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  1. How big of a threat would a united Germania be to Rome?

    I don't see how Germania's borders aren't defensible. That was the Roman frontier after all and it lasted quite some time and Varus's defeat clearly shows there's plenty of opportunity for Roman defeats in that region. It's distant from Rome in an area that is fairly backwater for Rome. I...
  2. Sedentary non-agricultural civilization in Europe?

    The sort of mariculture you're discussing involves scenarios like massive ocean thermal energy convertors which artificially do the upwelling job ocean currents do in certain areas. And on a smaller scale, very precisely built artificial reefs for seaweed, shellfish, and fish farming. While it...
  3. Sedentary non-agricultural civilization in Europe?

    How? Fish farming is only possible on a small-scale in premodern times. When it was used on a larger scale, it was always in tandem with agriculture since the fish would eat the weeds and pests that surrounded fields and ponds.
  4. Plausibility Check-Llamas introduced to Mesoamerica

    The intrinsic value is "look at this unique animal you now own." For instance, in East Asia, the first Japanese encounters with sheep were because the Korean king sent the Emperor and his court those animals. They never established a population in Japan, but this occurred several times over the...
  5. How big of a threat would a united Germania be to Rome?

    I would envision the decentralisation more as a style of governance brought on by necessity rather than a situation one might easily exploit. Yes, there would be defectors to Rome, but they need not be numerous nor powerful if the common opinion portrays Rome as being a worse threat to...
  6. Sedentary non-agricultural civilization in Europe?

    None of that would get the population over a few hundred people before the issues of sanitation, overcollecting natural resources, and finding fuel set in. Not really a relevant issue to acorn storage. The natural tannins in acorns keep them edible for years, provided one leaches the tannins...
  7. Plausibility Check-Llamas introduced to Mesoamerica

    Because livestock, especially well-bred livestock, were frequently sold as trade goods or offered as gifts and tribute. IIRC this did occur in coastal Ecuador where llamas aren't native. Why? A merchant was once recorded as having brought a polar bear cub from Greenland back to Norway. Live...
  8. Sedentary non-agricultural civilization in Europe?

    This was parts of Northern Europe in the Upper Paleolithic/Mesolithic, especially Scandinavia. They relied on acorns and nuts along with fishing plus wild game and gathered plants. A large population was sustained. Incidentally, this is akin to the lifestyle of the Jomon culture and a few...
  9. How big of a threat would a united Germania be to Rome?

    Sure it can, because the proposition here is that Germany in Antiquity cannot increase its population too much more than OTL because of the environment relative to technology, but can increase its social complexity to the point of forming a decentralised kingdom. I don't see how it is much...
  10. How big of a threat would a united Germania be to Rome?

    Good agricultural land is uncommon before the heavy plough but there is sufficient grazing land and absolutely no shortage of timber. Germany also had the Amber Road and early tin mining in the Ore Mountains. The Frankish Empire did at the end of Late Antiquity. There's nothing in the east...
  11. WI Genghis Khan was a Christian?

    They just would have concubines instead of official second wives. This wasn't unusual in medieval northern Europe (although was dying out by the 13th century), and in any case plenty of Mongol princes only had one official wife since the others were considered concubines or some lesser status...
  12. How big of a threat would a united Germania be to Rome?

    The Holy Roman Empire was a major powerhouse in medieval Europe readily capable of exercising its influence in Italy, so the answer is a similar state would be an incredible threat. Especially since they have very secure borders. Now IMO such an absolute monarchy is somewhat improbable...
  13. Miscellaneous >1900 (Alternate) History Thread

    He was also a fairly poor campaigner compared to Reagan. "I will raise your taxes, but so will other guy and at least I'm telling you" doesn't seem like a very good campaign message.
  14. What is the earliest point in history for a viable space program?

    The Schwerer Gustav, largest artillery by bore, was carried by trains. And of course the Space Shuttle was carried by the crawler-transporter. So it seems possible to engineer a vehicle that can launch a giant nuclear shell from the United States to Moscow, Vladivostok, Pyongyang, or some...
  15. WI there was a large East Asian community in India?

    Adopting Hinduism would be a very easy way to assimilate into the Indian community, so it would be limited. Because that was the main trade route between East Asia and India before trade shifted south to the Straits of Malacca (although it may have waned and waxed according to the fortunes of...
  16. What is the earliest point in history for a viable space program?

    Another thought--Theoretically, an underground nuclear bomb could launch a satellite into space. During one underground nuclear test in the mid-50s, calculations prove that a steel manhole cover would have been launched into orbit had it not been vaporised. So maybe have an early nuclear test be...
  17. AHC: Perpetual Kingdom of Dali (or successor states) - no Chinese Yunnan

    There were a variety of rebellions in Yunnan by its indigenous people, but IIRC none involved the former royal family of Dali (the Duan clan). Dali's ruling family themselves fell from power after the Ming conquered the region (this was the invasion incidentally in which a young Zheng He, son of...
  18. WI Genghis Khan was a Christian?

    The thing is the Mongol elite valued religious showmanship over actual religion and tended to not be very devout. That's why they loved their traditional shamans or people like Buddhist monks (especially Tibetan lamas with their supposed powers) or Sufis over Christian monks who tended to be...
  19. Miscellaneous <1900 (Alternate) History Thread

    Depends--the word "tribal" is very vague and can refer to a lot of things. The areas of closest overlap would be the more complex tribal structures found among the Mississippians and the tribal structures in some areas of central Africa (IIRC this comparison I was thinking of was described by...
  20. Sea of Blood, Sea of Ice--The Mongol Conquest of Japan

    Hard to say. Any alliances are going to be shifting and inconsistent, kind of like how the Byzantines and factions in their civil wars tried to play the beyliks off each other. I have read a theory saying that the Mongols failed in Syria partly because the heat and texture of the hot desert...
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