Hey all,
Thought that just occurred to me, what would the effect be on the longevity of the Roman Empire if it had improved communication and transportation infrastructure (or faster armies)?
Ignoring the costs right now, what would you say are the most plausible improvements that could be implemented after (to choose a spot) Diocletian takes the throne?
Currently, I have
- Naval Capacity : Improve the use of coastal transport to move soldiers
- Canals : It doesn't seem unreasonable to see the Romans build canals to improve the transport of goods
- 'Mounted Legions' : Essentially having the entire legion capable of moving at a vastly faster rate - which would require inventing the stirrup, or at least the Leather Stirrup and a better saddle. Whilst this would increase the movement speed of the legions, it may be expensive.
Communication-wise, considering they already had a pony-express system, I'm not sure what else the Romans could do
- they aren't exactly going to invent the telegraph.
- Caravanserai - I don't know if the Romans used anything like this, but could the increased security strengthen the provinces?
So what other potential developments could be used in terms of mobility and infrastructure?
Thanks!