alternatehistory.com

I've read a lot of the past posts about this sort of concept.

The latest one was from 2008, or at least according to google.

So I'm going to try my hand at starting one like this.

The main point of departure would be a plague and famine that would sweep the western world sometime after the death of Alexander the Great. this plague would be particularly devistating to a few key classes.

First it would devastate the slave class, especially those in industry or agriculture.
Second it would devastate members of the soldiering class or those who'd be competent in leading an army or invasion to acquire more slaves.

We could argue that this would be due to the close conditions slaves on agricultural and industrial mass-work-places lived in. Possibly similarly barracks would be the place where this plague would spread within the soldiering classes.
Sea traders would likely be equally devastated, though I'm not sure it would be to the same degree, as would other groups/cliques in society.

In any case, you'd have a shortage of labor, without a lazy/easy solution to solve it. Thus there would be a necessity for labor saving devices, machines to take the place of all those dead. Though I might be too "inspired" by the the advancements that followed in the wake of the plague.
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