alternatehistory.com

Until the map is finished (Europe btw is completed already), I shall discuss the civilizational patterns in the world at the turn of the 8th and 9th century.

All major civilizations of the Old World developped between 20 and 40 degrees North, around major rivers: the Nile,the Euphrates and Tigris, the Indus and Ganges and finally the Huang He and Yangtze rivers. Thus emerged the earliest civilizations of old, of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China.

It were indeed the interactions of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations which have shaped the very nature of both the Mediterranean basin and the Iranian plateau; and combined with local traditions, they have developed civilizational identities of their own.

The Mediterranean basin, with the exception of Egypt and most of the Levant, had become united into the Greco-Roman civilization. The civilizational unity of this vast area, from the foothills of the Atlas as far as Iceland, where it was brought by Irish hermits, was the result of the centuries-long existence of the Roman Empire. This civilization has held together by twolingua francas: (Koinē) Greek and (Classical) Latin. Yet the cultural differences between the western latinate and eastern hellenic part were gradually becoming more pronounced. By the end of the 8th century, the dominant power of the Occidental sphere was Francia, competing with Hispania over leadership. In the east, the Rhomaic empire remains the overarching hegemon. Needless to mention, the Greco-Roman civilization is closely related to Chalcedonian Christendom.

Egypt has for long been an independent, rather inward looking civilization, which would generally influence the regions further upstream of the Nile Valley; and along the Red Sea coast. Things remain so even after the adoption of Christianity: Nubia and Axum remain in the Egyptian sphere of civilization.

The Oriental civilization appears to be the heir of the Mesopotamian civilization, and in religious terms, it can be connected to Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism, Manicheism and Gnosticism. The heritage of the Persian empire is particularly strong in this area, and the lingua francas of the region are Persian and Syriac Aramaic. Unlike the Greco-Roman, which is maritime civilization, or Egypt, which is a rvier-based civilization, the Oriental remains a land-based civilization, basically in the Iranian plateau.

The Persians maintained some (limited ) contact with India, which was developing rather autonomously, yet the southern parts of India had ties with Egypt through the Red Sea trade.

Society
Throughout the Afro-Eurasian continents, the society was organized in a variety of ways. I now use the abstract CK2 notion of "governments" and change it slightly to describe how this alternate world would have worked and how the society was organized there.

1. Tribal: Tribal organization prevails in most of the settled areas on the fringes of civilization; most of the tribally organized peoples would be pagans, and their realms would be based around hillforts and led by chieftains. Tribal areas would include by this time the entirety of the Baltic Sea basin, Scandinavia, the Uralic and East Slavic speaking area, extending into parts of Siberia as well.
2. Nomadic: Nomadic pastoralism is dominant across the Eurasian Steppe. Taking advantage of empty land to feed their herds, and live in mobile yurts. Internal dynamics are between various clans.
3. Caste: The caste system of India is thought to be a rather strict version of feudalism, closely connected to the Hindu religion. While the it is noblemean and monarchs who effectively rule the country, it is the priestly caste (brahmins) who hold the highest social respect
4. Eranshahr: The social structure based on the principles of the ancient Sassanid Empire, now prevailing in Mihranid Persia and Media as well. Within this form of government, there is an absolute fusion church and state, and a state organized religion. The Eranshahr also used bureaucratic and feudal elements as well. The society is thus organized around castles and cities.
5. Imperial: The Imperial government is that of the former Roman Empire, now present only in Rhomania. The government combines bureaucratic and feudal elements, yet unlike Eranshahr there remains a certain amount of division between church and state. While tge society is increasingly militarised and castles paky a significant role, urban centers remain nevertheless dominant.
6. Bureaucracy: Bureaucratic governments rely on nonelected appointed officers who administer parts of their realm in the name of the sovereign and are appointed for a fixed amount of time, or can be replaced immediately.
7. Feudal : The feudal system emerged in Western Europe in the aftermath of Germanic conquests. The land is distributed to heriditary noblemen who then provide troops and loyalty. Thus form of government dominates Francia and much of western Europe.
8. Republic: The republican form of government is that where the ruler is elected amongst eligible members of the citizenry. In many cases, the republics have developed into a form of oligarchy, dominated by trade and plutocratic merchants. Such a government can be seen in the coastal cities of Phoenicia.
9. Theocracy: The theocratic governments ruled by the clergy in the name of a religion are rather scarce. An exception can be found in ghe form of the Papacy in Italy. Variations of this government include also:
   1. Monastic: can be found in Iceland and the Faroes (the Papar). Here the land is ruled from monasteries by abbots, not by bishops.
   2. Holy Orders (not yet present)
10. Hierocratic (hieros+aristocratic) The monarch relies on both the clergy and the bureaucracy to administer the realm. Militaristic nobility do not own any significant portion of land, and civic and military organization are strictly separated. Present in Egypt.