So that others may prosper: A World without Rome

Chapter One – The Vulture and the Wolf

Part 1 – The Treaty of Fufluna

The Ilvate chief was not surprised when he received the message from Fufluna that they wished to form a mutual protection pact, after all they had become great allies in recent times over mutual usage of the granite [1] and metals found on the island, and the Ilvates had fleets of pirating and trading vessels in their hands [2]. But never the less when he received the message he allowed a hardy laugh to escape from his lips before running out of his hilltop house to shout out into the market place below “Together the Ambrones and Rasna [3] will be greater than they are apart.” As the meaning of this message became clear, celebration broke out in the community. In honour of the festival the Chief declared that all goods could be sold untaxed that day [4].
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Etruscan dancing in honour of the festival of the Union.
The new alliance would be quick to be tested, months after the final agreement was organized the Dodecapoli [5] sent its forces into the Battle of Alalia with a fleet of Punic-Etruscan-Ligure ships, a total fleet of 150 ships against 60 Phoecian Pentekonters. The battle ended entirely in favour of the league of Carthaginians, Etruscans, and Ilvates. As a result Etruscans gained greater control over Corsica, parts of Sardinia and Iberia, as well as getting a tribute from Massalia [6].
After this the Ligures were seen as much more valuable because of their valiant contributions to the battle. Vetluna entered into the agreement with Fufluna and more groups of Etruscans allied with Ligure tribes to the North. As the tribes began to pair off with cities, the more powerful the Etruscans became, eventually by the 530s BCE the Etruscan territory was expanding to twice Etruria's original range and trading with the Venetians, Illyrians, and even the Senones as well as other Celts who really had the choice between fighting with the largest army in Northern Italy and trading with them.
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The View of Elba Island.
The Etruscans were at the height of their power. They had a few commanders to the south but Carthage was also growing in power and they were forced backward, the Etruscans could just not control that much land even with the incredible alliance they had with the Ligures. This was the beginning of the end of their command of their corner of the Mediterranean.
[1] Part of the POD, the Island of Elba was rich in mineral resources one of the rocks discovered on the island is Granite but this wasn't taken advantage of until the Romans got a hold on the island. With this Elba has another resource and even more cash rolling in.
[2] Byproduct of wealth, that pays for itself.
[3] Ambrones are the Ligures, Rasna are the Etruscans.
[4] Another thing done differently that creates wealth for the leaders, similar to Medieval trading towns.
[5] The Dodecapoli is the Etruscan name for the league of 12 cities.
[6] Massalia was a colony along the coast in the Marseille area.
 
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A Note to the Reader

In the past many empires have risen and fallen; it is safe to say as far as human history goes that Rome was not among the least of these great powers. It had an immeasurable impact on the world as we know it. This is but an attempt to measure it.
This is an alternative history based on the prospect of a world where the Ligures of Elba Island are much more developed and manage to exist alongside the Etruscans of mainland Italy and instead of being invaded in the 8th century they become closer in relations to the league of 12 Etruscan cities. This may seem like a little change but the result was none too small on the young Roman Kingdom. If a world without Genghis Khan is alternate history's Mt. Everest, then this is K2. With this in mind let's begin.

- William Bell
 
The Next Update

Chapter One – The Vulture and the Wolf

Part 2 – I came, I saw...

Veii was the richest and most powerful of the Etruscan city states, but unfortunately for the city it was the farthest from the race for control of Liguria. So if it wanted any treaties with Ligurian tribes it was going to be difficult. However they managed to create an agreement with the Briniates and even offered them an area for settlement at the mouth of the Tiber River. Of course it wouldn't be for the whole tribe but many explorers welcomed the chance to visit a new area or seek their fortunes raiding the Latins. Soon a community of a thousand people most of which are men began to develop at the Tiber.
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Latin Warriors
But the area had been inhabited before by young Latin farmers who did not take well to being forced off their land, many were killed immediately while trying to resist, a few left peacefully but resentfully, some banded together to form a small resistance aided by constantly raided farmers in the surrounding areas and were killed, and a few went into the cities and incited the crowds against the Ligures and Etruscans. Although little evidence of these people remain their mark on history and their brilliant words are still remembered by people around the world for their masterful use of rhetoric and inspired persuasion. Only a few small pieces have remained from one of the best speeches:

“...a child similar to this one here was once my next-door neighbour, that child died at the hands of the deceptive demons of Veii,
many men like yourselves died trying to protect their property much like you would for your family and how I should have done for mine, this is not the time for fear this is the time for strength, when you are treated as slaves or even worse as game animals to be hunted by Ambrone raiders you must fight back...”

In this he managed to activate tribal emotions, to identify himself as one of the in-group, to give a direction for their angers, a way to carry it out, and he wrapped it up in a narrative that could be identified with [1]. And in 519 BCE large groups of people took up arms in the cities of Ardea and Gabii the first conflicts arose near the Aniene River, a tributary of the Tiber River, a large group of Latin farmers rushed down the slopes of Monte Catillo towards the Aniene River where a group of Briniates were plundering a farmer and stealing his flock, within minutes the Latins had killed all the Briniates and had declared victory. Ecstatic from this victory, more Latins from the cities of Gabii, Ardea, Tibur, Praeneste, Ferentinum, and even the Volsci city of Velitrae joined the army, larger in size now even than the Briniate settlement. Rome was an exception, it had favour with the Veientes and did not wish to break their trust, especially under their Etruscan king Tarquinius.
Once the army reached a compliment of at least 1800 people, they marched on the Briniate colony, the colony had grown to 1700 people. And finally in 518 BCE the war for Latium began.
 
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Hope everybody likes it so far. This timeline will probably be abandoned, it goes back and forth between a third person and first person and I plan to make a totally third person narrative from a person wisked into an alternative universe who chronicles what he believe is the POD from his (our) universe. Hopefully I can improve my writing style which is a little cluttered, awkward, and more than a little poorly written.
 
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Update

Really no more interest? Bump. Here is something for everyone to talk about.

Chapter One – The Vulture and the Wolf

Part 3 – The Battle for Latium

With the combined forces of Gabii, Ardea, Tibur, Praeneste, Ferentinum, Velitrae, and now Antium, almost 2000 troops marched on the Briniate settlement. They traveled down the coast believing they could take the Briniates by surprise. When they set up camp 5 kilometres down the beach from the settlement they were all on edge, no one was prepared for a battle, perhaps a quarter were privy to any actual battle experience we cannot know for sure. But they were prepared to fight and die for their cause and they were about to fulfill that.
A glint of steel appeared in the forest, one scout saw a glimpse of light and before he could move to respond, he suffered a painful death. Another scout saw and shouted into the crowd, finally a few heads began to turn. By then it was too late, a roar came out of the bush and the people rushed for their weapons, before they could get anywhere the Ligures had killed several dozen. More would follow. Some attempted to escape around the edges to attack from behind or simply to run, some escaped but most were killed by soldiers waiting in the forest.
Soon the people were forced into the water and panic broke out, they expected to die. Some swam or attempted to run for it, a couple got through the lines that were now spread over about 750 metres.
Out of the original forces probably about 1200 survived on the Ligure side and perhaps 140 escaped of the Latins this is one of the most powerful example of the effects of surprise attacks.One leader of the unit got into the walls of Rome, the undercurrents of political dissatisfaction were stronger than Tarquinius thought and it was only stressed by the visitor, 10 days later, a king was dead and a new rule was about to begin. The leader who's name was Agrippa lead 500 warriors across the river Tiber to march on Veii, the people of Veii however had been watching their movements for quite intently many had already left, the soldiers of Veii were better trained, greater in number and they did not use the same formations that hindered the Romans in cities. When the Romans crossed the Tiber and entered the city they found it abandoned and began to loot, suddenly arrows began raining down from rooftops onto to the soldiers and the battle began, many became stuck in houses or were forced to retreat, the rest were killed in the streets. The army of Veii suffered nearly no losses in the skirmish. No number has been written down as to how many died or survived because soon after, an army of 500 from Veii and 450 from the settlement marched on Rome. Once again the Latins were under attack.
 
[1] Part of the POD, the Island of Elba was rich in mineral resources one of the rocks discovered on the island is Granite but this wasn't taken advantage of until the Romans got a hold on the island. With this Elba has another resource and even more cash rolling in.
???I don't get it. Granite? OTL it's really great for metrology benches and such like, but why is it valuable in period?

I've never heard of it being transported as a building material (unlike marble, for instance), so what am I missing?
 
Chapter One – The Vulture and the Wolf

Part 4 – Remus was Right

This time Agrippa could only muster an army of about 400, their morale was shaken, and like his recently destroyed predecessor his political support was waning.
Before they had even entered into battle about 25 soldiers deserted along with the majority of the citizens of Rome. Agrippa could only pray that on more balanced terms the armies of Rome would win. The armies finally engaged in battle in an open farmland area outside of Rome, the Romans had low morale but they were still fairly trained and their phalanx army's tactics were meant for battling on plains.
The League of Veii and the Briniates were very aware of this and together they amassed an army of 1500, a fraction of the number volunteering for service after their last success. They had a three part plan; first they would send large numbers of troops to launch an attack and disorganize the Roman Phalanx. Then once the roman armies was spread out and their forces were weakened the first attackers would retreat behind their army's reserve troops, themselves in a phalanx, and wait it out. The phalanx would be attacked by the remaining Roman troops who the Veientes and Briniates vastly outnumbered and overpowered. While this is going on the first troops loop around back and cut off the escape. It was a seamless plan, but too perfect. The resulting conflict would have major casualties on both sides.
Both sides met on the plains south of the city that had once been a farm before the Briniates, both sides sent out their leaders to the middle of the field before the battle and made threats, nothing unexpected. Then the romans began to march, the Etrusco-Ligures showed more restraint but they did charge, phase one began. This is where they hit their first snag in their plan, normally their is a large group of light infantry (normally the poorer troops) at the area of contact so that the richer, more heavily armed troops could survive to reek the benefits and this is what the Etrusco-Ligures planned for. But most Romans had left in a hurry, there were thousands of houses and huts from people that were wealthy, and many had left enough material to arm a mere army of about 375. So the shield wall was stronger than the Etrusco-Ligures expected and the initial lines were cut down, but eventually they succeeded at getting through the shield barrier. Already the plan's flaws were apparent and more of this was on the way. As the reserves marched towards the battle in a phalanx, the first wave continued to fight, another flaw was showing itself, the fighters were in a warring mindset and didn't bother to check what was happening and the friendly troops disrupted the phalanx. Eventually most got out or were killed by being sandwiched between the friends and the enemy, finally most of the first wave got into their final positions and the reserves engaged in battle. After less than an hour the armies retreated into the Etrusco-Ligure net of soldiers, perhaps 25 slid through the cracks and got out, they would cause trouble for years to come. But the Etrusco-Ligures also suffered casualties, about 600 died.
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The burning of Rome.
The remaining 900 marched on Rome and sacked it. The last toehold of the Latin Resistance force was gone. This though was just a sign of things to come, the Latins were gone but the Samnites took the territory, the Briniates left the agreement to join into a pact with Vetluna. The next chapter will cover the destruction of the Dodecapoli hegemony.
 
This is not too climactic for putting a stopper in the development of the greatest empire of ancient times, but it will do.
 
???I don't get it. Granite? OTL it's really great for metrology benches and such like, but why is it valuable in period?

I've never heard of it being transported as a building material (unlike marble, for instance), so what am I missing?
Here is an example, it is 4 rows down.
It can be polished like marble but is cheaper and more abundant. I knew it had been developed during Roman times as a source of Granite so I took a shot at using it earlier.
 
Chapter Two – The Fallen Nest

Part 1 – Reality Check

In the year 500 BCE, the Etruscans controlled an empire, but they had a small population. Barely 50 years ago they were a small league of cities with a big navy. Since then the population had barely increased. The population could not maintain the infrastructure they had created in Iberia, Liguria, Marseille, and throughout Italy.
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Latins battling against Etruria.
But this was just part of the problem, in Iberia they were attacked by the Celtiberians and Carthage, in Marseille they were under attack by Gauls, in Liguria the territory was under attack by revolutionaries and the alliance of the Cenomani and other tribes, Raetian tribes came down from the mountains and began invading the Po Valley, Carthage attacked Sardinia, Corsica, and even the Italian coast, and to top it off the Samnites and Picentis did not take well to being forced south and were destroying Etruscan settlements in southern Italy. Magna Graecia was claiming territory for Greece in the South.
And to top this all off, they had growing internal conflicts, all Ligures were war-like and they did not like being confined to a League of cities and many revolted, some used their influence to use their allied cities to turn against their rival Ligure tribes. You could say it was over before it began.
This is how we begin our story of the fall of Etruria as we know it.
 
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