battles to give to your minions, I suspect unless the drops indicate they can be used for that purpose.

Again, the two major and unique dynamics in this game is squad based combat and the Gods influence.  I think these elements really make for a very different type of game experience, so those who insist on having crafting in an MMO should perhaps think out of the box a bit and see how the overall game experience in G&H works.  It is possible that the game offers a fresh experience that makes the need for a crafting system less than it might be for other games.

6) If any, would G+H come closest to any other game on the market, or being released? Is it a WoW or an EQ clone for example? (I use the term 'clone' loosely)

Aside from the typical MMO conventions (quests, leveling, skills building/acquisition, etc.), G&H is really in a class of its own.  Again, aside from the sheer beauty of the game (graphics are excellent), G&H has a real historical/fantasy context (Rome and its mythologies), squad based combat with minion management, diety influence which drives quests and provides special powers, and a rather mature player base (if you've been in the G&H forums lately, would you see this is the case).  G&H's quest system will also be dynamic, in that over time, the same NPCs will have different quests to offer (keeping the game fresh for those starting new alts, for example).  G&H also has a top development team, led by one of Blizzards' own (Steig Heglund (sp?)), solid financing, and a solid distribution channel.  Perhaps for some of these reasons, G&H shares some similarities with EQ2, but while most upcoming MMOs seem to be following the EQ2 graphics model (Vanguard, LoTR, etc.) G&H has a superior visual style that no one can match yet.  Seriously, I think that G&H will be the best new MMO in 2007, and will only get better as the game matures.  Imagine Nation vs Nation PvP with the Romans battling the Gauls for supremacy, for example.  Expect future G&H game expansions to offer such a PvP (RvR/NvN) experience.

I can't wait.