WI: No Antonine Plague?

But for the time, are there really any better? Not that I think Galen would hit upon Jenner's solution, at any point...

Sure there are. Variolation is statistically better, though much higher risk than inoculation through the introduction of similar disease or a weakened form of the disease.

The point is that, if you want to have a discussion of how the Empire would fare with a few extra million taxable and conscript-able citizens, you need to find a way to prevent future plagues. Otherwise, you'll just be trading the Antonine Plague for the Severan Plague or the Constantinian Plague or what have you, or a worse plague of Cyprian (obviously, those are just examples to illustrate the point about the timing).

There's also the consideration of why is Rome being spared from the plague? Has Parthia been spared? In that case, Parthia is a greater threat to Rome, so you might just be trading many legionary deaths in a sick bed for deaths in the battle field.
 
One of the things I learnt not too long ago is that it was these series of plagues that not only severely damaged the Roman empire in the long run but also aided in the spread of christianity throughout the empire.

Is this a reference to Rodney Stark's "Rise of Christianity"? He argues that because Christians administered to plague victims while pagans fled, they got a tremendous propaganda boost out of it; plus the fact that many victims can survive the disease if given palliative care- food,water, shelter- which will also lead to higher numbers afterwards.
 

Stolengood

Banned
Otherwise, you'll just be trading the Antonine Plague for the Severan Plague or the Constantinian Plague or what have you, or a worse plague of Cyprian (obviously, those are just examples to illustrate the point about the timing).
True... let's just butterfly the smallpox-related plagues (which includes Cyprian, I take it), at least for Rome, and keep it in Parthia. Somehow, the Romans don't catch it... OR, it kills more Parthians and they barely can muster forces, leading the Romans to conquer them even quicker. The Roman stay away from plague victims (let's say Galen has a bright idea?), thus sparing themselves.
 
True... let's just butterfly the smallpox-related plagues (which includes Cyprian, I take it), at least for Rome, and keep it in Parthia. Somehow, the Romans don't catch it... OR, it kills more Parthians and they barely can muster forces, leading the Romans to conquer them even quicker. The Roman stay away from plague victims (let's say Galen has a bright idea?), thus sparing themselves.

Unless you go with Galen developing variolation and/or inoculation (which I honestly think is not implausible), the scenario you just proposed is pretty much ASB.
 
There's also the consideration of why is Rome being spared from the plague? Has Parthia been spared? In that case, Parthia is a greater threat to Rome, so you might just be trading many legionary deaths in a sick bed for deaths in the battle field.

First you have to make Parthia ever a serious threat to Rome. They might be strong enough to keep themselves together and not get overthrown by the Sassanids, but they hadn't been a serious threat to the Romans since the late republic.
 
First you have to make Parthia ever a serious threat to Rome. They might be strong enough to keep themselves together and not get overthrown by the Sassanids, but they hadn't been a serious threat to the Romans since the late republic.

Well, by threat, I didn't necessarily mean a threat of invasion. Simply that they would pose a more deadly opponent to the Romans.
 
Well, by threat, I didn't necessarily mean a threat of invasion. Simply that they would pose a more deadly opponent to the Romans.

But they never really were a deadly opponent to Rome. When the two sides weren't in mutual understanding over contentious issues, then it was almost always Rome that got the upper hand in serious military fighting. By keeping the Parthians together and somehow butterflying the Antonine Plague (though as you mentioned that can't be indefinitely), Rome is going to be on a lot better footing come the third century.
 
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