AHC: Create an empire with these borders
Carthage and Ptolemaic Egypt succeed for the most part in maintaining their independence from the Romans in Africa, for example by paying hefty tributes. At some point a Roman general like Sulla or Pompey embarks on an Alexander-like conquest of the Parthian Empire and crowns it off by crossing the Tian Shan mountains and subjugating the Oasis cities of the Tarim Basin. Then he returns home and uses his armies and immense resources to overthrow his rivals at Rome, resulting in him ruling an empire with the above borders. No doubt it falls apart the second he dies.
The weirdest bit of that map is that it includes most of Iran but not its coastline. I don't see not-Alexander passing that up.
I feel like this is a wanked-up Islamic steppe empire that conquers Byzantium and then somehow gets a hold of Islamic Iberia, and is able to use that as a foothold to conquer the rest of Italy, France and England.
It is also interesting that this empire bypasses the Zagros mountain, yet only in the north. It would seem more likely to bypass the Zagros through the south. It makes little sense that Babylonia, is left to its own devices while you conquer much less useful Iran, Mannaea, Armenia, etc etc etc
Deleted member 109224
The Achemenids conquer Greece but give up on Egypt after numerous revolts, content to establish a client Kingdom that pays tribute. They proceed to conquer the Illyrians, Etruscans, Gauls, etc. They defeat Carthage, seize their Iberian and Mediterranean holdings, but put the remaining Kingdom in a state of vassalage rather than conquer the place (too much work).
It would be much easier to simply conquer Carthage as the Achaemenids than it is to conquer and rule Iberia and vassalize Carthage.
Skallagrim
Banned
Something to consider is that both climate and coast-line were different then. The Gulf of Persia? Wasn't there. And the only reason we see the northern border that we do is that everything to the north of that was unlivable tundra. An ice-age world in general is generally drier and less hospitable, so the historical coast of Persia was perhaps not inhabited because it was the Gedrosian Desert except 10 times worse.
Due to the dry warm area to the south and the dry cold area to the north, the areas in between, inhabited by the Neanderthals, may well have been the wettest, most livable bits of real estate.
trurle
Banned
In deliberate effort to avoid conquering areas ridden with tropical disease. The lesson of Alexander the Great is properly digested.
Alexander lives longer, goes west, conquers Italy and Carthage. Once he dies, some successor takes Egypt+North Africa, but the rest consolidates under his son and takes Gaul and makes incursions to Britain. Or maybe gets divided between two sons. One of his generals also leads punitive campaigns to Transoxania as a reaction to raids, taking oasis cities. Cities on the Persian shore drift away during the succession, but are now ready to be reconquered.