So imagine that we "reset" the world with a POD back in perhaps 100BC to the year 0, allowing the world to continue forwards and noting the vast amount of timelines unfold as we repeatedly reset the various random events that shaped history, allowing the "dice rolls" of chance that effected the world to change.
When looking at this vast trove of timelines, how strong does being closer to the Americas influence which non Indigenous culture reaches it first? Europe is closer, but was that a dominating factor or did it pale to need to explore for a route to Asia, having the right explorers born, technological development, innovation, having their competitors meet setbacks, etc? Would we gaze upon this cluster of timelines and always see this distance strongly dictating who makes contact with the American Indians first or would this achievement just be an indicator of who was sufficiently developed at the right time?
On that note would this apply on an Intra Europe scale? It is always somebody on the Iberian Peninsula that first reaches the Americas due to its close distance or would this be extremely weak compared to other factors? Perhaps somebody elsewhere Europe being more lucky, wealthy or advanced would be found to massively trump Iberia's closer position so when looking at the "Europe discovers the Americas" cluster of timelines we barely see Iberia reaching the Americas first? So for example events such as Rome or the Carolingian Empire (or some other large empire that formed since the POD) still being around at the right time, central Europe unifying, stabilizing and prospering early or just Britain, Scandavavia or some other country being super wealthy often being found to trump Iberia's geography?
When looking at this vast trove of timelines, how strong does being closer to the Americas influence which non Indigenous culture reaches it first? Europe is closer, but was that a dominating factor or did it pale to need to explore for a route to Asia, having the right explorers born, technological development, innovation, having their competitors meet setbacks, etc? Would we gaze upon this cluster of timelines and always see this distance strongly dictating who makes contact with the American Indians first or would this achievement just be an indicator of who was sufficiently developed at the right time?
On that note would this apply on an Intra Europe scale? It is always somebody on the Iberian Peninsula that first reaches the Americas due to its close distance or would this be extremely weak compared to other factors? Perhaps somebody elsewhere Europe being more lucky, wealthy or advanced would be found to massively trump Iberia's closer position so when looking at the "Europe discovers the Americas" cluster of timelines we barely see Iberia reaching the Americas first? So for example events such as Rome or the Carolingian Empire (or some other large empire that formed since the POD) still being around at the right time, central Europe unifying, stabilizing and prospering early or just Britain, Scandavavia or some other country being super wealthy often being found to trump Iberia's geography?