A Much Larger Rome that Survives until the Present Day Version 2.0

Ok so I have finally decided to try to continue this TL that I started several years ago. Originally the TL was sort of juvenile and simple and after over a year of posting I decided to write a novel and improve the TL. Considering the size of my ambitions with this project (carrying it from 44 b.c to the present year), this has and will take a LONG time. I have made some progress since I last posted on this board (quite a while ago), mostly on the novel, which I've managed to add over 100 pages of more text. The TL however has been sort of stagnant. This is the culmination thus far of my attempt to improve my original Roman-wank https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=25430&highlight=ericams2786

Now mind you, it's not just a Roman-wank, but I do have a love of large empires and Rome is one of my favorites. I hope to actually have time to post at least a little of the TL several times a week, if not every day. My hope is to do at least one year a day of the TL (as I am attempting to go year by year). If any of you have suggestions, please feel free to comment as I am by no means an expert in Roman history, though I have done quite a bit of research (especially for the novel portion). Also, if any of you would like to write .5's feel free, as eventually I would like my novel to include stories from the view points of different characters in the "universe" I am attempting to create with this TL. I've also thought about a possible fantasy setting in the ASB forum where we have a Roman Empire where magic, monsters, etc. exist (maybe even some steampunk elements). Anyway, let me know what you think, and if not, well enjoy reading it.

I apologize for being away so long (for those of you who were around and read the original thread years ago), as my life over the past 4 years has been so incredibly hectic that at times I just had to take massive breaks from this project, as my motivation has waxed and waned. I plan to continue this thing slowly and not overwhelm myself so that I can actually get somewhere. But with any luck I can get some good progress going and not burn myself out. Like I said, comments and .5's would be greatly appreciated!

So all of that said, here goes (and I apologize also for parts that have been posted before, new material will be forthcoming in the next several days):

709 AUC:

Domestic (D): As Julius Caesar leaves for a Senate meeting in Rome on the Ides of March, Marc Antony and Marcus Junius Brutus intercept him (after Tillius Cimber tells Antony of the plot on Caesar’s life) and divulge the details of a planned assassination by a group of senators called the Liberatores. Antony and Brutus’ timely intervention leads to Caesar’s famous speech, the Adfatus in the Forum Julium and the prompt (yet lenient) prosecution of most of the conspirators over the remainder of the year, with the notable exception of Quintus Ligarius. Caesar reorganizes the Republic during the Transistus Magnus (Great Transition), creating the Senatus Novus (New Senate) and calling for a new code of law or all encompassing Corpus Juris Civilis to replace the Twelve Tablets, the Lex Magnus (Great Law). Octavian is appointed the leader of the New Senate and the body votes to bestow the title Imperator Perpetuus on Julius Caesar. In addition, Caesar appoints Octavian Imperator Interrex. Caesar gets his succession law, the lex Successionis, passed in the Senate, officially naming his son by Cleopatra, Ptolemy XV Caesar as his heir. Caesar divorces his wife Calpurnia and, after changing the marriage laws with his leges Juliae, weds Cleopatra. The first portion of the Lex Magnus (taking into account many of the ideas of Caesar’s slave Eupiphenese), the lex Senatus is passed in November.

Military (M): Also in November, Caesar, Cleopatra, and Marc Antony leave Rome for Pella in Macedonia to prepare for Caesar’s future invasion of Thrace, Moesia, Dalmatia, and Pannonia. While in Pella, Caesar hears news of Ptolemy XIV’s treachery in Egypt and he sets sail for the ancient kingdom in December. The Battle of Pelusium Harbor ends in a Roman victory late in December.

Literature, Art, and Science (LAS): Julius Caesar begins work on his Commentarii de Bello Aegyptico. Cicero, showing his appreciation for the general’s pardon after the Caesarian Civil War and for his careful restructuring of Roman law, gives a speech in the New Senate praising Caesar’s accomplishments in September and begins drafting a letter to Caesar, most often referred to as the Efflagitatus Recursus Respublicus (An Urgent Plea for the Return of the Republic) in a desperate attempt to get the dictator to restore at least some semblance of the Old Republic under his rule.

Foreign (F): Antipater the Idumaean, father of Herod the Great of Judaea dies. Comosicus succeeds Burebista as the king of Dacia.

710 AUC

Domestic: Julius Caesar is proclaimed Pharaoh in Egypt and he appoints Pharxes Kahotep as Egypt’s first Praetor. Caesar sends word to Octavian via letter to officially free his slave, Eupiphenese from his servitude, conferring upon him complete citizenship for informing him before anyone else of the plot against his life. Octavian commissions the completion of the Forum Julium, including the new house of the Senate on the west end of the forum, the Curius Senatus. The Senate officially reorganizes itself completely, becoming the Imperial Senate in February, with Cicero becoming the first Princeps Senatus of the new Senate and Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus being elected life-long Consul of the Senate. Octavian appoints the first senators in the new Senate (and makes sure they agree with Caesar’s policies) rather than being elected by the citizens of the provinces (as they will after the establishment of the lex Provincii). Octavian himself remains a senator, heading the civil law committee. The Senate begins work on the lex Imperius, which deals primarily with the position of the Emperor and the functioning of the imperial government. The last trial of the conspirators is held in June, with the lenient sentencing of both Brutus and Cassius. Lugdunum is founded in Gaul. The great Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid) is born. Caesar begins construction of Castrum Thracia, a future imperial prison.

Military: Both the Battle of Memphis and the Battle of Alexandria are won by Julius Caesar, thus completing his conquest of Egypt. Caesar returns to Pella and begins his invasion of Thrace in May, culminating in the Battle of Vordium (R), the Battle of Dordivium (R), and the Battle of the Plotin Plains (R). Other minor battles occur, but ultimately Antony and Caesar conquer Thrace and Moesia throughout the year.

Battles:
Battle of Mount Geru (I)
Battle of Plotinopolis (R)

Literature, Art, and Science: Caesar drafts his response to Cicero’s letter, most commonly referred to by scholars as the Arcula (the Argument or Response), praising the senator for his love and concern for the Republic and making a sound logical argument for the changes he and his followers are bringing to the Roman world by showing how the old order was chaotic and flawed.

Foriegn: In India, Nagasena creates the Emerald Buddha, an important factor in the spread of Buddhism throughout the Roman Empire centuries later. Princess Iotapa of Media is born. The Catuvellauni in Britain break their tribute treaty with Rome and expel the Roman diplomat Popius from their capital.

711 AUC

Domestic: Octavian manages to pass a land redistribution bill in the Senate called II lex Agraria, which sets an absolute cap on the area of land that a single citizen could own, twenty iugeri (80 acres). Caesar appoints Lucius Cornelius Balbus Praetor of Thrace. Cleopatra begins reading Caesar’s commentaries to the Senate and to large crowds of people in Rome. Her reading of the commentaries and her speeches of Caesar’s greatness not only increase Caesar’s popularity, but also her own. The Roman people begin seeing Cleopatra as an adopted Roman rather than a foreign queen as in years past. Pollio establishes the Roman fort, Londinium in Britain.

Military: Caesar recalls Gauis Asinius Pollio from his campaign in Spain and in March, Pollio lands in Britain and begins his campaign to conquer the island. The battles of Durovernum (R), the River Tamesis (R), Verulamium (R), Sorbindunum (R), and Segontium (R) officially mark Pollio’s conquest of southern Britain. Late in the year Pollio invades Caledonia, loosing the Battle of Luguvallium, but winning at Brocavum in the process. Caesar continues his conquest of Moesia, Dalmatia, and Pannonia throughout the entire year and meets Duritista, the Dacian diplomat for the first time. A small revolt, lead by a devoted follower of the late Ptolemy XIV at Memphis in Egypt is defeated by Pharxes in April.

Literature, Art, and Science: Caesar completes his Commentarii de Bello Thracico in which he greatly exaggerates the Roman victory at Vordium. He does this largely to increase his popularity and support among the Roman people just as he did years ago during his wars in Gaul.

Foreign: Queen Anula of Ceylonia dies.

712 AUC

Domestic: Octavian introduces a bill into the Senate called the lex Epistulus Equinus, which establishes a mail system throughout the Empire starting at Rome and radiating along Rome’s roads to the rest of the empire. The mail system consists of stations approximately 100 miles apart along the roads and one mail runner and horse per station to carry letters and messages from one part of the empire to the next; this is primarily done so that Octavian can communicate better with Caesar. The Senate passes the lex Imperius. The Senate also begins working on the appendix to the, Corpus Juris Civilis (Lex Magnus), the Codex Juris Civilis, a document that would officially replace the common law of the Twelve Tables upon its completion in 716 AUC. The lex Imperius is passed by the Senate. Both Octavian and Eupiphenes begin tutoring Caesarion and teach him how to effectively run the Republic. Lucius Antonius (Marc Antony’s brother) becomes the Praetor of Britannia and Caledonia (though later the island would be split into two provinces). Pollio establishes Campus Caledonia in Caledonia. Arsinoe IV, sister of Cleopatra, renounces all claims to the Egyptian throne from her sanctuary in Ephesus and moves to Rome, becoming an extremely influential and rich woman in the process. Her success is so profound that the birth of her son Decimus Auletius Calidus several years later, is considered the beginning of a new gens in Roman society (the first of many with the expansion of the Republic under Caesar), the Auleti (named after Arsinoe’s father, Ptolemy XII Auletes)

Military: Duritista meets with Julius Caesar for the second time in June after the massive Battle of Carnuntum (R) in which the Pannonian tribal alliance leader, Paeleus of Sirmium is killed, effectively ending major resistance to Julius Caesar’s conquest of Pannonia and Moesia. Caesar and Antony continue to campaign along the Ister and in eastern Moesia and continue to build roads throughout the conquered territories while campaigning. Pollio continues his conquest of Britannia and Caledonia, finally conquering the island after the infamous Battle of Vuvidenum (R) before returning to Gaul upon order of Julius Caesar to raise an army for a future campaign in Germania.

Literature, Art, and Science: Roman sculptor Gnaeus Minius Bibaculus begins a grand statue of Julius Caesar; a statue that to this day stands in the center of Forum Julium.

713 AUC

Domestic: Octavian commissions the first mail station in Rome in January, quickly followed by stations along the Via Appia throughout the remainder of the year. The Senate begins its monumental work on the restructuring of the provinces, the lex Provincii. The Roman Senate votes Herod as the “King of Judea” and promises support in ousting the Parthians from Judea. Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus is appointed Praetor of Moesia. Publius Servilius Casca is appointed Praetor of Pannonia.

Military: The Parthian king, Phraates IV , upon seeing a distracted Rome in Dacia, invades Judea and helps Antigonus the Hasmonean exile the Roman-supported ruler of Judea, Hyrcanus II, to Babylon. The Parthians capture Jerusalem after a tremendous battle with Hyrcanus’ forces and Herod flees to Rome where he pleads with the Senate to overthrow Antigonus. Caesar and Antony begin the invasion of Dacia by crossing the River Ister. Pollio returns to Gaul.

Battles:
First Battle of the Ister (R)
Battle of Contra Margum (E)
Battle of Mount Blanae (E)
Second Battle of the Ister (R)
Battle of Drobeta (R)
Battle of Burridava (R)
Battle of Mount Janae (R)
Battle of Cerci (R)
Battle of Stenae (R)
Battle of Ghormium (I)
Battle of Borcu (I)
Second Battle of Borcu (E)
Battle of Sarmizegethusa (R)
First Battle of Blandiana (R)
Battle of Zermizurga (E)
Second Battle of Blandiana (R)
Battle of Norvodava (R)
Battle of Tibiscus (R)
Battle of Jerusalem (E)

Foreign: The Ji Jiu Pian dictionary is published in China.

714 AUC

Domestic: The Senate passes a measure (the lex Via Appia) extending the Via Appia north from Rome to the city of Florentia, where it then will eventually split further north and end at both Ravenna and Placentia. Arsinoe IV marries Tiberius Calidus in March. The Senate moves into the now completed first section of the Curius Senatus, the Conloquium, where Senate debate and the passing of legislation occur. Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor dies, leaving Octavian's sister, Octavia Minor, widowed. Her daughter, the future first wife of Ptolemy Caesar, Claudia Marcella, is born. A small slave revolt in Arretium, lead by the slave Virtrumus of Zela, is defeated by Marcus Vispanius Agrippa before he leaves in June for Egypt to confront the Parthians in Judea. Gaius Vibius Pansa is made Praetor of Dacia after its conquest and begins work on the Via Pansa. The Pact of Misenum is signed in October between the Senate and Sextus Pompeius, largely to assure Rome’s grain supply until Octavian can muster enough strength to invade Sicily. Caeso Geminius Laterensis, a strong ally of Caesar during the Civil War, becomes Praetor of Iazyga.

Military: Agrippa lands in Egypt, and in conjunction with Pharxes Kahotep and Cleopatra, begins a campaign north to confront the Parthian general Orodoaces in Judea. The Roman campaign in Dacia continues, as Caesar, Antony, and the Getae alliance chase the Dacian king Comosicus into northern Dacia. Caesar invades the lands of the Iazyges tribe, conquering them by late September. Caesar then quarters his army in Noricum in preparation for his invasion of Germania in December. Caesar invades Germania in December. Pollio invades Germania from Gaul, capturing the Usipete capital, Caeduum before the end of the year. Sextus Pompeius, from his rebel base in Sicily, invades and conquers Sardinia, leading to a temporary truce signed at Misenum later in the year between Republican forces and those of the remaining optimates.

Battles:
Battle of Napoca (R)
Battle of Hotovum (R)
Battle of Jiadava (R)
Battle of Trius (R)
Battle of Medoslanium (R)
Battle of Cagliari (E)

Literature, Art, and Science: Cicero begins writing his great dissertation on the Lex Magnus and the New Senate, the Nova Respublica. Gnaeus Minius Bibaculus finishes his statue of Julius Caesar and it is erected in the center of the Forum Julium. Caesar begins writing his commentary on the war in Germania, the Commentarii de Bello Germanico.

715 AUC

Domestic: Arsinoe IV gives birth to Decimus Auletius Calidus. Octavian orders the general Spurius Duilius Aquilinus to invade Sardinia and recapture the island from Sextus Pompieus’ forces. A senator from Neapolis by the name of Vibius Arrius Brocchus proposes a bill into the senate to write off all of the debt incurred during the Caesarian Civil War of all of the plebeians in the city of Rome. The measure is voted on, but narrowly fails to reach a majority. Brocchus, Octavian, and other powerful senators continue to look for a way to help the ailing economy by canceling more of the public’s debt. Herod I is proclaimed the king of Judea. Agrippa returns to Rome where he begins building an army and navy for the eventual overthrow of Sextus Pompieus in Sicily. Lucius Volusius Saturninus, Roman statesmen, is born. Marc Antony begins work on the Via Antonia in eastern Germania along the Vistula. Antony establishes Antonia Naharvalia in eastern Germania, a command center along the border that will eventually become the modern city of Naharva.

Military: Agrippa campaigns against Orodoaces in Judea, finally expelling the Parthians from the Roman client state in August after the Battle of Gamala (R). Both Orodoaces and the Parthian king Orodes II die during the campaign and his general Pacorus takes over command of Parthian forces, invading Roman Syria shortly after. Phraates IV becomes the king of Parthia. Antony invades Germania in January, campaigning along the River Vistula and building forts and roads to secure the Republic’s eastern border. Caesar and Pollio continue their conquest of western and central Germania. Pollio meets stiff resistance from a Cherusci chief named Usivius Belicus, who along with the Langobardi and Chatti (and two minor tribes) form the First Germanic Coalition to resist Roman conquest in northern Germania. He then campaigns against the Chatti chief, Veruenos after he invades previously subdued lands in the west of Germania. Pollio manages to quickly conquer the Chatti and much of northern-central Germania by year’s end. Caesar campaigns against the Juthungi king Hydosius and is defeated horribly at Eburodunum, only to avenge his defeat at Stragona months later before campaigning against King Iulopius of the Marcomanni and the First Hermiones Coalition (consisting of the Marcomanni, several tribes of both the Suebi and the Quadi, the Burgundiones, and the Gothini). Caesar then campaigns into Marcomanni lands, defeating Iulopius at Coridorgis and completing the conquest of the Marcomanni upon the defeat of Iulopius’ son Valitinius after allying with the Boiehemum. He continues to campaign relatively unopposed throughout the remainder of the year, subduing the Silingi before the onset of winter. Spurius Duilius Aquilinus invades Sardinia, but is repulsed by Sextus Pompieus’ forces under the command of Marcus Gratius Caninus at the Battle of Portus Torres.

Battles:
Battle of Samaria (R)
Battle of Murutium (R)
Battle of Bogadium (R)
First Battle of Mediolanium (R)
Battle of the River Vidrus (E)
Second Battle of Mediolanium (R)
Battle of Teuderium (R)
Battle of Phabiranum (R)
First Battle of Alisum (E)
Battle of Manarmanis (R)
Battle of Luppia (R)
Second Battle of Alisum (R)
Battle of Arctaurum (R)
Battle of Eburodunum (E)
First Battle of Medioslanium (R)
Second Battle of Medioslanium (I)
Battle of Trevorium (R)
Battle of Felicia (R)
Battle of Hegetinatia (I)
Battle of Stragona (R)
Battle of Hercynii Pass at Hystus (R)
Battle of Coridorgis (R)
Battle of Rhedintovinum (I)
Battle of Marobuduin (R)
Battle of the River Albis (R)
Battle of Castrum Antonium XXII (E)
Battle of Castrum Antonium XXI (E)
Battle of Castrum Antonium XX (R)
Battle of Gertodunum (R)
Battle of Festadava (R)
Battle of Portus Torres (E)

Literature, Art, and Science: Cicero completes his Nova Respublica.

Foreign: The megalomaniac son of King Iulopius of the Marcomanni, Valitinius, deposes his father, becoming king of the Marcomanni and leader of the First Hermiones Coalition. The German historian Agathe of Rhedintovinum travels with Valitinius and begins writing his history on the warlord.

716 AUC:

Domestic: The Senate completes the new Codex Juris Civilis, completely replacing the old Twelve Tables. The Via Appia reaches Placentia and all of the mail stations along the road are completed by November. The Pact of Pisae, a formal declaration of peace, is signed between the Republic and the forces of Sextus Pompieus, heralding the founding of the short-lived Pompeian Empire of Sicily and Sardinia. The west wing of the Curius Senatus (Senator housing) is completed. Octavian divorces his second wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla. Octavian founds Portus Julius in Italy as a naval base to aid in the eventual re-conquest of Sicily and Sardinia. Agrippa returns to Rome late in the year.

Military: Pharxes and Agrippa defeat Pacorus at the Battle of Damascus in Syria, forcing the Parthians to retreat from Roman territory. In October, a truce is signed between the Republic and Parthia. Caesar, Antony, and Pollio continue their campaign to subdue Germania.

Battles:
Battle of Trevorii (R)
First Battle of Virunum (E)
Second Battle of Virunum (R)
Battle of Trevorodunum (R)
Battle of Bunitium (E)
Battle of Susudata (R)
Battle of the Jadua Flow (R)
Battle of Calisia Heights (R)
Battle of Calisia (R)
First Battle of Rhedintovinum (I)
Second Battle of Rhedintovinum (R)
Battle of Mount Faestus (R)
Battle of the Lupos Valley (R)
Second Battle of Hercynii Pass at Asus (R)

Literature, Art, and Science: Tobias of Halicarnassus begins writing his chronology of Marc Antony’s conquests. Livy begins his monumental biography of Julius Caesar, Caesar Divus.

Foreign: The Chinese mathematician and music theorist, Jing Fang dies. The kingdom of Goguryeo in Korea is founded by Dongmyeong.

IT LIVES!!!

And I forgot to mention, for those of you who have never read this TL before and because some aspects of the above TL seem kind or random without a background story of some sort, here is the beginnings of the novel that I posted in the Writer's forum a while back:

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=59260

Hopefully this will explain the POD better than the TL.

Glen said:

IT LIVES!!!

Click to expand...

Yes it does, hopefully it will stay alive this time.

YAYYYYY!!!

ericams2786 said:

Yes it does, hopefully it will stay alive this time.

Click to expand...

Brilliant news

Perhaps a map maybe

Ski said:

Perhaps a map maybe

Click to expand...

Take a look at the threads I linked...tons of maps there, especially the original TL thread.

Here is an example of one of the stories I hope to write included in my novel based in the "universe" created by this TL. This one is from the view point of the author of the "history" portion of my novel:

The frantic beat of The Xerxes 4 blared from my digital music recorder as I struggled to type the first sentence. “Just one sentence, that’s all I need! I’m never going to finish this dissertation if I can’t at least type the first sentence. Maybe Thesis V 3.5 can at least stimulate the creative aspect of my being. Perhaps a catchy sentence, something that will capture the imaginations of millions for years to come? Well one can dream I suppose, but this dissertation will just have to wait. It is entirely too late and a massive storm is brewing outside my miniscule apartment windows.”

An intense flash of lightning outside my window and the sudden pattering of water on the cheap shingles of my tiny, single bedroom apartment tore me from my dissertation woes and forced me to turn on my holovision for a weather update from the omniscient weather-gods of the Imperial Weather Service. Grudgingly turning off “Iron Horse” by The Xerxes 4, I picked up the holovision’s round remote control and pushed the power button. Instantly, a stream of light and sound inundated my apartment and I was forced to hurriedly turn the volume down before my elderly neighbor, Borleus (or the Nautilus as his old ship mates used to refer to him during the war) began to incessantly pound on the floor of my apartment with one of his many heavy broomsticks.

“This is an instant weather update from the Imperial Weather Service. The radar shows a large storm pattern emerging over the Peloponnesus, driven by warm Mediterranean winds, that is expected to make landfall on the northern edge of Anatolia by 18:00. Torrential rains complete with flooding and extremely high velocity winds are expected. If possible, take shelter in the lowest possible level of the building you are currently in, and it is recommended that you avoid going outside until at least 6:00 tomorrow…" At that moment the familiar silence of a power disruption erupted throughout my apartment and all was dark for the moment.
“Well there goes any chance of me making progress on my thesis tonight”, I thought to myself amid that ringing in my ears that is only perceptible when the power goes out. I began to think about all of the glaring mistakes in my thesis, especially the introduction. “Is the title even good enough to bring before the committee?” “Will Professor Fulmius and the other members of my advisory committee simply laugh me out of the room when I present to them the topic of my life’s work?” I began to wonder if my ridiculously long title, "The Consequences of the Failed Assassination Attempt on Julius Victrix Augustus Caesar and its Impact on the Transformation of the Late Republic and the Emergence of the Imperial Idea" was too lengthy of a title, or for that matter if it even made sense.

I quickly assured myself that my hundreds of hours of research into this topic at the Imperial Archives would surely pay off in the end. At least it better pay off, or I might face a future working as a cloaca maintenance specialist rather than a military history specialist. As I sat and pondered my own woes, the power suddenly roared throughout my apartment and it was at that exact moment that I began to think of the Caesarian Civil War and the impact of that struggle and its historical antecedents on the population of the Late Republic. Suddenly I knew exactly how the first sentence of my dissertation should read. “In the wake of the civil war between the Optimates and the Populares…”, the first sentence sounded good to me, but now I wondered how to continue from here; how to draw a valid argument for the emergence of the empire from the remnants of the Late Republic because of the failed attempt on Caesar’s life?
“Oh many an alternate history fan has pondered the consequences of a successful Caesarian assassination on the current existence of the Empire. Some of my colleagues firmly believe that our glorious empire would still exist, albeit in a smaller form. Some believe that Europe would be a backwater in the current world, or at worst a colony of China if Caesar had died on that fateful day on the Ides of March and the Empire he laid the subtle foundations for had never emerged.” Disregarding my own opinion, it was now my duty to create a valid argument that it was Caesar who enabled the Empire to exist in the first place and it was his foresight and military victories that ensured our triumph over history.

It was in this state that I decided to leave my house, ignoring the urgent warning from the IWS, and buy a cup of coffee so that I may continue on my thesis late into the night despite my busy class schedule at the Academae Bithynia in the morning. Grabbing my raincoat, I stumbled outside into the heavy rain and attempted to run down the street as if it would save me from the blanket of rain descending ferociously from the heavens. The streets of Heraclea were as drab as ever, inundated with water from the sudden storm. I ran along the left side of the street toward the nearest coffee shop, the “Hercules”, the place “where the coffee will help you complete your 10 labors”. I ignored this horrible catchphrase etched on a sign outside as I opened the door to the shop and the aroma of coffee beans and insanely expensive cake filled my nostrils. I went up to the very attractive lady behind the counter (a friend of mine from class named Nicea) and ordered a Golden Fleece Mocha to combat the encroaching exhaustion from my afternoon dissertation adventure earlier in the day.

I know this story isn't all that great and it needs a lot of work, but this is sort of what I'm shooting for eventually, but from the view point of many different characters in the novel and TL.

717 AUC

Domestic: The Via Appia reaches Ravenna. The Senate votes to commission the Via Julia, a road that will eventually run throughout Gaul and Spain and the Via Octavia, a road that will run north to Germania, east to Dacia, and south to Greece and Byzantium. The east wing of the Curius Senatus (Senatorial archives) is completed. Agrippa’s daughter, Vipsania Agrippina, is born. Octavian’s daughter Julia Octaviana is born. Octavian begins working in collaboration with the Senate on Caesar’s massive tax reform plan. Antony builds a fort on the island of Rugia in northern Germania where he begins his naval raids of the northern coast of Germania.

Military: Caesar, Pollio, and Antony continue their campaigns in Germania. Agrippa begins a massive military buildup, including a large naval fleet, at the now complete Portus Julius. Marcus Aemilius Lepidus is sent to Hispania by Octavian to complete the conquest of northern and western Spain. Sextus Pompieus’ general Marcus Gratius Caninus breaks the Pact of Pisae and quickly conquers Corsica. Shortly after his conquest of Corsica, Caninus invades Hispania at Carthago Nova. Lepidus diverts his forces from northwest Hispania to southern Hispania in an attempt to stop Caninus’ forces. Lepidus fights Caninus to a stalemate at the Battle of Aspis, forcing Caninus to end his invasion of Hispania at the River Tader. Antony captures the German warlord and future censor of Tarentum, Ivo the Goth.

Battles:
Battle of Meliboeus (R)
Battle of Nerterea Forest (I)
First-Third battles of Tropea Drusi (R) (E) (R)
Battle of Lake Semnon (I)
Battle of Lake Duronus (E)
Battle of Armisia (R)
Battle of Tulisurgium (R)
Battle of Belonium (R)
Battle of Suedatium (R)
Battle of Murra (R)
Battle of Tarodunum (R)
First and Second Battles of Scurgum (R)
Battle of Venedic Bay (R)
Battle of Rugium (I)
Battle of Chalsus (R)

Literature, Art, and Science: Cicero writes De Octavium (On Octavian), an oration on the effective governance of the Republic under Octavian’s stead during Caesar’s absence. Gnaeus Minius Bibaculus begins sculpting a relief on the front of the Curius Senatus depicting Cicero giving an oration to a full room of Senators. The relief reads: “Legum servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus” or “We are slaves of laws so that we can be free”, a famous quote from Cicero.

Foreign: In China, a Han Dynasty army under the command of General Chen Tang defeats the leader of the Xiongnu leader, Zhizhi Chanyu in the Battle of Zhizhi, leading to a peace treaty between the Han and the Xiongnu that will last for only ten years. In an interesting side note, archaeologists believe that some of the Xiongnu forces killed at Fort Zhizhi may have actually been Roman war prisoners, sold to the Xiongnu as mercenaries by Phraates IV of the Parthian Empire.

718 AUC

Domestic: Octavian and the Senate finally hammer out the details of a tax reform law and the lex Tributum is passed in June, effectively ending the traditional practice of tax farming in favor of salaried civil service tax collectors or exactori (a new Republican office). The reform law also ended the traditional tribute-style tax levied on the provinces in favor of a flat direct tax on the provinces. The city of Rome (and later province of Latium) was spared direct taxation, but was taxed indirectly through purchased goods, buying and selling of slaves, and estate and property taxes. The Via Pansa is completed in Dacia in August and runs in the south from the southern border of Getae to the northern border of Dacia and the western border with Iazyga. Antony builds Castrum Cimbrium on the Cimbrian peninsula. Pharxes begins building a massive army in Egypt in preparation for Caesar’s future war against Parthia. Marcus Annaeus Caepio becomes the new Praetor of Illyricum.

Military: The Roman campaign in Germania continues. The war against the Pompeian Empire bogs down in Hispania, with Lepidus loosing several battles against Caninus. Agrippa defeats Pompeian naval forces at the Battle of Naulochus Cape, allowing Agrippa to land his forces on the western coast of Sicily. In June, Agrippa defeats the remainder of Sextus’ forces at Messana and prepares his fleet for an invasion of Hispania. Octavian sends Lucius Sempronius Flaccus to quell a rebellion in Illyricum. By the end of the year, the rebellion is defeated and ten years of probationary military rule begins in Illyricum.

Battles:
Battle of Lupphurdum (R)
Fourth Battle of Tropea Drusi (R)
Battle of Tuliphurdum (R)
Battle of Ascalingium (R)
Battle of Pheugarum (R)
Battle of Aq Mattiacae (I)
Battle of Arctaurum (R)
Battle of Alanium Plains (I)
Battle of Gypasian Pass (E)
Battle of Sinus Lagnus (E)
Battle of the River Anglus (R)

Literature, Art, and Science: Bibaculus completes his relief above the entrance to the Curius Senatus. Cicero writes De Senatus (On the Senate), in which he describes the functioning of the new Senate during this time. Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace) writes his Satirae I.

Foreign: Sextus Pompeius dies in combat at Messina. With Rome distracted, the Parthian king Phraates IV, begins a campaign to subjugate the tribes to the southwest and northeast of his eastern border. The Roman Republic and the Persian Empire sign a peace treaty in April, mostly due to the distraction and upheaval in Rome and Phraates IV’s war of conquest on his eastern border. He begins by attacking Bactria in the northeast, taking the city of Bactria in August and ousting the king of the small kingdom, Rhadapdizes. Rhadapdizes flees north to Sogdiana with his son, Sapabdizes.

Oh and BTW, I just wanted to apologize for the lack of detail on the "military" part of the TL, I actually have went into extreme detail with the military portions of the TL in the novel, but found it tedious and difficult to translate all of that detail into the TL itself. Thus I have the significant battles for each year listed (which I went into detail with in the novel) instead of actual detail on them in the TL. The battles are coded as follows:

(R) for Roman victory

(E) for enemy victory

(I) for inconclusive battle

719 AUC

Domestic: The lex Provincii passes the Senate and elections are held throughout the imperial provinces of the Republic in Italy, Asia, Africa and southeastern Europe to determine Senatorial representation. After the elections, the final incarnation of what will eventually be called the Imperial Senate is complete according to the previously passed lex Senatus, with only 69 Senators making up the Senate at this time (each of the Republic's 23 Imperial provinces at the time of the passage of the lex Provincii get 3 senators). The Via Julia reaches Hasta in northwestern Italy. Grain imports are stabilized for the first time in years after Agrippa’s complete pacification of Sicily, and this along with the flood of spoils from Caesar’s completed conquest of Germania and the full flow of gold from Dacian gold mines, helps rejuvenate both the economy and Republican coffers. Caesar and Pollio return to Rome in August, and Caesar claims power or Postulo Imperium from Octavian, who willingly resigns the powers of Imperator Interrex. Postulo Imperium is a legal term in Roman law meaning that the emperor can "claim power or empire" back from the interim emperor, and though the emperor already is higher in rank than the interim emperor and assumes his power upon returning to Rome anyway, the ceremony of Postulo Imperium is still performed to this day as a symbol of submitting to the emperor. The opposite of this process in Roman law is Impertio Imperium, or to "bestow power or empire" to the interim emperor. Caesar immediately begins working on a complete overhaul of the Roman army to improve on the old Marian reforms. In addition to this, Caesar also issues his first edict as emperor, the Edictum Colonium, which establishes 38 new colonies throughout his new conquests (the majority of them being in Germania and Gaul). The edict allows those retiring from the military and the urban poor of the city of Rome and other cities in Italy to move to the new colonies at the expense of the state, given that able-bodied men join the local military garrison and that they continue to pay their taxes. In addition, all prior debt accumulated up to the time an individual or family moves, is completely wiped clean. Cleopatra becomes pregnant with Caesar’s third child.

Establishments commissioned by the Edictum Colonium:
Germania:
Caesaria Marcomannia
Caesaria Vistula
Mogontiacum
Saxonum
Caesarium
Pollium Langobardum
Albidunum
Caesaria Hermundurium
Havatoronium
Portus Germanicus
Caesaria Hyrcenia

Gaul:
Durocortorum
Caesarodunum
Aquitania
Alesium
Vercingetora
Quartonesis
Portus Sequanus

Hispania:
Caesarium Tarraconensis
Felicitas Julia
Emeritium
Lepida Hispana
Pannonia:
Raetonum Antonium

Moesia:
Mortogunum
Iulium Caesarium

Thrace:
Thrax

Egypt:
Caesaria
Pompium
Cleopatra Aegyptica

Britannia/Caledonia:
Eboracum
Iscarensis
Portus Britannicus
Caledonus Antonius

Iazyga:
Iazyganum

Dacia:
Caesarina
Thorodunum
Uvio
Contra Antonia

Military: Antony begins his campaign between the River Vistula and the River Hypanus Septentrionalis and into the Carpathian Mountains (as well as along the River Hypanus Australis). Agrippa blockades southern Hispania with his navy and besieges Carthago Nova in early April. Agrippa defeats Caninus at the fierce Battle of Carthago Nova (R), ending the short lived Pompeian Empire and the last remnants of optimate resistance to Caesar until the Iunius Coniuratius (June Plot) 7 years later. Lepidus continues his previously aborted campaign to subjugate the rest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Battles:
Battle of Ulopum (R)
First and Second Battles of Phurogunum (R) (I)
Battle of the River Sala (R)
Battle of Caucium (R)
Battle of Cimbria Cacumena (R)

Literature, Art, and Science: Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) writes Bellum Britannicum, a history of both Caesar’s and Pollio’s invasions of Britain shortly before his death later in the year. Livy begins writing his monumental, life-time literary achievement, Ab Urbe Condita.

Foreign: Parthia officially annexes Bactria. Phraates IV and his general Pacorus invade Aria and Drangiana to avenge the loss of these two areas by the empire decades earlier, starting a ferocious guerilla war with the native peoples that will badly drain the Parthian army and leave it in a weakened state when the Romans invade the empire two years later.

I guess I'll bump this...

720 AUC

Domestic: Quintus Aurelius Trio is elected Princeps Senatus of the Senate. Caesar begins many of his long-delayed public works projects in the city of Rome and throughout Roman territory. Caesar began the two most important public works projects in his agenda in Rome during this year, commissioning both the Delubrum Martius Grandis (the Great Temple of Mars) and a massive theater, the Colosseum, in which Caesar intended to entertain the populace of Rome with gladiator fights and naval battles, built along the side of the infamous Tarpeian Rock. Caesar also commissioned through edict the draining of the Pomptine Marshes which, when taken together with his expansion of the Forum Julium and the two aforementioned projects, greatly reduced unemployment in the city of Rome and many of its surrounding cities. Caesar’s third child, a daughter named Julia Caesaria Cleopatra, is born. All mail stations are completed along the Via Appia in this year and mail stations along the Via Julia extend as far as the road itself, which reaches toward Noviodunum (in the north) and Massilia (in the south) in Gaul. Also in this year Caesar issues the Edictum Militaris, an edict that completely reorganizes the Roman military. These changes are also known as the Caesarian Reforms. Caesar begins to reorganize the legions within the Roman military and train his army according to the new reforms for the future war with Parthia. Caesar issues the Edictum Munimentum, an edict regulating the layout of border defenses and military forts in general. This edict will be very influential in Caesar’s later modification of municipal planning. Upon hearing of Antony’s success and the terrain east of Germania from one of Antony’s messengers, Caesar sends word to him about the Edictum Munimentum, and conveys to him a plan for the building of a defensive wall at the narrowest point between the two Hypanis Rivers (north and south). Sallust dies at the age of 53. The estimated population of the Roman Republic is 40 million people.

Military: Lepidus continues his campaign in northwestern Hispania, defeating a coalition of the Gravii, Bracarii, and Cantabri tribes at the Battle of Praesiduum (R) in May. He campaigns along the western coast of Hispania for the rest of the year. Antony decisively defeats the Carpi in the collective Battles of the Carpathian Mountains (R), annexing all of the land south of the River Hypanus Australis to the border with Dacia to the Republic. Antony also conquers the land between the River Vistula and the River Hypanus Septentrionalis. He builds a road and border defenses along the entire southern bank of the River Hypanus Septentrionalis to connect with previously built border defenses along and the River Hypanus Australis.

Literature, Art, and Science: Cicero writes Pro Caesaro, a treatise on his endorsement of Caesar’s reforms of the Republic, especially the Codex Juris Civilis. This will be the last major work Cicero will write before his death a year later. Publish Vergilius Maro (Virgil) begins writing his famous Georgics. Greek writer Athanasius of Aegina writes his most famous play, The Ambition of Caesar, a play about the rise of Caesar, the failed assassination attempt on his life, and his transformation of Rome. Bibaculus begins sculpting his now famous statue of Romulus and Remus dueling on the dome of the Curius Senatus.

Foreign: King Bocchus II of Mauretania dies and Numidia becomes a province of the Roman Republic, with Marcus Sicinius Dolabella becoming the province’s first Proconsul (Numidia enters the Republic as a Senatorial province because it was acquired by peaceful means and not through conquest). The Senate now has 71 members. Mauretania becomes a protectorate of the Roman Republic. The Parthian king Phraates IV conquers Aria and Drangiana, extending his eastern border significantly. The occupation strains his army, as the guerrilla war in the mountains of Drangiana drags on. Despite these setbacks, Phraates IV manages to swell his army with mercenaries and hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Persia and begins campaigning in Arachosia and Gedrosia late in the year. Emperor Yuan of the Han Chinese Empire dies and is succeeded by his son, Emperor Cheng of the Han.

So...what do you guys think so far of this revised version of my TL?

This is looking very good! I have always wanted to see a good and plausible (non-ASB) Rome-wank TL, and I think this is what I was looking for. Keep it up! I can't wait to see more. Subscribed!

Well thank you! I hope this TL isn't ASB, I've tried my best (especially in my novel) to make the scenario as detailed and plausible as possible.

ericams2786 said:

Well thank you! I hope this TL isn't ASB, I've tried my best (especially in my novel) to make the scenario as detailed and plausible as possible.

Click to expand...

Then you have done a great job at it. Will there be any maps soon as well? I love seeing maps for great TLs like this one!

Oh and I forgot to mention it, but your novel is awesome! ^_^