skel Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 what if the great roman empire never fell? how do you think it would be today? as far a structure, leadership, military, and everything else goes? do you think the empire would have continued to grow and in present day would consume most of the world? im really curious as to what you all think, you all know so much more about rome then i ever could. i greatly enjoy reading your posts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 I think the old Star Trek series had an episode that explored the question. Rome never fell. It conquered the world bringing relative peace and civilization, sparing the world two world wars. Slavery became institutionalized, and gladiatorial games were broadcast on TV. Heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 I think it would be quite intresting.....yet litterally impossible but intresting never the less. I think we wouldn't have advanced to much though and we would just be getting into maybe the Imperial Musket Age lol Zeke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haimore Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 All those "What ifs" What if Ceasar hadn't been slain on the Ides of March...would his campaign in the East been successful? What if Augustus had pushed the borders of the empire to the Ural mountains? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMPikachu Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 If Rome never fell... the Middle Kingdom would've probably eventually established direct contact with them. Christianity wouldn't have spread with the Dark Ages. And today, in 2005 on their calender, we'd probably have two countries, Rome and Middle Kingdom. Would Middle Kingdom and Rome have eventually went to war? In this world, would Temujin have become Genghis Khan, would the Romans be able to stop the mongols? What would the Romans have done with the Americas? Africa? instead of the Sistine Chapel, perhaps a great big Temple to the Olympians? We'd also be in Olympics # 400 something. Chariot racing might have hung around as a classical sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbow Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 A theory I once read made me smile. The Roman Empire, and others, were highly dependant on slavery to drive their industry and economy. The problem with this is that it can actually lead to a very poor development of technology. Why would there be a need to invent machines when you can just get a bunch of slaves to do it? The theorist also believed that the Romans were highly inventive, and we all know were great engineers. He actually stated that, given the right circumstances (without slaves), the Romans could have invented the steam engine. If this theory were correct, we would maybe have had no Industrial Revolution, and could still be an agrarian society dependant on forced labour to keep the economy going. In his book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 A Roman did invent something resembling a steam engine in the reign of Tiberius, and it was completely functional. The problem was that Roman soiciety was complacent and unimaginative and didn't realize the potential for it. I believe it was used to open the doors of some great temple and spook people into believeing the gods themselves had opened the door. Obviously this doesn't have much practical economic or military value, and was soon forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbow Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 Well there you go, thenks Ursus The author of the slavery idea was right. Maybe slaves were just cheaper to maintain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbow Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Interestingly (to me anyway , is there a comparison between hundreds of years of Roman history, and a few dozen years of British history? Cromwell as Caesar with a bit of Octavian? Okay, veeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrryyyy tenuous. Kingdom to Republic to Dictatorship to Representative Monarchical Empire (if that makes any sense)? Not particularly tied to the thread, but an indication of how Rome could go in a relatively more modern age. Republic 1 Republic 2 Charles II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbow Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 I wish England had stayed a republic,what value do the monarchy bring us,i cant think of anything the royal family is a embaressment they dont deserve the privellages they have.Just my opinion L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 If Rome had somehow survived, the government might have evolved like the British government, with the Emperor becoming more and more a figurehead under the Senate and Constitutional and traditional boundaries. And when the Industrial revolution hit, the plebians and their assemblies would become all the more powerful, like a House of Commons. I'm not sure if the Roman empire could have ever survived, but it would be interesting if we had something like the crisis of the third century and the empire disintegrated into smaller though still sizeable chunks. How about a Gallic empire including present day Britain and France under one regime? That would have made European history quite different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbow Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Errmmmmmmm However! Did we not have a loose one under the Plantagenets? And that failed. Richard I couldn't even speak english, preferring to speak French and keeping an eye on Philip of France, in more ways than one. Richard the Lionheart: "I would sell London, if I could find a purchaser." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skel Posted January 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2005 reading some of your replies made me think of the new online game that MYTHIC (creator of Dark Age of Camelot) is producing in the next year or so. the premis for it is Rome in space sort of. what do yall think of that idea? is it possible that (was was stated romans were very inventive..) they could have eventual created space travel and such? or if they kept on the path that they were going (not as far as their downfall is concerned) would they have stayed with slaves and never even imagened the idea of space?? edit:: heres a link to the games site for those who havent heard of it. http://www.imperatoronline.com/about/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fafnir Posted January 23, 2005 Report Share Posted January 23, 2005 Lol, they had to be VERY creative to think of a "Romans in Space" game. Concept art looks intriguing, though i think the world would look much different if we were still controlled by the Roman Empire... Hey did they say anything about a Coliseum in that game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted January 23, 2005 Report Share Posted January 23, 2005 There's also this one... Roma Victor. A recreation of the Roman world circa 180 AD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.