On eastern shores – A Roman Timeline

Alcsentre Calanice

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
On eastern shores – A Roman Timeline
A reboot of Optimus Princeps​
​
=====

The timelines that I've done (or better: that I've aborted) so far were all centered around ancient Rome. My first one dealt with Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, my second one with the emperor Trajan, my third one with a possible industrialization during the Principate. All of them where abandoned after a certain time, mostly because I started them without knowing where they were going and without having discussed their fundamental premises here on the board.

However, it is an old dream of mine to do a complete TL on my favorite subjects: a surviving Roman Empire. We discussed some major points in these threads and I learned much about both Roman water mills and ancient agriculture. I tried some Points of Divergence, but none of them were fully satisfying, so I returned to my favorite Roman Emperor: Trajan.​


Then, I wrote the first 10 posts, to avoid interrupting the story after two weeks like I did previously, therefore I expect that this TL will be longer than the other three.
The long and the short of it: here is the first post. I hope you enjoy it! Enraged controversy as well as constructive criticism are welcome.

======

Liber Primus: The Conquest​

Caput Primus: A New Caesar
Caput Secundus: The East Is Red

Liber Secundus: East And West

Caput Tertius: The Wealth Of The East
Caput Quartus: India, China and Arabia
Caput Quintus: Hadrian's Scheme
Caput Sextus: A New Philosophy

Liber Tertius: The Moorish Era

Caput Septimus: Quietus' Expansion
Caput Octavus: Domestic Policies
Caput Nonus: Quintus Princeps
Caput Decimus: The Great Decadence

Liber Quartus: Crisis

Caput Undecimus: Downfall
Caput Duodecimus: Eastern Affairs
Caput Tertius Decimus: Skill shall prevail
Caput Quartus Decimus: Matters of Trade
Synopsis: The Adoptive Emperors

Liber Quintus: The Severan Dynasty

Caput Quintus Decimus: Peace in the World
Caput Sextus Decimus: Ordinary People
Caput Septimus Decimus: Strengthen the state!
Caput Duodevicesimus: Shield and Sword of the Emperor
Caput Undevicesimus: The Severan Military
Caput Vicesimus: Foreign affairs
Caput Unus Et Vicesimus: Conquests for trade
Caput Vicesimus Secundus: Severan Knowledge

Liber Sextus: The Great Campaigns

Caput Vicesimus Tertius: Years of Apprenticeship
Digression: A New Persia
Caput Vicesimus Quartus: The Prelude
Caput Vicesimus Quintus: The Persian Juggernaut
Caput Vicesimus Sextus: Hubris
Caput Vicesimus Septimus: The Rise of the Goths
Caput Duodetricesimus: Raids
Caput Undetricesimus: Axiopolis, March 14, 1023 AUC
Caput Tricesimus: Securing Power
Caput Unus Et Tricesimus: The Gothic Campaign
Caput Tricesimus Secundus: A Mere Armistice?

Liber Septimus: A Golden Age

Titulus I. Geography
Titulus II. Economy, Technology and Scientific Life​


Liber Octavus: Epilogus

Caput Unicus​

======

Liber Primus: The Conquest

Caput Primus: A New Caesar
When the thirteenth Roman Emperor Trajan died on the 8th of August of the year 870 AUC [1], probably nobody believed in a success of the Parthian campaign. Indeed, everything pointed towards a failure of the Roman operations in the east: Because on the one hand, the Jewish population of the east had risen against Rome, on the other hand, the Parthian king Osroes I had come back and expelled the Roman army out of the south of Mesopotamia.
Also Parthamaspates, who had been proclaimed anti-king of Parthia by Trajan in Ctesiphon, had only a few supporters among the Parthians and was soon chased away by the legitimate Great King of Parthia, Osroes. It was a special sign of the Roman weakness that Osroes could do everything of this while having to fight another anti-king in the east of Iran, Vologaeses III.
Nevertheless, Rome had definitely achieved some victories since the beginning of the revolts in 868 AUC [2] – Lusius Quietus, a cruel Moorish prince, suffect consul and governor of Judea, had been able to crush the insurrections in Mesopotamia and Judea by the means of immeasurable terror against inhabitants of other faiths.
Therefore, Trajan gained new hope and already planned a new campaign against southern Mesopotamia, when, suddenly, his health declined. He decided to travel back to Rome to settle his succession.

However, before he could put his plan into practice, he died in Selinus, a city on the coast of Asia Minor – though, before is death, Trajan had drawn up his will. For a long time, he struggled with himself to find a successor: Hadrian, the husband of Trajan's grand-niece and a capable administrator, or the newcomer Quietus, hero of the late war and the best soldier of the Roman army comand?
Trajan's environment (Plotina, his wife, and Attianus, Praetorian prefect) supported Hadrian and implored the emperor to adopt the former. Trajan was originally inclined to do so, but he anticipated that the philosopher Hadrian would never pursue his expansionist politics. The Empire now needed a man of war, a strong leader – an emperor who would deploy all available forces to keep Mesopotamia.
Trajan summoned his entire retinue and proclaimed his last will and testament. He adopted Lusius Quietus, who received the title of Caesar. He bequeathed a part of his fortune to Hadrian, but not an ounce of power [3]. Hadrian, though quite frustrated, feared to appear as a threat to the new emperor and promptly returned into private life. He was later heard from as great patron of science, but this is not the subject of this chapter.

The transition of power from the dying Trajan to Quietus was unproblematic. Quietus was admittedly a Moor and the first African on the Palatine, but of royal descent and already member of the Senate. He was very popular with the troops, which is why the legions quickly accepted him as new Augustus. The last step was the election by the Senate and the People's Assembly – the consent of the latter was a matter of form, the approval of the former was gained by the war hawk faction, which was delighted as the reign of the pacifist Hadrian had been avoided [4].

[1] 117 CE
[2] 115 CE
[3] The POD is obvious. In OTL, Hadrian became emperor, maybe even against Trajan'swill.
[4] You are free to object that Lusius Quietus would never had been chosen as successor, since he wasn't of Roman origin. However, take into account that Quietus was executed shortly after Hadrian's accession because, as a possible candidate to the throne, he posed a threat to Hadrian.
 
Last edited:
Alcsentre Calanice

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Caput Secundus: The East Is Red
Quietus first important step as emperor was to send a delegation to Rome: He notified the Senate of the need to win the war in the east, preventing his personal attendance in Rome for the next years. With the support of the strong bellicist faction (old friends of Trajan's), he introduced different special taxes to carry in the expensive war. Legions were withdrawn from the Rhine and the Danube border to finish the oriental conflict as soon as possible.
In the second half of the year 870 AUC [1], Quietus addressed particularly the situation in the south. Ctesiphon was secured, the fleets on the Euphrates and the Tigris were enlarged, the last rebellions in the cities were put down. Thus, the second campain could begin already in the year 871 AUC [2]: It is said that nine legions marched down the large streams and took successively Babylon, Apameia on the Euphrates and Charax Hyspaosinou.
Now, Osroes I sent ambassadors to Quietus and sued for peace. But the Emperor regarded the proposal of the Great King as unacceptable, since itceded only Armenia to Rome. Hence Lusius Quietus marched to Susa in 872 AUC [3], where the ruler of Elymais, Kamnaskires-Orodes, submitted to the Romans.


Finally, Quietus in Susaand Osroes in Ecbatana could agree upon a peace treaty, which was confirmed by the exchange of hostages. The dispositions of the peace were: Armenia with the capital Arataxata, Mesopotamia with the capital Nisibis, Assyria with the capital Ctesiphon and Babylonia with the capital Babylon should become Roman provinces.
Mesene, also called Characene, with the capital Charax Hyspaosinou, became a Roman client state under its king Attambelos VII and had to pay transaction levies to Rome. Elymais however returned under Parthian rule, so that entire Iran remained under Parthian control.
In Babylon was built the sanctuary of the new eastern provinces. There, the council of the Mesopotamian provinces (Concilium Mesopotamiarum) gathered annually and elected a High Priest (Sacerdos), administrating the ziggurat and the other temples of Babylon. In the first years, this office was held by the luckless Parthamaspates.

Admittedly, the war had devoured immense sums of money and consumed the booty of the Dacian Wars, but it had also added immeasurably rich and fertile provinces to the empire, wherefore Lusius Quietus held a splendid triumph in Rome in 874 AUC [4].
For the first time, the people of the head of the world saw the treasures of the legendary cities of Assur, Babylon, Ninive, Nisibis, Orchoë and Ur, often not more than ruins and a distinct echo of their former glory. But the various governors of the eastern provinces soon made an effort to restore the old palaces and sanctuaries to emblazon their career with the beauty of the ancient Mesopotamian buildings.
Even if Quietus was more interested in the immediate loot and the manpower of Mesopotamia, the jewel of the new conquests was Mesene. The riches of India arriving here soon became a major pillar of the imperial economy. Some persons even argue that controlling the entire trade with India and China was the main reasons for Trajan's eastern campaign – anyway, an old friend of Trajan's soon played a central role in strengthening the ties between the Orient and the Occident.

[1] 117 CE
[2] 118 CE
[3] 119 CE
[4] 121 CE

Mesopotamia 872 AUC.png


Note: The color schemes used on this board make Rome look neither purple nor scarlet but very ugly, sometimes even brown. Change it!
 
Last edited:
Zagan

Zagan

Donor
1. Seems interesting.
2. Are you going to finish this one?
3. If Rome does not go all the way to the Pacific, I will be disappointed! :)
4. Seriously now, keep it on!
 
EmperorOfTheNorthSea

EmperorOfTheNorthSea

If Rome wants a stable foothold in Mesopotamia then it will have to do send a whole bunch of Roman/Greek settlers there for one thing.

Also possibly building a substantial military base on the Caspian sea so that they could both have the new Eastern provinces be bale to trade with the Scythians on the northern shore as well as being able to be able to swiftly attack anyone in the area with superior Naval strength, and maybe have a small isolated province at the mouth of the Volga river where Astrakhan would be similar to Roman territory in Crimea?
 
Zeugma

Zeugma

It's interesting to see this sort of timeline. Rome's economic stagnation IOTL might well have been connected to the halt in expansion after Trajan, so I wonder how long it can keep up ITTL before the need for change is unavoidable.
 
Spartacus1224

Spartacus1224

Having, a stable, prosperous Mesopotamia would be a huge boon for Rome. I mean it's like having another Egypt. A whole another bread basket, and this one with the added benefit of even more trade with the far east. The long term benefits, if Rome can consolidate it's hold, is rather huge. Looking forward to this timeline.
 
EmperorOfTheNorthSea

EmperorOfTheNorthSea

Spartacus1224 said:
Having, a stable, prosperous Mesopotamia would be a huge boon for Rome. I mean it's like having another Egypt. A whole another bread basket, and this one with the added benefit of even more trade with the far east. The long term benefits, if Rome can consolidate it's hold, is rather huge. Looking forward to this timeline.
Click to expand...

Yeah but a big problem is: how are they going to transport all the grain.

Egyptian grain was carried in HUGE boats and was fairly easy to transport, while Mesopotamia would require a land based route over desert, mountains, and generally not to desirable weather. While they could circumnavigate Arabia and use the old Canal of the Pharaohs that linked the red sea to the Nile. But the costs of such a journey would probably outweigh whatever profit could be gained so the treacherous land route it is!

Although they could just build a larger population there and simply feed itself or something.
 

RogueTraderEnthusiast

EmperorOfTheNorthSea said:
Yeah but a big problem is: how are they going to transport all the grain.

Egyptian grain was carried in HUGE boats and was fairly easy to transport, while Mesopotamia would require a land based route over desert, mountains, and generally not to desirable weather. While they could circumnavigate Arabia and use the old Canal of the Pharaohs that linked the red sea to the Nile. But the costs of such a journey would probably outweigh whatever profit could be gained so the treacherous land route it is!

Although they could just build a larger population there and simply feed itself or something.
Click to expand...

I'd think that the best way to transport the food would be to have caravans connecting the Euphrates and Orontes - the areas in themselves good agricultural regions. Could there be a canal connecting the two? Not with the current Roman Technology, or brutal slave labour. However, I think the larger population and deployed legions would be the wiser idea.

1) Because it further increases the tax base, and the number of traders involved in the region
2) Extra Legions can be used to prepare for an Arabian Campaign - After which, food can be shipped to Egypt and safely into the typical network, if required.
3) Mesopotamia, if well fortified (even if it means a separate Zagros War) could be the powerful eastern bulwark that Rome needs to solve the Arabian, Pict, and Germanic problems. Admittedly however, once they solve those problems, you have the Steppe and Persia - and their administration. Yeesh
 

aegis03florin

Seems interesting. I will follow it.

One remark: I do not find the new borders of provinces quite feasible. I suggest an horizontal division, with the lower part being Babylonia, the middle being Mesopotamia and the upper part being Assyria. Keep i mind that many cities were on both sides of the rivers and the river were their highways.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top