roman empire

Aurelian and what he might have accomplished had he lived longer is a frequent topic among counterfactual historians, but I believe his predecessor is also worthy of attention. Claudius Gothicus, despite reigning for less than two years, proved an able military commander, crushing a Gothic...

After learning about the American Ice Trade in the 19th century, I got thinking. Would a ROMAN ice trade be theisable and how would it affect the Roman Diet, Society and Court life? Also, what sort of infustructure would have to be put in place to make this happen? (Ice Mining in the Rhine, Ice...

What if Otho had managed to put down Vitellius' rebellion? Could he have remained emperor had he done so?

The Roman Empire is undeniably the most powerful nation in the Mediterranean, controlling Anatolia, Italy, The Balkan Peninsula, Egypt, and the rest of North Africa. However there was one moment in history when the empire seemed on the verge of losing everything, Islam had risen in Arabia and...

The Roman Empire is undeniably the most powerful nation in the Mediterranean, controlling Anatolia, Italy, The Balkan Peninsula, Egypt, and the rest of North Africa. However there was one moment in history when the empire seemed on the verge of losing everything, Islam had risen in Arabia and...

Hi everyone, this is my first attempt at a historical timeline. I've always been a history buff with a passion for Classical Roman and later Eastern Roman history. I've always wanted to explore the possibilities of a more successful restoration of the Byzantine Empire after 1204 under the House...

In 97 CE, a Chinese military ambassador named Gan Ying was sent on a mission to Rome. But he never managed to reach the empire. What if he had?

POD: 124- Hadrian fails negotiating a settlement with the Parthian King Osroes I and chooses to hold Mesopotamia, Assyria and Armenia. Rome invades the Parthian held Zagros Mountains, defending Mesopotamia, Assyria and Armenia from further Parthia Attacks. Under Hadrian, Rome develops a massive...

What if Tetricus had managed to win the Battle of Châlons? Could it have saved the Gallic Empire?

I've been working on a timeline focused around a Punic victory in the Punic Wars. So far, I've come up with ways that Carthage could win the Second Punic War, like Hannibal successfully capturing Rome or Rome's league falling apart. But with the 1st Punic War, I find it more difficult. What...

What if Nero had never become Roman emperor? How might history have been altered?

So, after watching the amazing "I, Claudius" miniseries, I developed quite the fascination with the Early Roman Empire. I had a few questions regarding their naming and adoption customs. So, lets say a influential roman, member of the Equestrian class were to be made the adopted son of a roman...

Two groups suffered similar fates under the Roman Empire: the Jews and the Celts. Both were conquered, repatedly rebelled, and had their societies utterly destroyed by Roman forces. But the core religious and cultural elements of Jewish society in antiquity - what became modern Judaism -...

Inspired by the "AHC Buddhist Poland" post. How could this happen and what impact would it have on the West?

The 5th century was marked as a period of turbulence for all of Europe, but let’s focus for a moment on Britain. The Roman Empire had established a direct presence on most of the isles since Claudius, subduing the local Celts and introducing Roman culture into the new province, with varying...

Let's say that Commodus was never born, or ended up dying like all of his brothers did. Who might've succeeded Marcus Aurelius?

Today, the Byzantine Empire (also known as the Kingdom of Rhomanoi), is a world player, with a seat on the UN Security Council. It is widely considered the most powerful state in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, stretching from the Danube in the west to the Euphrates in the east. Although it...

Here is a topic that I have not seen discussed in a while: with any point of divergence after the beginning of the Imperial era in 27 BC, how much territory can realistically fall under Rome’s rule? Germania? The entirety of the British Isles? The entirety of Europe? The Arabian Peninsula...

How would it be possible that during the Risorgimento of the 19th century, the proponents of the social movement of Italian Unification are a bit more enthusiastic about the Ancient Roman Empire and decide to make a modernized form of Latin the official language of Italy, kinda like how 19th...

Whether Germanicus died of an illness or was poisoned is still a topic of debate today, but the fact remains that he died in 19 CE in ambiguous circumstances. But what if he had survived?