Age of wonders (Orbis Romanum)
From Alternative History
Timeline: Orbis Romanum
January,10 42CE Alexandria
Pliny is already a famous scholar. He visits Hero in Alexandria bringing engineers with him. Hero's aeolipile is demonstrated. Roman engineers are delighted and do some experiments, one of them accidentally sealing the steam vents. The toy explodes, injuring the engineer but demonstrating the power of steam.
January,10 45CE Indus
Kujula Kadphises the king of Kusha is defeated in the great battle of Begram at the Indus. The king had intended to invade the Roman teritory of Bactria. He is now a prisoner, destined to feature in the next triumph in Rome. There are now 30 Roman legions in India, 60% of available manpower. Roman tactics includes the use of combined forces: foot soldiers, artillery, Persian cataphracts, light cavalry, archers. Roman generals skillfully use the internal divisions between Indian kingdoms to defeat them.
January,10 47CE Rome
Hero visits Pliny in Rome. He demonstrates his Heromobilium, a cart moving under steam power. It has a small boiler fired with wood. It can only move over a flat surface and is incredibly inefficient but it greatly delights Pliny. Roman engineers are called in and the first recorded brainstorming session takes place. The toy has an irresistable attraction for engineers and they start making copies with improvements.
April,5 50CE Athens
The Greek Philosopher Caltrix takes the first steps on the way to the decimal system after a visit to India. To demonstrate the power of his tool he calculates the number of water drops in all the oceans.
August,5 55CE Rome
The steam engine has been improved by Hero and Roman engineers. It now sports large copper cylinders and works at a higher pressure. A wooden track is laid along the Via Appia from the Forum to Aricia, a distance of some 30 kilometers. T^he toy will run on it and amuse the patricians.
July,1 56CE Rome
The Appian railway is an enormous success. The train is slower than the speed of a horse but the novelty attract many patricians. It becomes a badge of honor to be able to say "I traveled the Appian railway". The track will be extended to Anxur, 100 km from Rome. Farmers along the track complain that sheep and cows are frightened by the steam engine and stop giving milk.
September,7 60CE Rome
The rail network is steadily growing. Some tracks are built using iron tracks intended for iron-wheeled engines on a trial basis. The Via Appia is now paralleled with tracks all the way. President Germanicus is an enthusiastic supporter of railways. He was the first to travel the Appian Track all the way. He foresees tracks running to India and Germania. The rapid expansion of the track network is made possible by increased income from conquered nations. The treasury now has 500,000 talents flowing into its coffers every year. The Roman denarius has been deflated over the years increasing the relative wealth of Rome.
May,4 61CE Rome
The railway station of Rome gets a mechanical clock built by the master craftsmen of Rhodos. Water clocks used previously were not accurate enough. Patricians used to order a train to leave when it suited them. Now the station master can point to the schedule and the clock and order patricians to wait.
September,17 62CE India
The conquest of India is complete with the last Tamil kingdoms in the south surrendering. Roman legions are now standing at the Ganges river. Meanwhile on the border of Kush, Roman traders following a silk route encounter yellow men. This is the first contact between China and Rome.
December,1 62CE Athens
The Academy of Plato adds the mechanics of steam engines to its curriculum.
April,2 65CE Brittania
Brittania starts exporting coal. This is a much better fuel for steam engines than wood.
February,1 72CE Rome
A railway from Rome to Alesia is planned. Eventually the railway will run from Rome to the north of Germania.
June,19 73CE Caesarea
Roman engineers start building a railway from Caesarea in Israel to Ctesiphon in Parthia. The next stages will take the railway to the Indus, greatly improving control and communication.
June,19 73CE Appian railway
A specially designed steam tractor takes 1/50 of an hour to traverse a stretch of 10 stadia on the Appian Railway, reaching the incredible speed of 90 km/h. The steam engine was built by the famous engineers of Rhodos. There is an unoffocial competition going on between Athens, Rhodos and Alexandria in building the best steam engine. In spite of predictions passengers don't die from the speed. Record chasing now becomes a favorite pastime of rich patricians. All stations now have mechanical clocks.
August,21 77CE Alesia
The Rome-Alesia railway becomes operational, uniting Gaul with Rome as never before. Roman citizenship is now granted to Gauls and Belgae.
September,19 77CE Rome
Claudius Fermio opens a printing shop. He has invented a printing machine using wooden letters and ink to make large numbers of paper copies cheaply and quickly. Germanicus commissions him to print (what else?) De Bello Gallico by Julius Caesar.
June,1 79CE Rome
President Germanicus dies peacefully in his sleep at the age of 94. His adopted son Scipio automatically becomes president. The senate is pleased as the name Scipio is well remembered from antiquity.
April,22 82CE Rome
The first horseless carriage is manufactured in Rome by the inventor Aneas. The steam-driven vehicle puffs its way to the forum and causes the first motor accident in history by knocking down a slave who was paralyzed with fear when the monster approached.
May,9 83CE Caesarea
A steam-driven ship arrives in Caesarea from Rome in the record time of five days.
August,15 85CE Germania
The wild tribes of Germania take to civilization like a duck to water. In the university of Colonia Agripina the first zinc-carbon battery is produced. The cell is inefficient and polarizes quickly. Nevertheless when used in series several cells can produce an interesting spark. Within a year all universities will be examining the new field of electricity.
December,15 88CE Germania
Hermanus, a German scholar working with glass discovers the focusing property of lenses. Soon he has built the first telescope by mounting two lenses in a wooden frame.
February,5 91CE Rome
A traveler from China brings home some gray powder and the formula for making it, based an saltpeter. The powder burns fiercely when lighted. Universities are now researching electricity, chemistry, mechanical engineering and optics.
