"HESPERIA" Part Six - Growth
"HESPERIA" Part Six - Growth
Hesperia started 50~40 B.C. as a string of supply camps for a trade route down the west coast of Africa. The Initial Population of the camps were Male Romans. This lead to lots of contact with the locals, especially with the female Part. This lead to increases in Population of the camps, and by 200 A.D. most of these camps had grown into small towns. The towns Had been laid out by soldiers in the Army fashion [like many of Europe's towns], with streets, walls, & of course Roads. By 430, when contact was first lost, the Great coast road reached 250 miles north of Roma Australis, and some 50 miles south. There also were short roads leading east into the Interior. As the towns had expanded into the interior, the Romans had more assimilated the natives, rather than conquer. As such while there had always been a trickle of Europeans, most of the growth had come from assimilation, from improved food, Roman Sanitation & Cleanness, Roman Medics, and the draining of Swamps.
Following the Great Plague of 538, where Hesperia lost close to 20% of her population, There was a common consensus that it had been the standards of Sanitation and Cleanliness, that had prevented it from being worse. This came out of the Observation that the Plaque was worse in the area were these weren't followed. This leads to a increased emphasis on them. While this wouldn't stop the Plague, certain Illness, like child bed fever, wound fever, Gangrene, & others, are greatly reduced.
These ideas helped the population rebound, so that by 600 most of the settlements abandoned after the Great Plague had been reclaimed. A half dozen towns in the north at the edge of the desert, were left empty. Hesperia contracted , so while Hesperia extended only 240 north of the Tiberian River, the Great Coast Road reached 60 miles farther north. The land returned to nature peopled by outlaws, bandits and other "ne'er do wells" . It would be another 400 years before these towns would be reclaimed and Fortified, as defense in war.
Shortly before the Plague and the need to rebuild, Hesperia was exploring and settling the Senegal Gambia Rivers, by 612 Hesperia was back , and starting to explore up them, as they reclaimed the settlements abandoned due to the plague. They had also repaired the Coast Road, and were prepared to push south again. The next couple of centuries is a story of slow and steady growth, South along the Coast, and Up the Rivers as they came to them. By 800 they reached the headwaters of the Senagal & Gambia, and had a string of towns between them.
From almost the beginning Hesperia like Britain , had a solid core of Army Engineers and Architects, helping to build Roads, Buildings, & other Engineering, in the Roman style. But unlike Britain, Hesperia didn't lose them all to collapse & invasions. Therefore while the Roads are not quite like the original Roman built, They are better than any roads being built west of Cathay, and unlike Europe the Roads and other Engineering, were still being built.
As Hesperia started recovering from the Plague, It would be trade between the towns, that drove the recovery. And it would be trade with the natives farther along the Coast that would draw Hesperia Southward.
Hesperia started 50~40 B.C. as a string of supply camps for a trade route down the west coast of Africa. The Initial Population of the camps were Male Romans. This lead to lots of contact with the locals, especially with the female Part. This lead to increases in Population of the camps, and by 200 A.D. most of these camps had grown into small towns. The towns Had been laid out by soldiers in the Army fashion [like many of Europe's towns], with streets, walls, & of course Roads. By 430, when contact was first lost, the Great coast road reached 250 miles north of Roma Australis, and some 50 miles south. There also were short roads leading east into the Interior. As the towns had expanded into the interior, the Romans had more assimilated the natives, rather than conquer. As such while there had always been a trickle of Europeans, most of the growth had come from assimilation, from improved food, Roman Sanitation & Cleanness, Roman Medics, and the draining of Swamps.
Following the Great Plague of 538, where Hesperia lost close to 20% of her population, There was a common consensus that it had been the standards of Sanitation and Cleanliness, that had prevented it from being worse. This came out of the Observation that the Plaque was worse in the area were these weren't followed. This leads to a increased emphasis on them. While this wouldn't stop the Plague, certain Illness, like child bed fever, wound fever, Gangrene, & others, are greatly reduced.
These ideas helped the population rebound, so that by 600 most of the settlements abandoned after the Great Plague had been reclaimed. A half dozen towns in the north at the edge of the desert, were left empty. Hesperia contracted , so while Hesperia extended only 240 north of the Tiberian River, the Great Coast Road reached 60 miles farther north. The land returned to nature peopled by outlaws, bandits and other "ne'er do wells" . It would be another 400 years before these towns would be reclaimed and Fortified, as defense in war.
Shortly before the Plague and the need to rebuild, Hesperia was exploring and settling the Senegal Gambia Rivers, by 612 Hesperia was back , and starting to explore up them, as they reclaimed the settlements abandoned due to the plague. They had also repaired the Coast Road, and were prepared to push south again. The next couple of centuries is a story of slow and steady growth, South along the Coast, and Up the Rivers as they came to them. By 800 they reached the headwaters of the Senagal & Gambia, and had a string of towns between them.
From almost the beginning Hesperia like Britain , had a solid core of Army Engineers and Architects, helping to build Roads, Buildings, & other Engineering, in the Roman style. But unlike Britain, Hesperia didn't lose them all to collapse & invasions. Therefore while the Roads are not quite like the original Roman built, They are better than any roads being built west of Cathay, and unlike Europe the Roads and other Engineering, were still being built.
As Hesperia started recovering from the Plague, It would be trade between the towns, that drove the recovery. And it would be trade with the natives farther along the Coast that would draw Hesperia Southward.