Originally I was going to do the map on this post however as I worked on the notes on what to look for in the future. I wrote so much that it will be better to just wait until Sextus' reign is over to do the map as right now Aulus' is technically got an occupation and not complete certified borders so the next map of the Empire will not be until next week anyways here are some of my notes for the future of certain countries and plans that obviously could change but are nice nods to events that will happen.
Kushan will collapse and a number of minor states will rise up. Parthia will gobble up many of them and as a result the concept of Persia moves eastward towards modern Persia encompassing East Persia, Pakistan and most of Afghanistan.
Germans will be split into two major groups. Those located East of the Vistula River will form minor Germanic kingdoms. It will only be around 1031CI that they actually unify to a united cultural body.(This amount of space in time will allow for Germany to become a very imperialist country subjugating many of the other ethnic groups around them stopping around OTL Moscow.)
The Other kind of Germans will be Scandinavian Germans who are essentially the same kind as their OTL counterparts with the only difference being they have access to more advanced weaponry and armor. Vikings will also occur however their targets are not frequently the Roman coast but rather those nations along the Baltic Sea or East Germans, Fins, and Slavs.
Slavs also experience a dual identity that being North Slavs and South Slavs. The North Slavs are Russians while the South Slavs are located around the region between the Aral and Caspian Seas(That is the suspected origin point of the Slavic tribes and in TTL is confirmed point.) South Slavs suffer a long period of disunity and then are conquered first by Parthia and then by Russia. They only recent to modern day gained their independence after a war between Russia and Rome and form the identity of the Eastern European countries after the Cold War.(Only in this case they are split three ways in owing an alliance to either Rome, Parthia or in rare cases back to Russia.)
Russia initially accepts Christianity as its religion however they experience a period in the late 800s where a new religion that has Judeo-Christian hints present and could technically be seen as TTL replacement for Islam but is not due to difference in beliefs as well will rise up leading a Russian Manifest Destiny of sorts over much of land West of Siberia.(Currently Siberia is a I dunno what to do with it land haha.)
The Celts are the only culture of all the previously mentioned that do not accept Christianity. They actually replace the Scandinavians in settling Vinland.(Their colony also lasts and comprises OTL Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Isle, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Axum evolves like OTL only with more Roman access and will become Christianized but also will adopt another religion that is also partially Christian but has heavy influences of Zoroastrianism as well. This religion runs rampant throughout Africa so that by the OTL of the Scramble for Africa this Axum religion is predominate in all regions besides Roman Africa.(In fact geopolitical speaking Roman Africa is more of seen as Europe.) A Scramble of Africa does not happen in this timeline rather the countries will only create Alliance spheres and client states.(The major powers in Africa will be Parthia, Rome, Germany, Russia, Axum, and a Khmer Empire like state.)
India will become the China of TTL. It will become unified under the Guptas and undergo dynasty changes but essentially remain India. During the era that the major powers gain an interest in Africa they also begin sphereing and carving up India.(The only difference from OTL China is that they make major territorial gains in India and the only thing independent is a rump Indian state on the Deccan Plateau.) India regains most of its territory after a specific event that will be a secret for now.(small city states that felt more allegiance to their great power that conquered them then India remain with the power and is a sore issue for India that it still does not own all its proper territory.)
China will split into 5 major dynasties around 300CI and never reunify. The five dynasties essentially create 5 variants of Chinese culture and by the time one of the powers gains the strength to conquer the others the conquering powers Chinese has almost nothing in common with the conquered. This results in a balkanized China. China's coastal dynasties will be mostly carved up by the Great powers but her inland dynasties will remain intact and when the great powers pull out of China the inland powers basically absorb coastal China regions and end up with two major China states left in the north and south.
Korea unifies early and with a fractured China avoids client state status and in fact will project its strength on the regions north of them.
Japan experiences a very similar role to OTL only her borders expand to include Sakhalin and Kamchatka and is considered one of the great powers that was spoken of earlier.
Indonesia remains Buddhist in this timeline and will also be divided and sphered primarily by the Khmer Empire but also by initially India and Parthia but later Parthia, Japan, and Axum and only unifies into major political bodies after the spheres end of sorts and the great powers endorse one state to annex the ones around it.
Finland will be settled by the Finns and will own modern day Finland but also some of Northwest Russia that is not taken by Germany and parts of northern Sweden.
The Americas will remain a secret for now but current plans are to have 1 Roman colony, as we know a Celtic Vinland, a Scandinavian colony, a Mali colony, a colony of exiles from one major tribe group in Rome that essentially refused to conform. The Romans will not find the Americas however their hegemonic role in the world does lead to their terming of the Americas reigning dominant in much of the world and the current plan is to have NA be called Borealis and SA Australis what does everyone think?
Australia is honestly unknown on what to do but I do like the idea of at least one aboriginal state there.
And thats just some of what to looked forward too in the future haha
Kushan will collapse and a number of minor states will rise up. Parthia will gobble up many of them and as a result the concept of Persia moves eastward towards modern Persia encompassing East Persia, Pakistan and most of Afghanistan.
Germans will be split into two major groups. Those located East of the Vistula River will form minor Germanic kingdoms. It will only be around 1031CI that they actually unify to a united cultural body.(This amount of space in time will allow for Germany to become a very imperialist country subjugating many of the other ethnic groups around them stopping around OTL Moscow.)
The Other kind of Germans will be Scandinavian Germans who are essentially the same kind as their OTL counterparts with the only difference being they have access to more advanced weaponry and armor. Vikings will also occur however their targets are not frequently the Roman coast but rather those nations along the Baltic Sea or East Germans, Fins, and Slavs.
Slavs also experience a dual identity that being North Slavs and South Slavs. The North Slavs are Russians while the South Slavs are located around the region between the Aral and Caspian Seas(That is the suspected origin point of the Slavic tribes and in TTL is confirmed point.) South Slavs suffer a long period of disunity and then are conquered first by Parthia and then by Russia. They only recent to modern day gained their independence after a war between Russia and Rome and form the identity of the Eastern European countries after the Cold War.(Only in this case they are split three ways in owing an alliance to either Rome, Parthia or in rare cases back to Russia.)
Russia initially accepts Christianity as its religion however they experience a period in the late 800s where a new religion that has Judeo-Christian hints present and could technically be seen as TTL replacement for Islam but is not due to difference in beliefs as well will rise up leading a Russian Manifest Destiny of sorts over much of land West of Siberia.(Currently Siberia is a I dunno what to do with it land haha.)
The Celts are the only culture of all the previously mentioned that do not accept Christianity. They actually replace the Scandinavians in settling Vinland.(Their colony also lasts and comprises OTL Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Isle, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Axum evolves like OTL only with more Roman access and will become Christianized but also will adopt another religion that is also partially Christian but has heavy influences of Zoroastrianism as well. This religion runs rampant throughout Africa so that by the OTL of the Scramble for Africa this Axum religion is predominate in all regions besides Roman Africa.(In fact geopolitical speaking Roman Africa is more of seen as Europe.) A Scramble of Africa does not happen in this timeline rather the countries will only create Alliance spheres and client states.(The major powers in Africa will be Parthia, Rome, Germany, Russia, Axum, and a Khmer Empire like state.)
India will become the China of TTL. It will become unified under the Guptas and undergo dynasty changes but essentially remain India. During the era that the major powers gain an interest in Africa they also begin sphereing and carving up India.(The only difference from OTL China is that they make major territorial gains in India and the only thing independent is a rump Indian state on the Deccan Plateau.) India regains most of its territory after a specific event that will be a secret for now.(small city states that felt more allegiance to their great power that conquered them then India remain with the power and is a sore issue for India that it still does not own all its proper territory.)
China will split into 5 major dynasties around 300CI and never reunify. The five dynasties essentially create 5 variants of Chinese culture and by the time one of the powers gains the strength to conquer the others the conquering powers Chinese has almost nothing in common with the conquered. This results in a balkanized China. China's coastal dynasties will be mostly carved up by the Great powers but her inland dynasties will remain intact and when the great powers pull out of China the inland powers basically absorb coastal China regions and end up with two major China states left in the north and south.
Korea unifies early and with a fractured China avoids client state status and in fact will project its strength on the regions north of them.
Japan experiences a very similar role to OTL only her borders expand to include Sakhalin and Kamchatka and is considered one of the great powers that was spoken of earlier.
Indonesia remains Buddhist in this timeline and will also be divided and sphered primarily by the Khmer Empire but also by initially India and Parthia but later Parthia, Japan, and Axum and only unifies into major political bodies after the spheres end of sorts and the great powers endorse one state to annex the ones around it.
Finland will be settled by the Finns and will own modern day Finland but also some of Northwest Russia that is not taken by Germany and parts of northern Sweden.
The Americas will remain a secret for now but current plans are to have 1 Roman colony, as we know a Celtic Vinland, a Scandinavian colony, a Mali colony, a colony of exiles from one major tribe group in Rome that essentially refused to conform. The Romans will not find the Americas however their hegemonic role in the world does lead to their terming of the Americas reigning dominant in much of the world and the current plan is to have NA be called Borealis and SA Australis what does everyone think?
Australia is honestly unknown on what to do but I do like the idea of at least one aboriginal state there.
And thats just some of what to looked forward too in the future haha