AHC/WI: Coexisting Roman and Greek empires?

Is it possible to have the Roman and Greek empires to both dominate the western world in the classical age? Will there be some sort of a rivalry to possibly arise between the two ala Cold War?

What are the best PODs for this to happen?
 
Alexander doesn't croak for one. Now, granted, a surviving Argead empire would be more focused on the East, but I think that fits your scenario.
 
Not that hard actually. Get Antiochus to give command at Magnesia to Hannibal? They had a good army, only leadership was lacking.

Seleucids were in the process of consolidating east when they were thrashed by Romans.
 
It's technically doable, but I think it may require several PoDs.

1) Don't forget that Greece, Asia, Syria and Egypt were the economical powerhouse of the Mediterranean basin : not only it's going to be the focus for any entity wanting to establish its domination there, but someone taking over these regions have good chances to have the base to take over at least parts of the West.

You need having Rome focusing elsewhere (maybe a far earlier inner division) or having only part of the eastern basin (Macedonia, Greece) without really entering in Asia.

2) It's really hard to unite regions in East, with factors of divisions being present right from the appearance of political entities. Rome managed to do it, conquering each bit slowly but as well using different form of domination, as client states.

I think that an Hellenized/Hellenic Empire would be actually more close to an hegemon : a central entity exercing its influence and power on submitted states.
 
Is it possible to have the Roman and Greek empires to both dominate the western world in the classical age? Will there be some sort of a rivalry to possibly arise between the two ala Cold War?

What are the best PODs for this to happen?
Well the best POD would be Alexander the Great living up to the old age, dying in his bed when he is 64 years old. His army is already sworn to his son heir as the next basileus/shahanshah of the Great Empire. And the dynasty rules the Empire for a few centuries.
But that would be too fantastic.

The better looking POD is the Empire of Alexander the Great divided differently than in OTL. I mean in OTL the Seleucids were weak because of the insufficient powerbase - the Greek/Macedonian settlers colonists were too few, the non-Greek troops were unreliable and one bad defeat of the Grand Army was thus disastrous.
The Romans on the other hand could afford lose army after the army, totally annihilated, and then recruit new ones.
The Seleucids just did not have a chance in OTL. The same applies to Egypt if it stays "Greek" as in OTL and does not conscript native ethnic Egyptian troops.

So for the Greek/Macedonian Empire to oppose Rome it must have the power base - Macedon, Balkan Greece, (you might add Western Anatolia and Syria): the manpower resources to conscript new armies from Greek/Macedonian population if things went badly.
The best possible shape of this "Greek" Empire is the East Roman Empire of OTL (Balkans, Anatolia, Syria and Egypt). It would be nice to add Mesopotamia to make it perfect.

The minimum Greek Empire to have some chance to survive wars with Rome is Macedon, Balkan Greece plus Anatolia and Syria;
or less probable but still possible is Macedon, Balkan Greece plus Egypt.

But it must be Greek/Macedonian Empire which includes the above territories for a few generations in order to knit these parts together and have some kind of patriotism and loyalty.
 
It's doable to have the Bosporous separate a Seleucid and Roman Empire. Though I think your best bet is having Carthage survive as a strong power that can rival Rome so Rome is distracted.
 
Alexander doesn't croak for one. Now, granted, a surviving Argead empire would be more focused on the East, but I think that fits your scenario.

This is actually *exactly* the scenario I have going on in my Legacy of the Three Alexanders timeline. The empire does break up, but only in two: one part is territorially similar to the Byzantines, and the other is Persia.

At the moment. :cool:

It's doable to have the Bosporous separate a Seleucid and Roman Empire. Though I think your best bet is having Carthage survive as a strong power that can rival Rome so Rome is distracted.

Well, if any of the Hellenistic states are utterly dominant over their neighbors (as opposed to the near balance of powers they actually had), I don't see any reason why any one of them could not pose a legitimate counter-weight to Rome.
 
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