ATL: Silvania (Roma discovers America)

ATL: Silvania (Rome discovers America)

Hi everybody. This will be my first ATL. And this is the beginning of all, (the divergence point):

293: Dioclecian divides the Roman Empire in a Tetrarchy
294 AD: A commercial expedition to Mauretania is trapped by a huge storm, and extraviated into the Atlantic Ocean. When they tried to return, another storm push them further and further.
Finally, at September, 24, they arrived to an unknown tropical island. Its great forests impressive them, and they decided call it Silvania (In latin, "land of forests).
295 AD: After 4 months exploring this island, and contacting natives, they decided to try a return travel. Their 4 survivor galleys departed, but only one arrived to Bracara Augusta. Soon, Silvania discovery will reach to Emperor ears...

To be continued...
(P.D.: Sorry if I have grammatical mistakes. My language is spanish, and I have a good english level, but no perfect XD.)
 
Last edited:
This is very interesting. In my Rome TL, I have a city in a Roman colony in OTL America named Silvia if I remember correctly.
 
Interesting idea. The romans would find appealing the idea of "cities made of gold" as much as OTL conquistadores.
There would be some trobles with ships, since galleys are not really suited to open ocean, but the Veneti tribe in Gaul was already using a kind of ship that could navigate the atlantic.
 
Well, here we go...

----------

295 AD: The emperor is interested in that new island. He receives in Rome to the last survivors of those travel. They tell him all about it.
296 AD: A roman expedition is ready to departure to Silvania. 15 huge galleys are ready to cross the Ocean
May, 27: The fleet departures from Tingi. But unfortunately, all this expedition dissapeared road to Silvania...
297: Dioclecian don't give up. He orders build a new fleet. But this time, he asked better ships to travel across the huge Mare Tenebrosum. So, this time, a new kind of galley is builded in Tyrus and in Athenae.
Meantime, another war against persians is developing.
298: Finally, the new fleet is ready to go. This new kind of galleys have larger sails, lees tripulation, and they are faster. They are called "dioclecian galleys", or only "diocletianas".
After a difficult voyage, 6 of them can reach the coasts of Silvania at the end of October. They arrived to a new island, named by them as Boricania, a latinized name for Boriken (native name of Puerto Rico, in OTL). This island will be the principal place for the next roman expeditions.
Meantime, in the Empire, the Army expelled all of their christians soldiers.

To be continued...
 
I main problem I see with Roman America is not so much their discovering it in the first place but whether they would care to do anything with it afterwards.
Much of Europe in the time period concerned was pretty much like the Americas.
 
Well, It's only an voyage to explore these lands, to see if they are interesting for Rome. The Empire were in crisis, and I'll try to be realistic with that fact. This ATL only changes a fact: Rome knows a thing. There are more lands to the west.
 
Last edited:
Well, It's only an voyage to explore these lands, to see if they are interesting for Rome. The Empire were in crisis, and I'll try to be realistic with that fact. This ATL only changes a fact: Rome knows a thing. There are more lands to the west.

That works out.
Too many people jump to the assumption though that Roman America will somehow lead to the empire inventing the steam engine and lasting until the current day.
Putting a butterfly net in place though...hmm....definate knowledge of America...America colonised the 1200s?
 
299 AD: Boricania settlement begins to grow.
Meantime, far away from there, sarmatians were defeated by Galerius
300-312 AD: Boricania becomes a bored placed (Nothing interesting happens)
Only two voyages crossed the ocean, because its difficulty.
314 AD: Many christians arrive in a new voyage to Boricania after Edict of Toleration and Edict of Milan.
318 AD: Emperor Constantine, to celebrate his triumphs against his rivals, promoves new voyages to found more settlements in Silvania. In a few years 2 new villages are founded: Nea Constantinopolis in Western Quisqueia (Hispanola in OTL), and Nea Augusta, in Northern Quisqueia.
324: A native sublevation in Quisqueia destroyed Nea Augusta and attacks Nea Constantinopolis. Finally, this sublevation is neutralized.
325 AD: Gladiatorial combats are outlawed in all Empire, except in Silvania lands.
326: Silvania inhabitants hear rumours about a golden civilization to the west, called Maia...

To be continued...
 
Top