Alternate history

[Ursus]

I have been amusing myself by reading through the alternate history wiki.

 

Here is someone's overly simplified yet interesting idea of an alternate Rome. Marcus Aurelius chooses a better heir than Commodus, beginning an alternative jumping off point.. The Empire becomes federated, and survives into the nuclear age with the emperor as Christian theocrat.

 

http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Roman_Empire_(Superpowers)

 

 

Other alternative timelines: The Confedarate States of America win. The Nazis win. You know, the usual alternate history stuff .

[Viggen]

...one of the best alternate history books is Fatherland from Richard Harris (author of Pompeii),

[Ursus]

I read that book many years ago. I liked the author's writing style.

[Ingsoc]

Livius did an interesting piece on what would have happened if Alexander the Great would have expand his empire westward. I do believe he was the first to write an alternate history.

 

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Livy/Livy09.html

[DecimusCaesar]

Talking about alternate history, I've been reading Sophia McDougall's Romanitas about a corrupt 21st Century Roman Empire. I think it was mentioned by some on this site when it was first released.

[Centurion-Macro]

...one of the best alternate history books is Fatherland from Richard Harris (author of Pompeii),

That book is one of my favourites. My only regret was that there was never a sequel.

[Axel Wers]

I have been amusing myself by reading through the alternate history wiki.

 

Here is someone's overly simplified yet interesting idea of an alternate Rome. Marcus Aurelius chooses a better heir than Commodus, beginning an alternative jumping off point.. The Empire becomes federated, and survives into the nuclear age with the emperor as Christian theocrat.

 

http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Roman_Empire_(Superpowers)

 

I know that page.

 

Would be interesting.

 

In my opinion Roman empire had to possibility to be world superpower. Without problems. Of course there were some issues, which stopped it.

 

 

I was wondering what would happened when Crassus would won Battle of Carrhae (53 BC). Maybe Parthian kingdom would be part of Roman republic and in future Persian (Sassanid) empire wouldn't be created. But I think Battle of Carrhae wasn't important battle for republic because republic and then empire have had military superiority over Parthians.

 

I think more important battle was Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. As I wrote earlier this battle split western world between roman and germanic culture. Although Romans sent some troops to Germania after Varus failure, and they were able to defeat Germans few times, roman's superiority in this region was definitely ended. And now, what would be happened when Varus would won and Romans were able change Germania to province? Romans would move limes to Elbe river, later maybe to Vistula River. Then they could create limes on this river and merge limes with limes on Danube river. Romans with Germans (Goths mainly) could inhabite together areas of modern Germany, west Poland, Czech, Austria and western Slovakia. Germans would be gradually romanized. Marcomanic wars would never started. Roman legions which fighted against Parthians didn't bring plague to european part of empire, plague which had drastic impact on empire. This plague had negative effect on empire which over time led to the crisis of 3rd century.

[caldrail]

 

 

The Empire becomes federated, and survives into the nuclear age with the emperor as Christian theocrat.

Haven't you noticed that when anyone speculates about alternative history, the Roman Empire always makes it to the modern day? Polybius knew it wouldn't. He talks about sociology/politics in one of his books written around 150BC and states that all things come to an end. I agree with him. Nation states are analogies of natural life, or if you see it as I do, extensions of it in that biological entities cooperate to form a bigger entity in the same way our individual cells combine to make us what we are.

 

Personally I think this sort of speculation is rather pointless - it doesn't really investigate history at all and merely provides a rationale for the desired end result, considering the case in isolation of external factors.

 

In any event Rome still survives - many social customs derive from them and the Christian Church is unashamedly Roman sometimes.

[Onasander]

I honestly doubt the US will be around in 5000 years, outside of a geographical context, like Egypt or Thrace. If it is around, it likely would of mutated by then into something unrecognizable. I think the founding fathers would largely recognize us today, but the technological boom of the 19th century to Today suggests in 5000 years, things will be very, very different. People may hover in silence on a invisible internet, never seem to eat, poop or reproduce and teleport everywhere..... or kill themselves if they get hangnail because their brains are backed up and clones very readibly available.

 

Such a society may identify with us, but I don't think Benjamin Franklin walking around such a space city would identify with them.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Onasander