MoF 19: IN ABSENTIA
- Thread starter Krall
- Start date
QART-HADASHT
The First Roman War was the first of four wars between the Carthaginian Republic and the Roman Republic. From 264 BC to 242 BC, the two nations struggled on the island of Sicily and on mainland Italy. Carthage eventually prevailed due to the superiority of its navy, and due to the failure that was the Roman invasion of Africa. At the conclusion of the war, Rome’s navy was almost entirely destroyed, and Carthage demanded all of Sicily, as well as Rhegium.
Further to the east, the Seleucids and Ptolemaic Kingdom fought the Second Syrian War which ended in minor Seleucid victory.
After the First Roman War, mercenaries (and ordinary troops, as sparse as they were) serving in the war were paid or granted land in eastern Sicily and Rhegium. However, not all of the mercenaries received compensation for their military service. As a result, in 241 BC, two small revolts occured, called the Mercenary War, one in Rhegium and one in eastern Numidia. In eastern Numidia, mercenaries, who had not been paid or given land grants for their service, revolted. In Rhegium, two men, mercenaries that were in fact granted land for their service revolted with the support of the governor of the province of Rhegium. They were easily crushed by the Carthaginian army, non-revolting mercenaries, and Hamilqart Barca. The governor of Rhegium was executed.
Following the war, a Roman War general, Hamilqart Barca began a campaign in Iberia which would lead to half of Iberia becoming Carthaginian territory. He added many ‘barbarians’ to his army as well. Carthage would continue to conquer and colonize Ibera on-and-off for more than a century. In addition, Carthaginians began settling Numidia which had been a Carthaginian vassal.
The Third Syrian War lasted from 240 BC to 231 BC. Carthage had a minor involvement, and along with Egypt, conquered Cyrenaica, which had declared independence from Egypt several decades before. Carthage was involved for nearly the entire war, but not very many battles occured in Cyrenaica. Despite the Third Syrian War’s name, most of the fighting occured in Anatolia, where Ptolemaic Egypt and Macedonia attacked the Seleucid Empire. The war ended in minor Seleucid defeat. Egypt and Macedonia made some territorial gains. In Carthage the war was known as the Elephant War, because of the extensive use of elephants by Egypt, Carthage, and Cyrenaica.
During and after the Third Syrian War, Hannibal Barca, son of Hamilqart, fought in Iberia as well. It was there that he would both show his martial prowess, and be acquainted with the use of elephants in battle.
In 219 BC, the Second Roman War began. Sponsored by Carthage, the Greek cities in southern Italy revolted against Rome. Similarly, rebellious kingdoms in eastern Numidia were supported by the Roman Republic. Hannibal Barca commanded an army of mainly Iberians, Greeks from Rhegium, and allied Syracusean troops and led a campaign to reconquer Numidia. Simultaneously, Hasdrubal Barca, his brother, led an army mainly of Carthaginians troops and Libyan and Numidian mercenaries as part of a naval invasion of Etruria. The Roman general Scipio Africanus conquered one rebellious Magna Graecian town after another, but with great losses of Roman troops in the process.
Soon, Rome, Carthage, and Syracuse were the only involved nations in the war after Numidia and Magna Graecia were re-subdued. Hannibal Barca unbelievably led an army of elephants and Iberians and Celts over the Alps to attack Rome from the north. Hasdrubal continued the fight in Etruria and Mago Barca led an offensive, then a defensive, then another offensive in Southern Italy. Hasdrubal and Hannibal soon met near Rome and sieged it. In 201 BC the Second Roman War ended and Rome was forced to cede large parts of Southern and Northwestern Italy. Etruria and Messapia became Carthaginian vassals.
Child sacrifice had gradually declined over the years and was rare after the Second Roman War.
In 195 BC, the Fourth Syrian / Anatolian War broke out between the Seleucid Empire and their enemies: Ptolemaic Egypt and the increasingly powerful Pontus. For 35 whole years the nations fought, and in 160 BC the exhausted Seleucid Empire ceded some of the Levant and most of Anatolia. Ptolemaic Egypt and Pontus were also greatly weakened however.
The Carthaginian Republic was quite tolerant of their subjects. Greek soon became a language of education. The Greek language and corresponding Hellenistic religion spread to several major cities, including Carthage itself. In addition the Punic language had spread to most of Carthage’s territory due to soldiers and mercenaries getting land grants, as well as rich Carthaginians and their entrepeneurship. Of course, Punic speakers were the minority everywhere outside of North Africa, Corsica, Sardinia, and the Baleares.
Carthaginians continued to colonize and conquer Iberia and North Africa. Rome and the Carthaginian vassal Etruria expanded north. As Carthage colonized and conquered areas it would traditionally hire mercenaries from, the people of those areas were instead drafted or volunteered into the gradually growing standing army of Carthage. However in the northern frontier of the Iberian territories, many mercenaries continued to be hired. As always the massive Carthaginian navy continued to grow.
In 159 BC Carthage declared war on the Roman Republic and began the Third Roman War. Carthaginian troops, mercenaries working for Carthage, Syracusean allies, and Carthage’s vassal states pushed towards Rome. City after city was sacked, much of the population enslaved in each. In 158 BC, Rome was captured. Half of its population was enslaved and most of the rest were slaughtered. Only 900 survivors remained. Technically the Roman Republic had fallen, but Roman general and consul Scipio Aemilianus held back a Carthaginian campaign for almost a year and was eventually killed. A ‘Roman Peace’ was enforced in 157 BC and nearly all of the Roman Republic’s land, except for a small area around the small town of Rome, became Carthaginian. Messapia and Etruria were integrated directly into Carthage at the end of the war as well.
Formerly Roman cities were treated well after the war was over, despite the mass destruction during the Third Roman War.
In 156 BC Carthage betrayed their ally and looted the city of Syracuse. Syracuse was made a tributary of Carthage. In 155 BC, Massalia was invaded and forced to pay tribute as well. Unlike Syracuse, Massalia was not looted.
In 153 BC, Ptolemy V, a five year old, succeeded to the throne of Egypt. Three regents succeeded and were assassinated in succession. The Seleucids and Pontus took advantage of this and declared war. Macedon declared war on Pontus in return. And Carthage invaded Egypt, from Cyrenaica, and from the coast of the Nile Delta.
By 145 BC the Seleucids made peace gaining much of their former lands back. Pontus made peace with Egypt in 144 BC, gaining much of Anatolia, remaining at war with Macedonia. The war ended in 140 BC. Carthage had conquered Egypt entirely, and it was directly incorporated into Carthage. Nubia became a vassal.
The Carthaginian general Hamilqart conquered tribes in northern Iberia. In 135 BC a small revolt occured in Egypt and a man named Punicus led a rebellion by the tribe of Lusitani. The revolts were put down by 134 BC.
By 126 BC nearly all of Iberia was under Carthaginian control. However much of the north was still rather uncivilized.
In 122 BC, Numidia revolted. The generals Hamilqart and Hasdrubal led campgains against the rebels for five years and Numidia had been subjugated by Carthage for the last time in 117 BC. Rebelling towns were cruelly enslaved and left deserted and empty. They were gradually resettled by other Numidians, who had moved to Iberia and the city of Carthage, as well as various people from across the Republic. Numidian towns that did not rebel were tolerated as they had always been.
In 114 BC, the Seleucids attacked Pontus, hoping to easily regain some Anatolian land. However Carthage took advantage of this. Hamilqart and Hasdrubal led campaigns in the Levant and Cyprus. The advance was slow as many skilled Seleucid generals as well as a large amount of troops defended against Pontus and Carthage. The general Mago led a campaign that started with a naval invasion of northern Syria. Ultimately the Seleucid Empire was overwhelmed, the then-tiny nation of Parthia took advantage of the situation and invaded from the east. In 100 BC the Seleucid Empire ceased to exist and the war ended. The war was often called the Parthian War due to the establishment of the Parthian Empire from the tiny Kingdom.
Pontus had just gained a large amount of Anatolia. But in 99 BC, Parthia declared war on Pontus. Carthage decided to side with Parthia, eyeing southern Anatolia. The Pontic War lasted 9 years and in 90 BC Parthia gained much of Anatolia and Carthage had created a tributary state in Lycia and Rhodes.
For the next 16 years, Carthage was at peace... at least, with the civilized nations. The Aquitani were conquered by Carthage, and Carthage’s vassals expanded into barbarian Europe. The Garonne river was used as a natural barrier, Massalia as a tributary was used as a bufer, and the Alps were used as another natural barrier against the Gaulish barbarians.
In 74 BC, Syracuse was directly incorporated into the Republic.
In 73 BC, the Fourth Roman war occurred. By 71 BC the Roman Republic was completely destroyed. Rome was rebuilt as ‘Ruma-Hadasht’, or ‘New Rome’.
Pontus invaded the city-state of Byzantion in 70 BC. Macedon, Parthia, and the Carthaginian Republic all attacked Pontus. The Second Pontic War lasted for 6 years. When Macedonia had conquered much of Troad, the Greek states declared war on Macedonia, attempting to free themselves from Macedonian domination. By 64 BC, Parthia gained a massive amount of land, Carthage greatly increased the size of Lycia, and Macedon left the war with nothing.
However Macedon remained at war with the Greek states. Carthage claimed to be assisting its ally and invaded Crete in 63 BC. By 61 BC Crete was conquered by the Republic. Macedonia had started to push back the alliance of Greek states when Carthage invaded Sparta. City-state by city-state fell to the Republic of Carthage and Kingdom of Macedon. By 56 BC, the Peloponnese was yet another Carthaginian vassal, and Macedon had reassured its hegemony over the Greek states, at least the ones that remained.
However, in 55 BC, a man named Xanthippus Baalhanno Sagunta, descended from Greeks and Carthaginians, the governor of the province of Lusitan, declared himself Emperor of the Carthaginian Empire. Xanthippus was a general in the Fourth Roman War, Second Pontic War, and Greek war and had many supporters. Three particularly skilled generals, veterans of the Second Pontic and Greek wars, Hanno, Hannibal, and Himilco, declared their support for Xanthippus. The Carthaginian Republic was thrown into civil war. The governors of Sardinia and Lilybaeum joined the Empire. Republican forces conquered Allis Ubbo. Meanwhile Massalia and Corsica also joined the Empire. Aquitani... Isbanna... Veneti... Sparta...
The rebels captured Ruma-Hadasht by 51 BC. By then they had captured much of the navy. Xanthippus Viriathus himself, along with Himilco, invaded Africa. In 50 BC they pushed for Carthage and sieged it. In early 49 BC, the city of Carthage surrendered. The republican government relocated to Alexandria. By now Cyprus and Crete were under the control of the rebels, and in 46 BC, the rebels launched a naval invasion of the Nile Delta. Alexandria was captured.
In 45 BC, the Carthaginian Empire was born. Vassals were incorporated directly into the Empire. Xanthippus Baalhanno Sagunta re-established the Senate, but it was mainly ceremonial. He held ultimate power as the Emperor.
Then Xanthippus greedily eyed Parthia, which was on the verge of collapse...
The First Roman War was the first of four wars between the Carthaginian Republic and the Roman Republic. From 264 BC to 242 BC, the two nations struggled on the island of Sicily and on mainland Italy. Carthage eventually prevailed due to the superiority of its navy, and due to the failure that was the Roman invasion of Africa. At the conclusion of the war, Rome’s navy was almost entirely destroyed, and Carthage demanded all of Sicily, as well as Rhegium.
Further to the east, the Seleucids and Ptolemaic Kingdom fought the Second Syrian War which ended in minor Seleucid victory.
After the First Roman War, mercenaries (and ordinary troops, as sparse as they were) serving in the war were paid or granted land in eastern Sicily and Rhegium. However, not all of the mercenaries received compensation for their military service. As a result, in 241 BC, two small revolts occured, called the Mercenary War, one in Rhegium and one in eastern Numidia. In eastern Numidia, mercenaries, who had not been paid or given land grants for their service, revolted. In Rhegium, two men, mercenaries that were in fact granted land for their service revolted with the support of the governor of the province of Rhegium. They were easily crushed by the Carthaginian army, non-revolting mercenaries, and Hamilqart Barca. The governor of Rhegium was executed.
Following the war, a Roman War general, Hamilqart Barca began a campaign in Iberia which would lead to half of Iberia becoming Carthaginian territory. He added many ‘barbarians’ to his army as well. Carthage would continue to conquer and colonize Ibera on-and-off for more than a century. In addition, Carthaginians began settling Numidia which had been a Carthaginian vassal.
The Third Syrian War lasted from 240 BC to 231 BC. Carthage had a minor involvement, and along with Egypt, conquered Cyrenaica, which had declared independence from Egypt several decades before. Carthage was involved for nearly the entire war, but not very many battles occured in Cyrenaica. Despite the Third Syrian War’s name, most of the fighting occured in Anatolia, where Ptolemaic Egypt and Macedonia attacked the Seleucid Empire. The war ended in minor Seleucid defeat. Egypt and Macedonia made some territorial gains. In Carthage the war was known as the Elephant War, because of the extensive use of elephants by Egypt, Carthage, and Cyrenaica.
During and after the Third Syrian War, Hannibal Barca, son of Hamilqart, fought in Iberia as well. It was there that he would both show his martial prowess, and be acquainted with the use of elephants in battle.
In 219 BC, the Second Roman War began. Sponsored by Carthage, the Greek cities in southern Italy revolted against Rome. Similarly, rebellious kingdoms in eastern Numidia were supported by the Roman Republic. Hannibal Barca commanded an army of mainly Iberians, Greeks from Rhegium, and allied Syracusean troops and led a campaign to reconquer Numidia. Simultaneously, Hasdrubal Barca, his brother, led an army mainly of Carthaginians troops and Libyan and Numidian mercenaries as part of a naval invasion of Etruria. The Roman general Scipio Africanus conquered one rebellious Magna Graecian town after another, but with great losses of Roman troops in the process.
Soon, Rome, Carthage, and Syracuse were the only involved nations in the war after Numidia and Magna Graecia were re-subdued. Hannibal Barca unbelievably led an army of elephants and Iberians and Celts over the Alps to attack Rome from the north. Hasdrubal continued the fight in Etruria and Mago Barca led an offensive, then a defensive, then another offensive in Southern Italy. Hasdrubal and Hannibal soon met near Rome and sieged it. In 201 BC the Second Roman War ended and Rome was forced to cede large parts of Southern and Northwestern Italy. Etruria and Messapia became Carthaginian vassals.
Child sacrifice had gradually declined over the years and was rare after the Second Roman War.
In 195 BC, the Fourth Syrian / Anatolian War broke out between the Seleucid Empire and their enemies: Ptolemaic Egypt and the increasingly powerful Pontus. For 35 whole years the nations fought, and in 160 BC the exhausted Seleucid Empire ceded some of the Levant and most of Anatolia. Ptolemaic Egypt and Pontus were also greatly weakened however.
The Carthaginian Republic was quite tolerant of their subjects. Greek soon became a language of education. The Greek language and corresponding Hellenistic religion spread to several major cities, including Carthage itself. In addition the Punic language had spread to most of Carthage’s territory due to soldiers and mercenaries getting land grants, as well as rich Carthaginians and their entrepeneurship. Of course, Punic speakers were the minority everywhere outside of North Africa, Corsica, Sardinia, and the Baleares.
Carthaginians continued to colonize and conquer Iberia and North Africa. Rome and the Carthaginian vassal Etruria expanded north. As Carthage colonized and conquered areas it would traditionally hire mercenaries from, the people of those areas were instead drafted or volunteered into the gradually growing standing army of Carthage. However in the northern frontier of the Iberian territories, many mercenaries continued to be hired. As always the massive Carthaginian navy continued to grow.
In 159 BC Carthage declared war on the Roman Republic and began the Third Roman War. Carthaginian troops, mercenaries working for Carthage, Syracusean allies, and Carthage’s vassal states pushed towards Rome. City after city was sacked, much of the population enslaved in each. In 158 BC, Rome was captured. Half of its population was enslaved and most of the rest were slaughtered. Only 900 survivors remained. Technically the Roman Republic had fallen, but Roman general and consul Scipio Aemilianus held back a Carthaginian campaign for almost a year and was eventually killed. A ‘Roman Peace’ was enforced in 157 BC and nearly all of the Roman Republic’s land, except for a small area around the small town of Rome, became Carthaginian. Messapia and Etruria were integrated directly into Carthage at the end of the war as well.
Formerly Roman cities were treated well after the war was over, despite the mass destruction during the Third Roman War.
In 156 BC Carthage betrayed their ally and looted the city of Syracuse. Syracuse was made a tributary of Carthage. In 155 BC, Massalia was invaded and forced to pay tribute as well. Unlike Syracuse, Massalia was not looted.
In 153 BC, Ptolemy V, a five year old, succeeded to the throne of Egypt. Three regents succeeded and were assassinated in succession. The Seleucids and Pontus took advantage of this and declared war. Macedon declared war on Pontus in return. And Carthage invaded Egypt, from Cyrenaica, and from the coast of the Nile Delta.
By 145 BC the Seleucids made peace gaining much of their former lands back. Pontus made peace with Egypt in 144 BC, gaining much of Anatolia, remaining at war with Macedonia. The war ended in 140 BC. Carthage had conquered Egypt entirely, and it was directly incorporated into Carthage. Nubia became a vassal.
The Carthaginian general Hamilqart conquered tribes in northern Iberia. In 135 BC a small revolt occured in Egypt and a man named Punicus led a rebellion by the tribe of Lusitani. The revolts were put down by 134 BC.
By 126 BC nearly all of Iberia was under Carthaginian control. However much of the north was still rather uncivilized.
In 122 BC, Numidia revolted. The generals Hamilqart and Hasdrubal led campgains against the rebels for five years and Numidia had been subjugated by Carthage for the last time in 117 BC. Rebelling towns were cruelly enslaved and left deserted and empty. They were gradually resettled by other Numidians, who had moved to Iberia and the city of Carthage, as well as various people from across the Republic. Numidian towns that did not rebel were tolerated as they had always been.
In 114 BC, the Seleucids attacked Pontus, hoping to easily regain some Anatolian land. However Carthage took advantage of this. Hamilqart and Hasdrubal led campaigns in the Levant and Cyprus. The advance was slow as many skilled Seleucid generals as well as a large amount of troops defended against Pontus and Carthage. The general Mago led a campaign that started with a naval invasion of northern Syria. Ultimately the Seleucid Empire was overwhelmed, the then-tiny nation of Parthia took advantage of the situation and invaded from the east. In 100 BC the Seleucid Empire ceased to exist and the war ended. The war was often called the Parthian War due to the establishment of the Parthian Empire from the tiny Kingdom.
Pontus had just gained a large amount of Anatolia. But in 99 BC, Parthia declared war on Pontus. Carthage decided to side with Parthia, eyeing southern Anatolia. The Pontic War lasted 9 years and in 90 BC Parthia gained much of Anatolia and Carthage had created a tributary state in Lycia and Rhodes.
For the next 16 years, Carthage was at peace... at least, with the civilized nations. The Aquitani were conquered by Carthage, and Carthage’s vassals expanded into barbarian Europe. The Garonne river was used as a natural barrier, Massalia as a tributary was used as a bufer, and the Alps were used as another natural barrier against the Gaulish barbarians.
In 74 BC, Syracuse was directly incorporated into the Republic.
In 73 BC, the Fourth Roman war occurred. By 71 BC the Roman Republic was completely destroyed. Rome was rebuilt as ‘Ruma-Hadasht’, or ‘New Rome’.
Pontus invaded the city-state of Byzantion in 70 BC. Macedon, Parthia, and the Carthaginian Republic all attacked Pontus. The Second Pontic War lasted for 6 years. When Macedonia had conquered much of Troad, the Greek states declared war on Macedonia, attempting to free themselves from Macedonian domination. By 64 BC, Parthia gained a massive amount of land, Carthage greatly increased the size of Lycia, and Macedon left the war with nothing.
However Macedon remained at war with the Greek states. Carthage claimed to be assisting its ally and invaded Crete in 63 BC. By 61 BC Crete was conquered by the Republic. Macedonia had started to push back the alliance of Greek states when Carthage invaded Sparta. City-state by city-state fell to the Republic of Carthage and Kingdom of Macedon. By 56 BC, the Peloponnese was yet another Carthaginian vassal, and Macedon had reassured its hegemony over the Greek states, at least the ones that remained.
However, in 55 BC, a man named Xanthippus Baalhanno Sagunta, descended from Greeks and Carthaginians, the governor of the province of Lusitan, declared himself Emperor of the Carthaginian Empire. Xanthippus was a general in the Fourth Roman War, Second Pontic War, and Greek war and had many supporters. Three particularly skilled generals, veterans of the Second Pontic and Greek wars, Hanno, Hannibal, and Himilco, declared their support for Xanthippus. The Carthaginian Republic was thrown into civil war. The governors of Sardinia and Lilybaeum joined the Empire. Republican forces conquered Allis Ubbo. Meanwhile Massalia and Corsica also joined the Empire. Aquitani... Isbanna... Veneti... Sparta...
The rebels captured Ruma-Hadasht by 51 BC. By then they had captured much of the navy. Xanthippus Viriathus himself, along with Himilco, invaded Africa. In 50 BC they pushed for Carthage and sieged it. In early 49 BC, the city of Carthage surrendered. The republican government relocated to Alexandria. By now Cyprus and Crete were under the control of the rebels, and in 46 BC, the rebels launched a naval invasion of the Nile Delta. Alexandria was captured.
In 45 BC, the Carthaginian Empire was born. Vassals were incorporated directly into the Empire. Xanthippus Baalhanno Sagunta re-established the Senate, but it was mainly ceremonial. He held ultimate power as the Emperor.
Then Xanthippus greedily eyed Parthia, which was on the verge of collapse...
This one is from a universe where the Athenians managed to create a more acceptable federal form for their league, and avoided pissing off all their allies so badly. As a result, the Peloponnesian War ended with a Spartan defeat, and the Athenians managed to corral most of Greece into an expanded federation. After settling some disagreements with Macedonia, a common purpose was found in expelling the Persian Menace from the Mediterranean, although sans the manic drive of Alexander the Greeks didn’t pursue the Persians beyond Mesopotamia and onto the Iranian plateau.
Fearing that Greeks would “orientalize” if huge swaths of land fell under the control of individuals, much of the territory was incorporated into the League as “associated states” or client kings: Mesopotamia and Egypt, too large and powerful to either become league members or to be safely allowed independence, became “colonial territory” run on behalf of the league as a whole by appointed, limited-term governors.
Over time, such groups as the commercial-minded Phoenicians and the Latins and Romans to the west (too tough to be very easily conquered) were incorporated as “honorary Greeks” with full membership in the League. Client kingdoms are more loosely tied into the League, while outside the League proper various barbarian kingdoms exist within its cultural and economic sphere: Greek shipping trades with India, the British Isles, and even the Baltic barbarians. Direct democracy has moved onto a more representative form, although with its various voting blocks, complex (and often changing) re the number of representatives, and other makeshift arrangements, it’s a more cumbersome system than that of the OTL US, and sessions at the league capital on Rhodes are often a bit raucous.
Art and philosophy have continued to flourish, and something resembling genuine science has been developed, with its principles of experimentation and verification: experiments in optics have given birth to crude telescopes, and the heliocentric viewpoint is winning out. On the other hand, there are a lot of contending non-scientific schools of philosophy, and given the relatively backward engineering “state of the art”, the shortage of coal in the core areas of the League, and the abundance of cheap labor (the League is not as rich in slaves as the OTL Roman Empire, but there are still a lot), an industrial revolution is unlikely and time soon.
The barbarians to the north and east are a bit differently arranged than OTL, the survival of a rump Persia having deflected the Parthians northward, which in turn has led to some different central Asian migrations and the overwhelming of OTLs Dacian state by fresh waves of Scythian peoples from the Steppe.
After some three centuries, the League has reached its greatest territorial extent, although there have been some losses in the east brought on by Persian revival and Mesopotamian revolt. There are still centuries of greatness ahead for the Greeks, but the Time of Troubles lies ahead, as ambitious Greeks in Egypt seek to break away as an independent great power, as Gallic kings seek to extend their power, and Persians see opportunity…
Bruce
Fearing that Greeks would “orientalize” if huge swaths of land fell under the control of individuals, much of the territory was incorporated into the League as “associated states” or client kings: Mesopotamia and Egypt, too large and powerful to either become league members or to be safely allowed independence, became “colonial territory” run on behalf of the league as a whole by appointed, limited-term governors.
Over time, such groups as the commercial-minded Phoenicians and the Latins and Romans to the west (too tough to be very easily conquered) were incorporated as “honorary Greeks” with full membership in the League. Client kingdoms are more loosely tied into the League, while outside the League proper various barbarian kingdoms exist within its cultural and economic sphere: Greek shipping trades with India, the British Isles, and even the Baltic barbarians. Direct democracy has moved onto a more representative form, although with its various voting blocks, complex (and often changing) re the number of representatives, and other makeshift arrangements, it’s a more cumbersome system than that of the OTL US, and sessions at the league capital on Rhodes are often a bit raucous.
Art and philosophy have continued to flourish, and something resembling genuine science has been developed, with its principles of experimentation and verification: experiments in optics have given birth to crude telescopes, and the heliocentric viewpoint is winning out. On the other hand, there are a lot of contending non-scientific schools of philosophy, and given the relatively backward engineering “state of the art”, the shortage of coal in the core areas of the League, and the abundance of cheap labor (the League is not as rich in slaves as the OTL Roman Empire, but there are still a lot), an industrial revolution is unlikely and time soon.
The barbarians to the north and east are a bit differently arranged than OTL, the survival of a rump Persia having deflected the Parthians northward, which in turn has led to some different central Asian migrations and the overwhelming of OTLs Dacian state by fresh waves of Scythian peoples from the Steppe.
After some three centuries, the League has reached its greatest territorial extent, although there have been some losses in the east brought on by Persian revival and Mesopotamian revolt. There are still centuries of greatness ahead for the Greeks, but the Time of Troubles lies ahead, as ambitious Greeks in Egypt seek to break away as an independent great power, as Gallic kings seek to extend their power, and Persians see opportunity…
Bruce