So what could prevent the Slavs from spreading South, and instead head northwest or something?
We're probably not dealing with "Muslims" in this period- the term "Arab" is probably to be preferred when discussing that people before about the year 700. It's possible, but once the 602-628 war is over, the large Empires are always quite likely to be exhausted. It's not at all implausible that the Arab armies had a numerical advantage over the Romans during the conquest of Palestine and Syria, for example.As for Islam, I'm saying what if the Sassanids and Romans could resist their attacks long enough to make a counteroffensive and perhaps crush them?
So what if Justinian was killed in the Nika riots and the Ostrogoths continued to prosper? Wouldn't that leave the Roman Balkans much stronger than OTL population/manpower/culture-wise?
Also, "have antiquity go to shit" implies some kind of Mongol like destruction of all within the path of the Arabs.
Will you show this TL to us?I'm doing a TL that has this as a POD (as an on/off project). Justinian's life or death doesn't mean a lot to the Roman Balkans. The northern region of the area had contracted already in the later fourth century to a region of hill forts, albeit one with a fairly active Roman population until the reigns of Phocas and Heraclius. No Gothic war won't directly impact upon the Balkans.
Well, their arrival certainly shifted urbanization patterns very drastically and left ruins where cities used to be.
Of course they started re-urbanising brand new areas immediately after, so this is more like the Yuan than the Ilkhans.
Still, no rapid conquest of that size can be good for the settled civilisation.
Well, their arrival certainly shifted urbanization patterns very drastically and left ruins where cities used to be.
Of course they started re-urbanising brand new areas immediately after, so this is more like the Yuan than the Ilkhans.
Still, no rapid conquest of that size can be good for the settled civilisation.
In which areas were cities left in ruins? Besides Ctesiphon, I can think of none off the top of my head. The cities of Syria, Palestine and Egypt certainly continued to prosper under the Arabs.
Actually, much of Palestine went into really rapid decline following Arab conquest. Same as Tunisia.
On the other hand, they built up new centres relatively close by so the population most likely just shifted over. That said, the old cities really were abandoned, and I can't imagine the experience wasn't disruptive.
More disruptive than the Long War?