Hadrian's Consolidation - reboot
- Thread starter Hecatee
- Start date
I'm not sure Crimea at that time was attached to the mainland only by a strip of five miles in width. I've seen ancient maps that take into account the changes to shoreline since then and they show a shrunken Sea of Azov and a much wider isthmus connecting Crimea with the mainland. A wall would then be a much greater undertaking.
Yeah, I mean I'm not sure OTL the Bosporan kingdom had the resources to build a wall. They would have to conquer the entire Crimean peninsula first. Plus some of the Scythian lords who were sort of semi-vassals to the Bosporan king would have opposed it since they had interests on the mainland as well. But I guess TTL you can have Atticus buying them off and funding the wall. Maybe call it the Atticus Wall. Also am waiting for that guy to pull off a coup and put one of his sons on the Bosporan throne...
Hecatee
Donor
Hi all,
Thanks for all those who came with new intel on ancient Crimea, I had not been able to find any info on the width of the peninsula at the time so I used modern numbers, but even a larger isthmus is much less than Hadrian's wall or the Antonine Wall (which is TTL Hadrian's one, don't forget
).
I won't make a new post about the wall for some time yet, but you may consider than once started with the task the Bosporean will be happy with the large ditch and setting all the earth to the peninsular side to make a berm, and they may later decide to flood it to make it even more defensive.
The reaction of the scythian nobles will be for a further post, but right now they don't know about it (it will soon be known though) and once they know they won't be happy but won't be able to do much about it.
Update coming in a few minutes
Thanks for all those who came with new intel on ancient Crimea, I had not been able to find any info on the width of the peninsula at the time so I used modern numbers, but even a larger isthmus is much less than Hadrian's wall or the Antonine Wall (which is TTL Hadrian's one, don't forget
). I won't make a new post about the wall for some time yet, but you may consider than once started with the task the Bosporean will be happy with the large ditch and setting all the earth to the peninsular side to make a berm, and they may later decide to flood it to make it even more defensive.
The reaction of the scythian nobles will be for a further post, but right now they don't know about it (it will soon be known though) and once they know they won't be happy but won't be able to do much about it.
Update coming in a few minutes
On the northern border of Iazygea near Aquileia Iazygeia, april 167
Hecatee
Donor
On the northern border of Iazygea near Aquileia Iazygeia, april 167
A century of auxiliaries from the infantry cohort at Aquileia Iazygeia was walking and walking hard. After a harsh winter mostly spent in camp at the settlement on the lake’s shore the cohors’ prefect was anxious to get his men back in shape and ordered on every day that two centuries do day long high intensity walks around the lake or up to the forests half a day to the north.
Today, a sunny but cold aprilis day, the fourth century had drawn the short straw and was on the forest road under the curses of its centurion, carrying the full war pack on their back and going at the murderous rate for which the roman armies were reputed the world over.
It was around midday and they had reached the forest, venturing under its great canopy where the sun had a hard time reaching the ground, re-acquinting the soldiers with the eerie atmosphere of the great woods.
It was still a routine patrol, no combat action was expected and the centurion had not deployed any forward scouts has no one had dared lift a hand against the Romans in years. It was to prove a fatal mistake…
At a bend in the path caused by the presence of a huge rock the sixty men found themselves under attack from a band of warrior trice their numbers who attacked recklessly, their naked breast undefended by any shield other than their blade and their courage.
The surprised Romans were encumbered by their bagages and slow to react to the attack. Half a dozen had already fallen to javelins or arrows by the time the first one had dropped his backpack and drawn his weapon. The centurion, highly recognisable with his crest, had been one of those fallen.
Screaming murder the Germans had erupted both in front and in the back of the formation, cutting the way on two sides, the rock preventing escape in a third direction, the last one being toward the inner depths of the forests.
Leaving their packs behind them the Romans tried to make a shield wall with their back to the stone, but Germans appeared on its top and started throwing stones and more javelins on their backs, pushing the shrinking unit into a small turtle formation.
Only a coordinated rush at the beginning of the ambush toward the path already travelled would have seen some Romans reach safety, but the current situation was now desperate : surrounded on all sides, they died where they stood or were captured wounded, prime sacrifices for the Gods of the forest to whom the Marcomani and the Quadi prayed.
The great Quadic war had begun…
A century of auxiliaries from the infantry cohort at Aquileia Iazygeia was walking and walking hard. After a harsh winter mostly spent in camp at the settlement on the lake’s shore the cohors’ prefect was anxious to get his men back in shape and ordered on every day that two centuries do day long high intensity walks around the lake or up to the forests half a day to the north.
Today, a sunny but cold aprilis day, the fourth century had drawn the short straw and was on the forest road under the curses of its centurion, carrying the full war pack on their back and going at the murderous rate for which the roman armies were reputed the world over.
It was around midday and they had reached the forest, venturing under its great canopy where the sun had a hard time reaching the ground, re-acquinting the soldiers with the eerie atmosphere of the great woods.
It was still a routine patrol, no combat action was expected and the centurion had not deployed any forward scouts has no one had dared lift a hand against the Romans in years. It was to prove a fatal mistake…
At a bend in the path caused by the presence of a huge rock the sixty men found themselves under attack from a band of warrior trice their numbers who attacked recklessly, their naked breast undefended by any shield other than their blade and their courage.
The surprised Romans were encumbered by their bagages and slow to react to the attack. Half a dozen had already fallen to javelins or arrows by the time the first one had dropped his backpack and drawn his weapon. The centurion, highly recognisable with his crest, had been one of those fallen.
Screaming murder the Germans had erupted both in front and in the back of the formation, cutting the way on two sides, the rock preventing escape in a third direction, the last one being toward the inner depths of the forests.
Leaving their packs behind them the Romans tried to make a shield wall with their back to the stone, but Germans appeared on its top and started throwing stones and more javelins on their backs, pushing the shrinking unit into a small turtle formation.
Only a coordinated rush at the beginning of the ambush toward the path already travelled would have seen some Romans reach safety, but the current situation was now desperate : surrounded on all sides, they died where they stood or were captured wounded, prime sacrifices for the Gods of the forest to whom the Marcomani and the Quadi prayed.
The great Quadic war had begun…
Yeap! And this time Rome will show them the folly to try and oppose Rome! BUHAHAHA!!! Roma Vittorriosa!!!
Hecatee
Donor
This is this TL Marcomanic war, on schedule but very different from OTL: a lot of veterans, but also a lot of green troops recruited after the recent oriental war, border much further north with easier access to the heart of the Marcomanic and Quadi territory.
The battlefield will mainly be the modern Czech territory but the outcome of the war will be difficult...
The battlefield will mainly be the modern Czech territory but the outcome of the war will be difficult...
Historically Rome faced apparently one million tribal invaders simultaneously across the entirety of the Danube front. TTL, Rome has already dealt with some of them in the consolidation of Dacia, the question is whether that decreases the number of their enemies OTL or simply exposes them to new enemies further to the North.
Modi’in, Iudea, May 167CE
Hecatee
Donor
Modi’in, Iudea, May 167CE
Quintus Hortensius Orientalis was travelling with a light escort of a dozen servants and guards. Iudea had been quiet for a number of year and the provincial engineer did not need a larger complement of guards for his duties. Riding next to him was Benjamin, a local notable, heir to a samaritan second son who had come south to farm lands left by dead of fleeing Jews after the Hadrianic war. Together they were speaking of the latest recommendations made by Quintus for the opening of a new stone quary, when the roman interrupted the conversation to ask a question : “Tell me, Benjamin, what are those towers in the fields ? We’ve seen a number now, they are built rather far from the farms, in the middle of the cultivated area, but are not windmills like so many are sprouting in Italy…”
“Oh, they are pigeons towers, but I don’t know why they build them this far from the farms… Home we build them close to the farm, to raise birds to cook, but here ? I have no idea... We should ask one of the farmers”
As they were coming up to a track leading to one such farm they left the main road and hailed the farmer that came out to see who his guests might be. Seeing they were travellers of some importance, including a roman officer, he invited them in his abode, ordering his wife to bring wine and olives and instructing his son to tend to the needs of the horses.
The man was huge, blond with a well tanned skin that still showed he’d gotten burned by the sun, obviously a descendant of one of the barbarians settled in the area in the time of the divine Hadrian. After the usual greetings and small talk about the going of the empire and of the farm, they reached the topic Quintus wanted to speak about from the start : the mysterious towers.
“Oh, those… Well it came with the farm and at first I too was mystified, until a local explained it to me. You see I’m a younger son from a family that got sent here decades ago, but our farm was set nearer the coast where they don’t have those towers, which seems to be rather specific to this area. Then I married and with the dowry we bought this farm to one of my wife’s cousin who lives in Voltinia.
The birds are not here to be eaten but to eat and shit. This shit I then collect with my sons and pound to dust before spreading it on my fields : it really helps with the growth of the plants, to a level I could not believe the first few harvests. I taught my brothers back near Caesarea and they too have told me they’ve seen an increase in production. Who would have thought bird shit would bring so much in !”
“And you don’t produce birds for meat ? You could sell them a pretty sestertius, they are so fine in sauce during a dinner…”
“Well no, here people don’t see to eat them, they like smaller birds better, hunting them with nets when the season is right. So you were telling me that I could build a mill I would not need to turn myself ? I’m interested…”
Quintus Hortensius Orientalis was travelling with a light escort of a dozen servants and guards. Iudea had been quiet for a number of year and the provincial engineer did not need a larger complement of guards for his duties. Riding next to him was Benjamin, a local notable, heir to a samaritan second son who had come south to farm lands left by dead of fleeing Jews after the Hadrianic war. Together they were speaking of the latest recommendations made by Quintus for the opening of a new stone quary, when the roman interrupted the conversation to ask a question : “Tell me, Benjamin, what are those towers in the fields ? We’ve seen a number now, they are built rather far from the farms, in the middle of the cultivated area, but are not windmills like so many are sprouting in Italy…”
“Oh, they are pigeons towers, but I don’t know why they build them this far from the farms… Home we build them close to the farm, to raise birds to cook, but here ? I have no idea... We should ask one of the farmers”
As they were coming up to a track leading to one such farm they left the main road and hailed the farmer that came out to see who his guests might be. Seeing they were travellers of some importance, including a roman officer, he invited them in his abode, ordering his wife to bring wine and olives and instructing his son to tend to the needs of the horses.
The man was huge, blond with a well tanned skin that still showed he’d gotten burned by the sun, obviously a descendant of one of the barbarians settled in the area in the time of the divine Hadrian. After the usual greetings and small talk about the going of the empire and of the farm, they reached the topic Quintus wanted to speak about from the start : the mysterious towers.
“Oh, those… Well it came with the farm and at first I too was mystified, until a local explained it to me. You see I’m a younger son from a family that got sent here decades ago, but our farm was set nearer the coast where they don’t have those towers, which seems to be rather specific to this area. Then I married and with the dowry we bought this farm to one of my wife’s cousin who lives in Voltinia.
The birds are not here to be eaten but to eat and shit. This shit I then collect with my sons and pound to dust before spreading it on my fields : it really helps with the growth of the plants, to a level I could not believe the first few harvests. I taught my brothers back near Caesarea and they too have told me they’ve seen an increase in production. Who would have thought bird shit would bring so much in !”
“And you don’t produce birds for meat ? You could sell them a pretty sestertius, they are so fine in sauce during a dinner…”
“Well no, here people don’t see to eat them, they like smaller birds better, hunting them with nets when the season is right. So you were telling me that I could build a mill I would not need to turn myself ? I’m interested…”
I wanted to express that I found this particular part to be slightly confusing and jarring. You should place some reference to their discussion about water mills in here:
Hecatee
Donor
Thanks for the feedback ! Actually I left it vague because I really wanted to make this post about the tower (due to archeological news announced last week about byzantine towers in the Neguev, used to raise pidgeons for fertilizers' production purpose, here I introduce them earlier but I would not be surprised if they did exist, albeit on a smaller scale, earlier than the reported period in the neighbouring regions) so I did not go into the rest of the discussion.
As for what could be built here, I was thinking more of windmill than watermill
Yes, although natural production-based, with guano. Birdflu might well be the next big epidemic in the Empire...
I've always wondered why the Roman Empire never saw an intellectual, cultural and scientific flourishing, even without direction from the imperial authorities. After all, it was a very cosmopolitan empire, where travel and interchange of ideas was free and easy, Greek subjects were content under Roman rule which was laissez-faire, there was economic prosperity throughout the Mediterranean, most emperors permitted free speech outside of politics, ect. The Greek academies and the Alexandria Musaeum should have bloomed. Instead, we got stagnation compared to the Hellenistic period when the Greek world was divided. I wonder why?
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