Recent content by Lars Porsenna

Ahem: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=307097

In 168 BC in OTL, Antiochus IV of the Seleucid Empire marched down the Levantine coast and was preparing to invade Egypt with a great host. He likely would have succeeded, had the Romans not sent an ambassador named Gaius Popillius Laenas to turn him aside. Laenas met Antiochus near the Nile...

Oh. I was thinking Coptic, but then I realized that that was never a liturgical language per se, but rather a common tongue that became used in vernacular religious services. Yeah, the Hebrew comeback is pretty ASB, you're right.

And that would be...?

Then which medium of information exchange put that idea of Julius Caesar into your head?

He's the Stephanie Meyer of historical fiction.

The talented son of a small-time senator of a very ancient and noble family who declined to divorce his wife (who was no longer a citizen) and thus "had to" be killed to purify the priesthood is pardoned due to his relatives' interceding, on condition that he take up military service in the...

Alexander just conquered all that territory with an army, and kept it obedient (very briefly) with an army. I'm not saying he wasn't amazing, but just take a look at what Seleucus did. He took control of over a million square miles of territory, ruled over by dozens of satraps and local lords of...

Actually the typical "General American"/"Chicago" accent (that you see most news anchors over here using) is about as close to British English in the 1700's as you can get nowadays.

With Richard's return not delayed, and with his ransom not having to be raised, he is in a much stronger position militarily and diplomatically. The laymen, nobles, and clergy have a better opinion of him (IOTL they were taxed for 25% of their wealth to pay his ransom), and John and Philip don't...

...which collapses as soon as the second king dies. I'm more inclined to think that Seleucus is more ASB.

Heh, how can there be any other answer than this?

The problem is, as you said, the abundance of resources in the area. Sailing so far is ridiculous when they can't even be bothered to invent metalworking. That said, are there any deposits of copper, tin, or iron nearby? If not, they'll have a hard time working metal no matter what. Also, the...

Hmm, not as pack animals. I mean, I guess they could carry forty pounds or so, but that's nothing compared to what a horse or ox could pull on a cart, and with so much less effort per unit of useful stuff transported. Moose, so far as I know, don't do so well over mountains; on plains and...

Meh, maybe a llama or some kind of relative can pull heavier carts. I'm sure it's possible. Once they're down from the mountains the bigger, meatier llamas (as opposed to the smaller, nimble ones) are at a greater advantage, breed more, etc. In a thousand years or less from AD 1 there could be...