WI: No Romans?

No Latin script for Europe, not a calendar that we recognize, nor later Christianity. Some Greek speaking or Celtic empire replaces them. And everyone alive on Earth is different.
 
Europe, North Africa and Middle East are going quickly very unrecognislbe. Firstly this would mean Etruscan Italy, perhaps even unified Etruscan kingdom. Western Europe and Britannia remain Celtic, if not to this day at least much longer. Carthage is most powerful empire on Western Mediterranean. Not alternate Rome but still quiet strong. Eastern Mediterranean depends would there still be Alexander the Great. If so, Macedonia is strongest power in Balkans much longer but might still collapse to smaller kingdoms. Pharaotic Egypt is around much longer if not to this day. Ptolemaic Dynasty is going end in some point sooner or latter. Persia is much stronger.

And there wouldn't be Christianity so Europe would be Polytheist but much more diverged, Phoinician-Carthagian and Egyptian systems survive and Persia remain Zoroastrian.

So by 300 CE Europe, North Africa and Middle East are very different places. If Great Migration still occurs, Germanic tribes are facing very different cultures.
 
If the Romans had never existed, it would have been necessary to invent them.

Yes and no.

Yes in the sense that one or several states would have a military advantage through innovation. No guarantee they would be as centrally located to dominate the Mediterranean. No guarantee the cultural divides would be where they are.

For example, a 'Rome' based in Gaul would put it's cultural stamp further North. Western Civilization might be Celto-Germanic, end at the Pyrenees and the Boot of Italy, and all the way east to the Baltic states and have its "Lake" be the North Sea/Baltic. A dominant faith would arise, but it wouldn't be Middle Eastern in origin. It's Parthia would have a Danube border and be Persian/Greco culturally.

They'd think that Homer guy is interesting ethnic literature but not part of Western Civilization, not like the Eddas or something Gaulish. Democracy would exist but it's origins would be perceived as Germanic rather than Athenian.

And Carthage would be its own thing, ruling Spain and NAfrica and Egypt with wealth built on the sub Saharan trade.
 
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