Hey all, I'm new to the boards, and thought I'd post a couple of POD possibilities. I'm watching I, Claudius on DVD, and this is what I'm thinking:
1) Livia was obsessed with there being an imperial successor descended from her. That's why she knocked off everyone between Augustus and Tiberius. Well, what if she focused on one of her other descendents? Suppose Tiberius dies before Augustus, say when he's in Germany after Varus' defeat. Who could she push for? Germanicus? Castor? Maybe even Claudius?
2) This one isn't about anyone in particular, but suppose some clever Greek or Roman farmer is fertilizing his fields with a new concoction he made from sulphur, charcoal and something from his compost heap. There's a bit of an accident, the sack bruses a candel, and Boom! The Romans have gunpowder. How would this affect the course of the Empire?
1) Livia was obsessed with there being an imperial successor descended from her. That's why she knocked off everyone between Augustus and Tiberius. Well, what if she focused on one of her other descendents? Suppose Tiberius dies before Augustus, say when he's in Germany after Varus' defeat. Who could she push for? Germanicus? Castor? Maybe even Claudius?
2) This one isn't about anyone in particular, but suppose some clever Greek or Roman farmer is fertilizing his fields with a new concoction he made from sulphur, charcoal and something from his compost heap. There's a bit of an accident, the sack bruses a candel, and Boom! The Romans have gunpowder. How would this affect the course of the Empire?