Hadrian's Consolidation - reboot

Do we see logistic companies pop up? Eg Maersk like organizations? Speaking of companies like that: standardized shipping containers made a world of change in handeling, loading and unloading times of all freight suitable for container transport
 

Hecatee

Donor
Do we see logistic companies pop up? Eg Maersk like organizations? Speaking of companies like that: standardized shipping containers made a world of change in handeling, loading and unloading times of all freight suitable for container transport
The closest thing to a logistics company is the guild of grain carriers from Pouzzeoli I'd say, an interst group uniting the owners of around a hundred heavy grain cargo ships specialized in Egyptian grain to Italy transport. There are also trade guilds on the main rivers (OTL too, see the Nautes pillar in Paris for instance). But no Maersk or similar global trading concern because of communication and travel speed.

As for containers, amphorae were already pretty standardized by region and product type and optimized for ship transport (stability with bottom to stick in the sand of the hold or interlock with lower layer of amphorae,...) but no universal container and remember that all has to be human muscle power sized if only for transhipment to carts at origin and final destination
 
a number of quick elements thrown here before I go to bed :

- Senators could not, in theory, participate in commercial or industrial ventures, and had to get their money from land, of which they must hold for at least one million sestertii. In practice they went through family connections of equestrian rank to circumvent the rule
- Romans do seem not to have used long term contracts, the compagnies they formed to, for example, farm taxes were short term only so no corporation as we know them
- Letters of change and paper money in general might be an area in which Rome lacks. The control of trading patterns is indeed not present but on the other hand Rome IS the trade in and off itself for most concerned, the Indian Ocean trade, while important in terms of revenues and taxes, is still a very small amount of goods in comparison with other trades (potery, glass, garum...)
- Metalurgy is indeed far in advance of OTL if only because they have chinese-type cast iron availlable for instance, but a lot of their assembly is still manual rivetting only... And the advance is not exactly similar to OTL in terms of order of discoveries so don't take an OTL sequence as happening here, many roads lead to Rome ;)
- Fabricae (state military gear factories) seems to have appeared mainly around Diocletian and/or Constantine but their apparition is somewhat unclear, but their cost might not be what you're thinking of : slaves for instance are not bought by the state, they are simply captured in military operations
- Transports : beware, there is still a huge cost to transport even with a few steamers on the main rivers and many more canals than OTL, so that remains a major slowing factor
-
The more I think about this TL the more similarities I see between Imperial Rome and Modern China c. 1980's. Both are reaching out for some kind of transition to market economy, both are industrialising like mad, both are developing technologies at breakneck speed and both have a social structure which is antipathetic towards making money from trade for the elite. of course modern China was the advantage that they have exemplars of what to do and what not to do around them - Rome only has China which is in a mess right now.
 
Domus Caesari, Baiae, July 258

Hecatee

Donor
Domus Caesari, Baiae, July 258

The automobile had brought the imperial court to Baiae in two days with a stop at the old villa of Tiberius in Sperlonga instead of a ten days trip as would have been the case only a few years earlier. Two automobiles had already carried many of the necessary goods and of the servants during the previous days and two trains had left the Palatine hill station for the imperial translation itself.

It had come as a great relief for the emperor, as he was in pain from his old age : moving on horseback or on carriage would have been much more painful. He also like the opportunity to work while on the move. His personal coach had a private part, with a bed, and a public part with a working desk where he could read and eventually write, look through the windows, dictate to a scribe or receive a guest. A third small compartment was also present, where a scribe and his personal slave waited with some wine and food should the Emperor wish to have a snack.

The five other coaches of the train were one for the empress, two for the closest advisors and courtiers, one for the three contubernia of praetorians assuring the close security and one for more serving staff. The second train had the rest of a century of soldiers as well as more staff and equipments that might be needed for the ride, including tents, water and food.

The railroad they had used had been built alongside the old Via Ardeacina, which reached the coast at Ardea, and then followed the Severiana until it joined with the Appia, queen of all roads, which was followed until it met the Domitiana at Sinuessa.

Now they had all arrived in Baiae, on the bay of the same name, in a luxurious villa said to have been owned by the divine Julius Caesar himself and which had been renovated and provided with a railroad connection to the main line as well as with its own telegraph tower to keep the information flow from Rome flowing.

Here on the cliff top the emperor could breathe the fresh air from the sea and look at one of the most wonderful place of the empire, far from the heat of the capital in which he’d been forced to stay longer than planned due to the untimely death of a prominent senator. .

Marcus Iulius Philippus Augustus was at the balcony of the imperial suit, pensive while contemplating the dying sun. Behind him four slaves busied themselves to prepare the room for the night, but he did not care about them.

Rather he thought of the changes the Empire was going through. Everywhere it seemed that people were busy building, innovating, changing the way people had always lived. He’d read reports from some cities, especially in the West, where the urban poors now had real wages from working into factories : that was true in particular in the cities which the localization of coal and iron favourized. Smoking chimneys were rising to the sky in ever more places, and new fortunes were made.

The equestrian class seemed to be the one most benefiting from this tremendous evolution. Whereas the administration had often seemed an attractive career for the ambitious equestrians, it was now becoming a second choice for those who did not want or could not enter into the various new businesses of the empire.

But this also meant that some equestrians were becoming notably richer than some senators, and also ambitious. The Senate felt it, and thus tried to keep them out of the political game but Philipus knew they would not always succeed. Further change would be needed. Being on holiday in Baiae was also a way to hold a number of informal meetings with senators to get their feeling on the developing situation.

Philipus was especially afraid of the situation with regard to loyalty of the army. Some of the richest equestrians could easily subvert whole units, and the powerful auxiliary forces were all under command of equestrians.

The 400 auxiliary units of the empire had more or less as many men as the 30 legions, but Philipus also knew that many of the praesidis forces in the provinces would probably follow an equestrian usurper should a civil war break out, because ultimately they drew their pay from the local authorities, often of equestrian class.

The saving grace was that the auxiliary units were rather widely spread and the communication network would ensure rapid warning in the event of a rebellion. Such had been proved only a few months before when a senator fearing the discovery of his financial misbehavior had tried to get himself proclaimed emperor. His men had not followed him and he’d been arrested, and Philipus had ordered his estates seized and his fortune to be divided between the loyal soldiers of his legion, which had amounted to a much larger bonus than what the man had promised them…

While the rationalis rea publicae had been aghast at the decision, it had seemed a good way to ensure loyalty from the troops : order had been sent to all commanders to read news of the decision to their troops…

As he thought of this a smile crept on his face, soon replaced by a rictus as he rose his hand to his chest, clutching it as spasm took his body. The heart attack struck ferociously and he did not feel himself go across the balustrade and fall to the ground two floors below, only to hit a statue head first on his way down, instantly killing him.
 

Femto

Banned
Domus Caesari, Baiae, July 258

The automobile had brought the imperial court to Baiae in two days with a stop at the old villa of Tiberius in Sperlonga instead of a ten days trip as would have been the case only a few years earlier. Two automobiles had already carried many of the necessary goods and of the servants during the previous days and two trains had left the Palatine hill station for the imperial translation itself.

It had come as a great relief for the emperor, as he was in pain from his old age : moving on horseback or on carriage would have been much more painful. He also like the opportunity to work while on the move. His personal coach had a private part, with a bed, and a public part with a working desk where he could read and eventually write, look through the windows, dictate to a scribe or receive a guest. A third small compartment was also present, where a scribe and his personal slave waited with some wine and food should the Emperor wish to have a snack.

The five other coaches of the train were one for the empress, two for the closest advisors and courtiers, one for the three contubernia of praetorians assuring the close security and one for more serving staff. The second train had the rest of a century of soldiers as well as more staff and equipments that might be needed for the ride, including tents, water and food.

The railroad they had used had been built alongside the old Via Ardeacina, which reached the coast at Ardea, and then followed the Severiana until it joined with the Appia, queen of all roads, which was followed until it met the Domitiana at Sinuessa.

Now they had all arrived in Baiae, on the bay of the same name, in a luxurious villa said to have been owned by the divine Julius Caesar himself and which had been renovated and provided with a railroad connection to the main line as well as with its own telegraph tower to keep the information flow from Rome flowing.

Here on the cliff top the emperor could breathe the fresh air from the sea and look at one of the most wonderful place of the empire, far from the heat of the capital in which he’d been forced to stay longer than planned due to the untimely death of a prominent senator. .

Marcus Iulius Philippus Augustus was at the balcony of the imperial suit, pensive while contemplating the dying sun. Behind him four slaves busied themselves to prepare the room for the night, but he did not care about them.

Rather he thought of the changes the Empire was going through. Everywhere it seemed that people were busy building, innovating, changing the way people had always lived. He’d read reports from some cities, especially in the West, where the urban poors now had real wages from working into factories : that was true in particular in the cities which the localization of coal and iron favourized. Smoking chimneys were rising to the sky in ever more places, and new fortunes were made.

The equestrian class seemed to be the one most benefiting from this tremendous evolution. Whereas the administration had often seemed an attractive career for the ambitious equestrians, it was now becoming a second choice for those who did not want or could not enter into the various new businesses of the empire.

But this also meant that some equestrians were becoming notably richer than some senators, and also ambitious. The Senate felt it, and thus tried to keep them out of the political game but Philipus knew they would not always succeed. Further change would be needed. Being on holiday in Baiae was also a way to hold a number of informal meetings with senators to get their feeling on the developing situation.

Philipus was especially afraid of the situation with regard to loyalty of the army. Some of the richest equestrians could easily subvert whole units, and the powerful auxiliary forces were all under command of equestrians.

The 400 auxiliary units of the empire had more or less as many men as the 30 legions, but Philipus also knew that many of the praesidis forces in the provinces would probably follow an equestrian usurper should a civil war break out, because ultimately they drew their pay from the local authorities, often of equestrian class.

The saving grace was that the auxiliary units were rather widely spread and the communication network would ensure rapid warning in the event of a rebellion. Such had been proved only a few months before when a senator fearing the discovery of his financial misbehavior had tried to get himself proclaimed emperor. His men had not followed him and he’d been arrested, and Philipus had ordered his estates seized and his fortune to be divided between the loyal soldiers of his legion, which had amounted to a much larger bonus than what the man had promised them…

While the rationalis rea publicae had been aghast at the decision, it had seemed a good way to ensure loyalty from the troops : order had been sent to all commanders to read news of the decision to their troops…

As he thought of this a smile crept on his face, soon replaced by a rictus as he rose his hand to his chest, clutching it as spasm took his body. The heart attack struck ferociously and he did not feel himself go across the balustrade and fall to the ground two floors below, only to hit a statue head first on his way down, instantly killing him.
I'm getting the feeling of a future class conflict between the Senators(Aristocracy) and the Equestrian(Bourgeoisie).
 

Hecatee

Donor
Why don't they call it a Locomotio? I mean both the words are latin.

I wanted to cause cognitive disonnance with the reader by forcing them to think in terms of the TL's vocabulary, as a way to show we're not in Kansas anymore :)

I'm getting the feeling of a future class conflict between the Senators(Aristocracy) and the Equestrian(Bourgeoisie).

True, that will be an issue. On the other hand access to the Senatorial class is still possible for outsiders, especially with a larger number of entry level senatorial offices which gives more chances to the homo noves, the families of those who've never held a consulate, so there is a kind of pressure valve but it may not be enough on the long term
 
Realistically, keeping half the senator's wealth for the state, and disbursing the other half as a loyalty bonus seems more likely, no?

The unwanted side effect of this move is it provides incentives for troops to tempt/force someone into rebellion who otherwise wouldn't have thought if it. All in the hopes of getting the guy's money....
 
I'd say "the emperor is dead, long live the emperor" but he did die quite out of the way and that is always an opportunity for an ambitious asshole. But I feel the succession system is well oiled by now and the empire is not in a turbulent time so this is a red herring and the succession will go well ;)

What about people who are not even Equestrians? It is the rise of common merchants to be wealthier than nobles that caused real instability in medieval Europe. Do they just use their wealth to buy their way into Equestrian status post-haste?
 

Femto

Banned
The unwanted side effect of this move is it provides incentives for troops to tempt/force someone into rebellion who otherwise wouldn't have thought if it. All in the hopes of getting the guy's money....
Is this really a problem if they are the ones who send his head to the emperor?
 
Dam dieing at such a time may bot be best for the empire, hopefully his heir is ready to fight a civil war certainly seems to be what the empire is heading for.
 
Time had come, there was no way around it. All of the office of the Censors knew it and dreaded it. An immense amount of work had been invested in it during half a decade and had delivered an enormous amount of documentation.

...

One of them was responsible for the collection of the birth and death registers, an innovation thirty year old which collected the data at the district level : every birth and dead, even of stillborn children, even of slaves, had to be communicated.

The information about the name of the parents, their age, their status, the month of the birth and the status of the child was registered in a roll to be kept at the local archive. Once a year, in mid september, a copy was sent to the pagus with a global summary of all the births and death of the year, with a summary by age category and another one by status of the persons born or dead.

In the pagus the local reports would be bundled and summarized in a table of which a copy would be kept locally and published while another copy would be sent to the province no later than mid-october. Yet, although the official report was yearly, every pagus magistrate knew that it was better to collect data once a month, both to compare with the yearly records and to be able to answer should a district record be lost to any cause : this way there were not too many discrepanties of the records.

At the provincial level new summaries would be made and sent to the diocesis capital where one of the quaestors affected to each vicarius would make sure to have all the data collected by mid-november. Of course some diocesian quaestors had more work than other, but with less than 150 provinces for 17 diocesis none was overwhelmed… Most of the work had already been done at the lower level by the pagus authorities !

Is this census yearly, or every five years? Even modern countries only carry out a census every five or ten years. Every year would be very excessive.
 

Hecatee

Donor
Is this census yearly, or every five years? Even modern countries only carry out a census every five or ten years. Every year would be very excessive.
In practice their is a permanent collection of data and the birth and death data is certainly yearly, but the official census is published every 5 years which allows for quality controls and communication delays to be managed
 
Lixus, Atlantic coast of Mauretania, April 260

Hecatee

Donor
Lixus, Atlantic coast of Mauretania, April 260

The five ships were bustling with activity, soon to leave the last large port of the Empire before the unknown of the African coast. Each carried a century of infantry, a hundred sailors and fifty officers and scholars, all ready for an expedition that had been decided as a prestige operation by the young emperor Gaius Aurelius Augustus, the 20 years old youth that had inherited the throne at the death of Marcus Iulius Philippus some two years before.

The ships and their crews were veterans of the Indian Ocean trade routes and known to be sturdy and able to resist the open seas’ difficult conditions. For this exploration trip their large holds had little trading goods, mainly jewels made with glass pearls, which were a hit in the trade of the Indian ocean and amongst the popular classes of the empire, and small bronze statues cast on the cheap by iberian workshops, also sure to be good bargaining goods.

But more than those items it was food and water aplenty, kept in great gallic wooden casks, that was carried : they did not know where and when they would be able to replenish them, given all existing knowledge about the coast.

Had a Roman from two centuries before looked at the ships he would have been amazed and surprised to learn the ships were Roman. In fact many had been amazed to see them during their long, slow, parade-like transfert from Alexandria to the Atlantic port of Lixus.

The Emperor had wanted to be seen by his citizens and had gone to Alexandria to board the fleet, which had been equipped with sails dyed purple. They had then sailed to Antiocheia, Cyprus, some cities of the southern Asia Minor coast, Athens, Crete, Syracusae, Cartago, Sardigna, Arelate and then cities of the Hispanian coast, the Emperor leaving the fleet in Betica for his land trip back to Rome.

Everywhere shipbuilders and traders had come to see the famous Indian Sea traders and their curious high sea design, huge ships 25 feet long (37m), with their round shape, their high freeboards, their three high masts, their stern rudder… They certainly made for an interesting sight, especially in western ports not used to see the gigantic grain ships of the Alexandrian fleet !

At sea too they surprised by having two sails on each mast, one of top of the other, the rare supparum of earlier times being replaced by a full sized sail. While they sailed best with the wind coming midway between side and rear, they were of course able to sail against the wind if need be for although their keel was not very deep they did have two leeboards that could be retracted in shallow waters but provided stability in high sea.

The ships had also the possibility to be rowed, making them a bit like a giant version of the greek akatos type of fast luxury trader ships. Indeed temporary benches could be set up on the deck and portholes opened for large oars that could help get into a river’s mouth or move slowly in case of a lack of wind : this was always a good opportunity for the soldiers to keep their arm strength !

The masts were also equipped with attachment points which gave the possibility to set up large canva tents to protect the crew and passengers from the sun, very useful in the hot Indian Ocean seas, but the canvas could also serve to quickly make replacement sails in case of need, similar to how the oars could be turned into emergency yards in case of trouble.

The expedition was commanded by a former praetor, Aulus Aelius Carbo, an homo novus first of his family to enter the senate after his father had gained a fortune in sea trade. He had been deemed the senator most experienced in sea travels, having done an Indian Ocean trip in his youth and having numerous contacts in the naval world.

This explained why his five ships were captained by equestrians with a lot of naval experience too, who had each taken some of their best men from their private fleets so as to maximise the expedition’s chance.

The imperial staff had also looked at troops that had experience of at sea transport for the security of the expedition and had chosen a cohors quingenaria, the Xth Batavian cohors, to be part of the trip : five of its six centuries had been detached from their duty near the northern shore of the empire, where they often worked with the classis germanica, for this mission.

What the soldiers did not know was that a bunch of new recruits had already been slated to replace them, in case they disappeared in the vastness of the sea… The Empire was not about to cause a hole in her defenses if it could prevent it...

A tuba suddenly gave a signal : it was time to leave Lixus for the unknowns of the coast of Africa…


(For those who want to visualize the ships, look at a cross between a Dutch fluyt and a xebec with pivoting side panels acting as leeboards as is more often associated with river/coastal ships but can also sail in deeper seas. I went this way because there is no gun artillery, no history of piracy/warface dictating the medieval inherited fore and aft castles. But in comparison with fluyt and xebec our ship is much longer and somewhat larger because it benefits from the experience of the Alexandrian shipwrights who built 40+m long grain ships such as the exceptional Isis. Naval construction does not have to re-learn all that was lost in our OTL dark ages and can go straight to ships of small galleon size of the XV/XVIth century : Colombus ships are about 1/3rd smaller than those five ships, but with numerous other differences of style ! ).
 
This should be good for otl west African states they didn’t want manfuctured goods the wanted the stuff to make that stuff which Rome has in abunced and in return they can get highly made manfuctured goods to trade with India
 
If they're exploring the African coast they're in for a surprise when they try and round the cape of good hope, it was known as the cape of storms for a reason. then again if they get caught in a storm there is a possibility they could get blown to to the Americas, either way the Romans are about to learn a lot about the world.
 
If they're exploring the African coast they're in for a surprise when they try and round the cape of good hope, it was known as the cape of storms for a reason. then again if they get caught in a storm there is a possibility they could get blown to to the Americas, either way the Romans are about to learn a lot about the world.
i think we are getting ahead of ourselves
 
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