WI: Aurelian Walls Like Theodosian Walls?

So I was thinking about this recently and decided to see what you guys think. If Aurelian had re-built the Roman walls to something resembling the Theodosian walls (of course the Theodosian Walls don't exist yet so he doesn't have a model to go off of), what effects would this have?

Assuming things go the same way as OTL, I imagine Alaric would not be able to sack the city, and neither would Geiseric. Also, this would butterfly away the increasingly growing importance of Ravenna. Since Rome is now a much more defensible position than it was OTL, there wouldn't be any need for the imperial court to hide in Ravenna instead of Rome.


Thoughts?
 
Rome, unlike Constantinople, isn't on the coast and can't be surrounded by sea. At the end of the day, you can still starve Rome in a way that's difficult to do to Constantinople.
 
Rome, unlike Constantinople, isn't on the coast and can't be surrounded by sea. At the end of the day, you can still starve Rome in a way that's difficult to do to Constantinople.

Massive walls like the Theodosian Walls can be built. But the problem, like you said is that it can be starved a lot easier than Constantinople.

Maybe a another Italian city can have massive walls. Venice, Genoa or Syracause?
 
Rome, unlike Constantinople, isn't on the coast and can't be surrounded by sea. At the end of the day, you can still starve Rome in a way that's difficult to do to Constantinople.

Which is why the capital got moved to Ravenna in the 5th century.

It turned out not to be quite as defensible as the Romans hoped, but at least it could be supplied directly by sea.
 
Massive walls like the Theodosian Walls can be built. But the problem, like you said is that it can be starved a lot easier than Constantinople.

Maybe a another Italian city can have massive walls. Venice, Genoa or Syracause?

Why would either of them get or need those walls at this time? (Nevermind Venice didn't exist yet)
 
Well you need a reason for it first: like some strategic point like Constantinople. It's just that none comes to mind really.
 
Build Long Walls to Accompany Theodosian Walls

An ASB idea I admit, but here it is; Build the equivalent of Athens' Long Walls down to Ostia to accompany the Theodosian-sized walls for Rome itself.

Hero of Canton
 
An ASB idea I admit, but here it is; Build the equivalent of Athens' Long Walls down to Ostia to accompany the Theodosian-sized walls for Rome itself.

Hero of Canton

The Aurelian walls were too long to man by the late Empire anyway and were more of a deterent, and isn't the distance from Rone to Ostia around 30 miles? Much longer than the Long Walls.
 
Would some kind of Great Wall of Italy be possible?

Or making the alpine passes more defensible?

It could only be on the same scale as hadrians wall, and as impressive as it looks (I live right next to it). It is still very innefectve, Hadrians wall was only effective against preventing minor raids, just like the limes germanicus, they were just for stalling major invasions until the field armies had time to mobilize. There are plenty of examples of the Romans building these sorts of things; Hadrians Wall, the Limes Germanicus, the Anastasian Walls, but they were only really for stopping raids.
 
It could only be on the same scale as hadrians wall, and as impressive as it looks (I live right next to it). It is still very innefectve, Hadrians wall was only effective against preventing minor raids, just like the limes germanicus, they were just for stalling major invasions until the field armies had time to mobilize. There are plenty of examples of the Romans building these sorts of things; Hadrians Wall, the Limes Germanicus, the Anastasian Walls, but they were only really for stopping raids.

The Limes Germanicus was more like a customs station (I think that's what you would call it) than anything.
 
So I was thinking about this recently and decided to see what you guys think. If Aurelian had re-built the Roman walls to something resembling the Theodosian walls (of course the Theodosian Walls don't exist yet so he doesn't have a model to go off of), what effects would this have?

Thoughts?

The Aurelian Walls are 19 km long; the Theodosian Walls are less than 6 km. Which is to say it may not be practical to build the former to the same level of strength.

There's also the simple fact the by the time of Alaric, Rome couldn't man 19 km of walls. Walls that are unmanned defend nothing.
 
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