This is one of those ideas I come up with while lying in bed. It is a twist on the 'what if the Romans colonized the New World' scenario that never really stands up to much scrutiny. Your challenge is to take the premise of my idea and make it more plausible.
It starts with Alexander's Empire, insofar as it controls the Eastern Mediterranean, never collapsing as badly as it did historically, so that their borders resemble the Byzantine or Ottoman Empires. In other words, Greece, Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt, at minimum. This gives them control over trade with the East. Meanwhile, Rome and Carthage never come to the point of wars of annihilation, and, while they may be generally hostile toward each other, they co-exist in some fashion. Carthage conquers Hispania, Rome conquers Gaul (meaning both have unrestricted access to the Atlantic). With three major powers in the Mediterranean, naval technology gets some more focus. At some point, sailors (likely Carthaginian) discover the New World, while trying to circumnavigate either Africa or the Earth.
Carthage and Rome now can compete for colonies in the New World. Bonus points if a Celtic Britain gets in on the game, to compete with the Latin and Punic colonies.
Alright, with that set up, how can we make this believable? The smaller the changes from the basic premise, the better.
It starts with Alexander's Empire, insofar as it controls the Eastern Mediterranean, never collapsing as badly as it did historically, so that their borders resemble the Byzantine or Ottoman Empires. In other words, Greece, Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt, at minimum. This gives them control over trade with the East. Meanwhile, Rome and Carthage never come to the point of wars of annihilation, and, while they may be generally hostile toward each other, they co-exist in some fashion. Carthage conquers Hispania, Rome conquers Gaul (meaning both have unrestricted access to the Atlantic). With three major powers in the Mediterranean, naval technology gets some more focus. At some point, sailors (likely Carthaginian) discover the New World, while trying to circumnavigate either Africa or the Earth.
Carthage and Rome now can compete for colonies in the New World. Bonus points if a Celtic Britain gets in on the game, to compete with the Latin and Punic colonies.
Alright, with that set up, how can we make this believable? The smaller the changes from the basic premise, the better.