Possible Roman Survival Theory

[Octavian]

Does anybody think its possible that the Roman way of life and culture could have survived through the empire fragmenting even further with different regions ruled by different emperors? Could this have ever happened through agreement, or could it have been the result of many civil wars and claimants of the imperial throne?

[Basileus Giorgios]

I don't think it's possible. There's always going to be one Emperor in charge of a richer region than the others (Egypt for example) who will go after the others, and conquer them all, before it all falls apart again. Also, dividing the East up into various little powers puts it at the mercy of Persia, and I suspect the Persians will be more than capable of gobbling up "bite-sized" Roman Empires.
However, in the West, perhaps it may be possible, perhaps if Justinian is more successful, and establishes client Emperors in Ravenna and Carthage, rather than trying to run the entire state from Constantinople.

[lothaw]

The Eastern Roman Empire lasted for hundreds of years after Rome was sacked. They even reclaimed Rome for awhile. Fact of the matter is, especially back then when communications were poor to the extreme, it's impossible to administer dozens of different peoples with just as many agendas, half of whom consider you their blood enemy.

It's ironic as hell that the Fourth Crusade was probably the single event that smashed the Roman Empire.

[Geekhis Khan]

What if we assume a Chinese-style dynastic cycle develops with warring states periods and reunifications? Could this create an overarching Mediterranean sense of "Romaness" in the way the sense of "Chineseness" kept some sort of cultural homogenaety in the Yellow/Yangtze valleys through the ages?

[False Dmitri]

Originally Posted by Geekhis Khan

What if we assume a Chinese-style dynastic cycle develops with warring states periods and reunifications? Could this create an overarching Mediterranean sense of "Romaness" in the way the sense of "Chineseness" kept some sort of cultural homogenaety in the Yellow/Yangtze valleys through the ages?

Suppose Latin remains the language of religion, learning, and diplomacy. And suppose Rome itself remains home to some sort of spiritual leader, a "father" if you will, a successor to the high priests of antiquity. Heck, he might even keep the ancient, pagan title Pontifex Maximus. He can act as an arbiter between the various breakaway kingdoms. Maybe that "Pontifex" is even the head of a huge network of Latin-speaking religious officials, also called "fathers," who sanction the legitimacy of the secular rulers, act as the keepers of high culture and ancient texts, maintain large estates and priveleges, and in general help maintain a unified, Roman culture throughout the Western world. Depending on how that religious/cultural network plays their cards, they could have a very long-lasting and influential system!

[Geekhis Khan]

Originally Posted by Benkarnell

Suppose Latin remains the language of religion, learning, and diplomacy. And suppose Rome itself remains home to some sort of spiritual leader, a "father" if you will, a successor to the high priests of antiquity. Heck, he might even keep the ancient, pagan title Pontifex Maximus. He can act as an arbiter between the various breakaway kingdoms. Maybe that "Pontifex" is even the head of a huge network of Latin-speaking religious officials, also called "fathers," who sanction the legitimacy of the secular rulers, act as the keepers of high culture and ancient texts, maintain large estates and priveleges, and in general help maintain a unified, Roman culture throughout the Western world. Depending on how that religious/cultural network plays their cards, they could have a very long-lasting and influential system!

I assume he means moreso than OTL here. Latin for the people rather than just the elites. No fragmentation of language/culture into "Spanish", "Italian", etc. Continuation of large portions of Roman cultural practices and learning on a large and continuous scale rather than bits and pieces.

[burning down one side]

The Romans pulled their troops out of Britain. Suppose instead that a strong commander simply decided he's run Britain? Suppose also that Sicilian Romans somehow resisted the Vandals in the 5th century, and then received assistance from the eastern Roman 'fragment'- the Byzantines-to hold off the Goths later? That would leave 3 surviving fragments of Roman culture, though the Byzantine Empire was being transformed, and it's likely that Sicily would be gobbled up by Belisarius later, thus leaving only Britain.