Articles of the Current(Ætas ab Brian)
From Alternative History
History of Rome-After Ætas ab Brian (Ætas ab Brian)
[edit] 2192(1439)
[edit] On Rome
[edit] City Layouts
Still basically adhering to ancient layouts, most Roman cities are square and have a planned and rigid maximum population, the alloted time for heavy transportation of goods in the streets was moved from the opening hours of morning to the peripherals of the lunch hours to avoid both having noisy motors waking up the residents and clogging pedestrian traffic. Few cities were built with walls after the Menguren Wars, though a similar effect still presides. Business towers and heavy industry are kept to the edges of the city while parks, bathhouses, plazas, and subdivisions are at the centre, this also helps dissuade overpopulation. Some cities have also moved administrative buildings to the outer limits but this hasn't really seen any large change in how the city runs.
Because of the fixed populations and low-rise city centres (no building within 1 kilopes of the centre may be taller than 4 stories), suburbs don't really exist in the Empire. Virtually every home in a city is an apartment; apartment buildings occupy the outer to mid-centre areas of cities. A strict contrast between urban and rural.
To say that you lived in sub urbanus, most would interpret that as meaning you lived in a basement (substruxisolum). Though, as not all nations design like the Romans, there are cities designed not much different from OTL.
Without suburbs, there is less alienation and isolation between neighbours, however, those that cannot deal with the large crowds and constant Human contact then have to either move out, crack up, or pursue such actions that gain them the attention of the vigils or the unamed government(?) programme that concerns itself with excessively socio/psychopathic individuals (see Control, Management, and Popularity). With Rome's considerable concentration on order and peace within its cities, to some extent they have coersed their section of Humanity to develop better interpersonal skills.
Due to the largest towers being on the periphery of cities, once subways (metroscurr) arrived around 2116(1363), they soon became vital in the commercial fields for shipping across the city. Business and industrial subway trains run on the same track systems as the residentials so that faster trains and more direct routes between city edges can be made.
On average, a residential city block holds 700+50 people.
Following the Amplus Arma city populations began to grow despite the deterrance of the city maximum, resulting in some cities being allowed to expand (though the zoning laws for the new sections were still enforced), building a second outer wall and further opening up the old one. Soon however city walls became obscelete and discontinued. Expanding a city was a worrysome action because the civil engineers wanted to keep city dependence on food imports down to 20%. In the largest cities of course this wasn't going to happen.
Cemetaries were always built beyond city limits.
Sidewalks are usually 170centipes(50cm) above the road, and at intersections (roundabout-like designs since the start of the 22nd century have begun gaining popularity) there were raised pedistal stones for crossers. By the late 21st century these had become lower speed bumps.
Architecture and art media throughout time has experienced the emergence of new styles while also cycling through previous forms with modern influences.
[edit] The City
A synonym with 'world city', Roma had been increasingly referred to as simply The Capital or The Senate. At least until the 2210's(~1460's) when 'Romanis Urbanum' suddenly became the most frequent almost overnight.
Some other world cities or 'Lesser Romes' of the empire included
- Londinium
- Byzantium
- Babylon
- Unalacius (approx New York)
- Otacilium (approx New Orleans)
- Tecustra (approx Miami)
- Germanica Aztecum (Mexico City)
- Ora Campesto (approx Sao Paulo)
- Xavantium (approx Macapá)
[edit] Multiculturalism
Rome officially and by the citizenry tolerated foreign cultures to a point. Roman social engineers (a possibility with a less democratic nation) in each region worked to combine the greatest parts of each native culture with Roman culture. This had a regional effectiveness range as it can be imagined as a translucent purple cloth of Roman culture covering bulges or pillars of other cultures, creating a culture-mix gradient surrounding the region. Notable culture mixes included: Arabic, Zulu, Indian, Celtic, Teutonic, Aztecae, North Terranovan and Asia Australis Aboriginal, Inuit, Greek, Egyptian, and Gallic. With the first radio and television shows emanating from the capital, this 'purple cloth' began to thicken and for the most part seemed to absorb all remnance of these old cultures in a relatively short 100 years. Rome's border forts and broadcasts also effectively spread at least an understanding of Roman culture to many other nations.
Before mass electric communication, Roman culture decidedly had an inherent weakness; certain cultural traits from new conquests and explorations greatly enthralled the populace as short fads, but some of the cultures (such as India's) tended to have lasting effects which eventually became a solid part of modern Roman culture.
All native languages are permitted, but all government and extra-regional establishments operate in Latin or Greek.
In music, the popularities of the Asian provinces' became the backbone for modern music during the 12th and 13th centuries AUC. A staff form evolved that could most easily be compared to OTL Byzantine staffs - though this contemporary music was much less focused on the slow chanting rhythms OTL would be familiar with, the note designs are understandably less complex and are stubbier. As time passed only subtle changes emerged and by the time contact with the Tang had been made near the beginning of the 16th century, the form of Western music had solidified and was rather cumbersome in translating far eastern sounds and rhythms-though they were still popular. The music naturally spread with Rome's colonists to the other continents, sometimes supplanting or just coinciding with the natives' forms.
An inconsequential list of some songs (named in English) popular in the late 22nd century:
- Put Your Hands Up One More Time
- Don't Forget About The Clock
- Wall Of Broken Writing
- Shadowing You
- All Bad Things Come To An End
- Chasing Beautiful Girls
- Alexandros Is Lonely
- Sorry I'm Yours
- One More Journey
- The Zombie
- Everything You Chase
- When You Were Starlight
- Where Your Love Crashes And Burns
- Hey We'll Rock Ya
- Long Live The Songs
As for Rome's holidays, whow, don't go there, they have more holidays than you could handle. Some are new(er) like the celebrations for Genghis' death, some are ancient like the March 1st new year, some are borrowed (Gowri Habba) or distorted like Zhongqiuji from the Nanchao. It is now a cake-baking festival, but you know, Romans love to party. Romans tend to push their birthdays back to the nearest holiday too.
Roman televisum shows both live action and Animum Lineamentumi(animated), called seriae, tend to be either quite short (30 episodes or less) or very long (300+) wherein they become known as annosariae. Usually the seriae have a new episode every month, and the annosariae every week. Annosariare normally come into existence by developing from a super popular seriae that never had a solid main story plot. There are still seriae that are just as popular but do not continue on TV.
[edit] Modern Military
Glomero; 10 000 legionaries led by a Dux -first developed in 1748(995) for Project Hadrian.
Legio; 1000 legionaries led by a Legate
Cohort; 500 legionaries led by a Primus Pilus
Century; 100 legionaries led by a Centuriae
Only those who have served the military for 3 years may own and operate a single handed firearm. Those who have served for 10+ years may additionally own and operate any long/automatic weapons. Functional rockets, flamethrowers, and missiles are restricted to active military personnel only, under any conditions.
In the earlier days of the empire, the military was effective at learning and adopting new tactics and weapons from its enemies, even defeated ones. In the later years when the empire had grown to its massive optimum this policy was only occasionally seen in action.
[edit] Religions
In earlier times the Roman pantheon and its priesthood could cause sway in the government, later, as new religions were encountered and accepted in the interests of peace, this influence faded. The Roman gods for the most part became simple tools of the state, their temples becoming government run agencies like any other. Various expansions in political powers of the citizens over time also served to further separate temple and state.
[edit] Control, Management, and Popularity
Although conspiracy theories are as common as the newspaper and hair-salon gossip, a few of them are quite true but successfully ignored. One of importance is the unnamed programme which concerns itself with sterilising, isolating, or disposing of excessively socio/psychopathic persons considered not worth therapy. There are a lot of people who do not go to therapists for just this fear, but a lot of them are identified anyways. The programme is considered important by its directors in its perceived role in helping society progress in civility.
Among Rome's greatest popularity winners were its efficient infrastructure and the relative ease of a comfortable lifestyle.
With a long history of anti-corruption laws being passed and playing their part in maintaining the Empire's longevity, Rome has managed to keep its corruption around an equivalent of a 6 on the OTL Corruption Perceptions Index for much of its history.
Another contributing factor to Rome's health in the late industrial period was the government's earlier use strong centralised control of large-scale industry and media.
While Rome has many democratic tendencies, a full democratic format has always been avoided as it has been feared to be far too reactionary to be competent; not something that could survive in the long-term on a grand scale.
[edit] Governance
Following Marcus Aurelius' all around poor descision in appointing his son as emperor, and his son's eventual removal, the senate was able to pass laws on the appointment of Cæsars. These sturdy laws of succession would prevent (most of the time) the rise of emperors who exceeded only at promoting themselves and making friends in high places. Weak Cæsars were shown time and again to directly weaken the empire, though eventually with the growth of buracracy and the powershift more in the Senate's favour, the chances for a bad emperor causing actual trouble subsided.
Most overseas Cæsarian provinces (those not in Europe or Asia Minor) were governed by promagistrates instead of regular magistrates because there were more government officials with the requirements to pick from. Promagistrates were given a higher level of autonomy to deal with situations as needed, but also served shorter terms and were subject to greater scrutiny.
[edit] The Thing About Expanding In Europe
Rome had an inordinate difficulty expanding in Europe after the 3rd century due just as much to the mountains, forests, and marauders as the emerging native nations. No plan of conquest as great as Hadrian's for Scandia emerged by the time Rome officially lost all interest in European expansion in the late 18th century.
[edit] Economy
With the implementation of procura(bank notes) in the late 18th century, Rome followed Sinica's lead in making them freely convertable to preset amounts of gold. This was a precarious position as at times the government did not have all the gold nessessary should large numbers of people exchange their procura, and so often in recessions and wars the paragrotus auraria was suspended until their conclusion. The World War One was the last time Rome revoked the gold standard, and as of 2192 it had still not resumed.
[edit] Muscovite Industry and Agriculture
Prior to its joining the P.A.B. the Muscovite Empire was a heavily agrarian and peasant based nation. With its joining, Sinican machinery and knowledge brought the empire up to a competable power in world politics. The Czars were enthusiastic in accepting Sinican advancements out of their own curiosity, not knowing that it would help solidify the P.A.B's social policies. With the death of Xun Zedong and the subsequent victory of the economist/social engineer political powers, the reformed P.A.B. greatly accelerated Muscovy's industrialization. Now relying on the support of factory and shop workers, the socialist policies of the P.A.B could operate with fewer inequities. Had the Muscovites remained agrarian, it would not have been too long before a schism formed over how different the life of a farmer and worker are.
[edit] State of Africa
Africa (excluding southern Africa) in this 22nd century could be considered to be in better shape than *here*, this would be because of 2 reasons:
with Rome's weakened religious zeal, and the massive tolerance of religions, African culture was confused by a myriad of foreign religions instead of being crushed by one unyieldingly powerful one. This allowed some native African religions and cultures to become modified rather than wiped out. This indirectly lightened the slave trade somewhat. Most people became slaves through spoils of war or simple hard times, Africa was not spared a huge amount, but every bit helps. Unfortunately the Amplus Arma caused this slightly 'good bit' to be overshadowed by the intense need for free labour in the war.
The other reason for a slightly more stable Africa was the fact that instead of being invaded by a myriad of empires speaking different languages competing against each other, it was invaded by a single empire. Without the competition between equals, Roman colonization of Africa was slow and never encompassed the whole continent. Leaving more of Africa independent (aside from some who where ensnared by treaties, language, culture domination and such) let more native countries develop more naturally and so, more stable. Simbabus and Monotopai will always have much greater trouble with anti-governmental (and noticeably not religious based fanatics) forces, and these forces spread their anger and influence to the surrounding southern and central Africa.
Working against Africa's development was global warming. Hundreds of years of increasing drought and sand storms had basically burned the core of Africa bleached bone dry, with the few nations already developed having no want for the useless lands. Disease-ridden floods in the more tropical areas didn't help either.
So in the end, Africa is a bit less violent in this timeline. Basically because of 'less' interference from Rome and greater tolerance of ideas and religions.
[edit] State of Nihonia
After the Nihonian Empire's defeat and subsequent dismemberment, the home islands supported several Roman garrisons in Cynoto and other major cities. With the forming of the Concilium Mundi coalition forces, Roman Centuries were replaced by coalition Centuries; both to perpetuate the influence of the west on Nihonia, but also to protect the country once revolutionary Xun Sinica formed the P.A.B. The resident coalition forces heavily ingrained western ideals of republicanism and education into the nation, giving Nihonia's culture a revitalization. This also, however, created conservative anti-western political entities which would cause problems for the C.M. once the P.A.B. decided to entice them into action, resulting in a web of political intrigue that would bring the civilized world the closest it had yet been to a second world war.
By population and area, Nihhon had the 3rd most wide spread cultural impact after Rome and Sinica.
[edit] State of Slavery
The Miasmata itself came close to setting slavery on the undeniable track to abolishment, though an Empire can rarely be called benevolent. The Miasmata brought about an improvement of lifestyle for slaves no one saw coming. With the revitalization of the Empire, the abolitionists' movement continued to lose steam, but many had hoped that before its total collapse slavery could be beaten.
The wars with Nihonia defeated this dream, slaves were sorely needed in South Terranova to build runways and forts, drive supply extrudotrusi and forest clearing scutrudatori, and work terrible conditions in hastily expanded factories to meet production needs while Legionaries fought invisible enemies and filled the forests with ammunition and poison gas. Slaves also accounted for almost a quarter of fatalities in the Nihonian South Terranova War, and only the survivors remembered those that died. The only hope now for slavery was with the booming industrial/space age, where machines did the work 100 times faster, finer, and cheaper than any ill-be-gotten slave.
Once slavery becomes obsolete however, it is then the question of whether it will ever actually be abolished, making its denizens not just people who inhabit the Empire, but are actually a part of it. Social changes are still required, for a slave without work is still a slave and a slave without work dies in the trader cells. With slavery world-wide, Human Rights cannot go forward in the Concilium Mundi's Articles.
On the 'brighter side', there are far fewer recalls and insurance claims regarding unforeseen (or unannounced) side effects of pharmaceuticals. Population booms were also subdued by automations and the continued presence of slaves, making large families unnecessary in most cases.
Because of the lack of universal Human rights, experiments regarding psychological development and reactions were common, especially between the 1800s and late 2000s, allowing a greater understanding of the brain's functioning to better effect treatments for mental/developmental illnesses. This also however, increased the factors of mind control in architectural designs, environmental settings, and prisons. With greater social funding some cities have been able to greatly reduce the rates of both crime and homelessness.
During and following the corporate rise the line between that of a slave and that of a very poorly paid and treated worker started getting very blurry. As the corporations grew in strength in the early 23rd century slavery could be said to have revived.
[edit] Space Weapons
In the 22nd century, the term 'space weapons' in non-fiction was completely limited to the numerous nuclear missile satellites and conventional anti missile missile satellites/ gravel ejecting satellites in orbit (usually synchronous above their own country because of the precariousness of nations' 'air space'). Directed energy weapons had yet to be perfected for military use in any context and so, there still had yet to be a space craft with a weapon system. The main interest in developing laser weapons was for destroying hostile missiles; anti-matter and fusion power were still high-fund lab experiments; rail guns' electronic magnets were still very power hungry and cumbersome. Plasma and ion engines were still in the early phases of testing as propulsion devices until the 2180's(1426+).
During the Muscovite Secession Wars 2163(1410)-2173(1420), the PAB nuclear missiles ordered by General Biyu Fu to strike the rebel cities of Polsts and Vitsta were unpropelled with the exception of correcting thrusters. Their parent satellites calculated the optimum time to drop them on the target.
[edit] Off Planet Colonies
Soon after their foundings (>2164(1411)), the colonies on Mars in particular began suffering from delusions of nativity(usage 1). Once the Ice Age Crisis occurred, they began to socially distance themselves from Earth, hoping that the corrupt, bureaucratic, and backwards civilisations would all die out so that they could restart a proper Humanity. Obviously these opinions were rarely voiced. Independence movements throughout the late 2190's to the 2210's(1445-60) gained support as people on Earth continued to focus on the environmental and economic problems while both neglecting and restraining the Mars colonies.
With the empire break up and Sinican expansion of autonomy, the Mars colonies were granted greater independence as well, and for a while the independents lost interest when it seemed they wouldn't be the restart of Humanity. It's not like they ever had to pay taxes or anything.
Most of CMAS' Mars and Moon training was performed in east-central Parthia.
[edit] Technological Development
Not long after the year 1000 CE, the Empire entered a mental era that the Senate and People of Rome were, 'an ancient and Earth-encompassing empire'. This could have resulted in 2 outcomes: One was that the empire could have become complacent in its invincibility. They other, and obviously the correct outcome, was that the memories of fragility from the Germanicvs/Octavivs Civil War and the even more distant Miasmata had yet to be totally forgotten by History. The long established Antonivs Dexpiscorari Academia kept the empire from technological stagnation, and Rome's protection of the Middle East from the Mongols also spared the science of the Islamic Nation from a destructive blow it could not hope to recover from.
In going too far to make up for its losses, the Romans embraced technology and its primarily military applications as a way to shatter most of the long-time barriers to expansion.
In circumspection, neighbouring 'barbarian' nations were forced to either match and try to surpass Roman advances (a prospect very few could industrially or economically support) or to submit to Roman rule/influence.
With the Praetorius Procuris (later the Praetorius Foederii) covertly ensuring loyalty, countries offering allegience in order to get a hold of this tech to turn about against the Senate had little hope of success without world-wide problems like the Miasmata and serious civil war to cover their actions.
In short, with the world spending so much less time milling about in Gunpowder and Enlightenment Ages, the Earth still has more resources available regardless of their earlier discovery and application in comparison to OTL.
Project Zeno, beginning in 1650(897) saw a revitilisation to the empire's development. The prosperity following the project's considerable success brought about a new wave of urbanisation, industrial development, and population growth. Within as little as 30 years, many cities were becoming overpopulated that were originally projected to remain stable for decades, the population levels lost to the Miasmata were almost restored by the early 18th century. The number of cities in the empire nearly doubled, some built specifically for the purpose of industrial production or as 'bedroom communities'. As a result of the unaddressed population growth, disease and squalor began to threaten the rise of another great plague. Notable outbreaks included the Plague of Londinium (1655(902)), the Plague of the East (1668-70(915-7)), and the Plagues of Northern Italia (1679-80(926-7)). Starting in 1684(931), Iosephus Basijet, a septic engineer from Germania Inf., revolutionised the septic systems of cities empire-wide, greatly improving sewage management and design principles with thorough treatment plants using the newest of chemicals and the expansion of the sewer networks. Initially applied in new cities, older cities' systems would renovate over time. Basijet's improvements potentially saved the empire from the feared disease.
In the timeline technologies described are usually soon in public circulation, but often around 20 years are required before the technology is so prevalent that it is taken for granted.
By the mid 19th century AUC (start of the 12th CE) however, development had begun to slow. As it appeared that the mentality that 'everything had been invented' was gaining popularity, some cities closed their patent offices for just that reason. In OTL, the increasing tension between the European powers and WWI kept things going, whereas *there* the war and competition was greatly delayed in comparison to territory expansion and technology. The Menguren Wars (1938(1185)-1986(1233)) could have motivated sooner advancements had the Menguren been more modern minded in their campaigns. They were a grave concern for Rome, but as at most the Menguren used dragoon contingents and a few canna, money was better spent on existing and reliable weapons and techniques. The Menguren's insistence on individual warrior merit against the Romans' perfect willingness to sit behind a sand bag with a pilium didn't sufficiently match up.
The space race unfortunately would stall and fail to carry Humans off on a utopian hayride to the stars. Three factors were the main causes; the The Muscovite Secession Wars hurt the PAB and forced a relocation of resources, allowing the CMAS to relax; the Ice Age Crisis brought about an era of chaos which nearly shut the space programmes down; and the constant attrition, terrorism, and wars mostly by corporations greatly taxed the nations of Earth.
[edit] The Vaposcvrr
The particulars of the steam engine, despite its potential use in any number of fields, was a highly kept secret among engineers and constructors for centuries. It gave Rome a massive advantage over other nations and it was considered inadvisable to allow the knowledge to spread. Another advantage of the train network was that it took a centralised authority, high education, industrial capacity, and clear land to maintain; making most nations for some time incapable of using the technology to its full extent.
[edit] Success of the Antonivs Dexpiscorari Academia
The Antonius Research Academies were one of the oldest federal institutions. For most of their history the organisation itself had its political influence restricted; active members could not hold any offices, but conversely, although the Senate and Cæsars could order a concentration on a particular field (such as during the Hun invasions) they usually could not restrict or ban research. ADA members could still vote, and many had their fields of research heavily influence their politics. As the Roman military evolved, it developed its own education systems as well. ADAs became the equivalent universities and the military academies became the equivalent colleges-the line between civilian and soldier was always blurred at the military colleges.
The ADA was created by Cæsar Antonivs in January of 892(139). It was a masterpiece of organisation and structure, building on the schools of Vaspatian and continuing those schools' approach to scientific advancement into the practical fields. As time passed, the ADA's became greatly regarded for their perfect combination of theory and practice, setting the pace for advancement in all areas from philosophy and psychology to weapons and medicine. With 1300 years of history, the ADAs continually demonstrated their ability to competently put taxpayers' money to uses that would technically or actually improve the Human condition. It was a magnet for inventors even into the more recent era where capitalising on one's own ideas seemed to becoming dominant.
The institutions churned out tens of thousands of highly educated and intelligent men and women each year which colloquially became known as Reguli/Regina e Respublicai.
The magistri of the numerous ADAs met variously in conferences and meetings yearly discussing anything from budget reports to collaboration projects. A few notable ADA heads included:
- Pedanius Kaeso Archippos; Sparta; ADA head 894(141)-900(147); specialising in medicine
- Claudius Bes Messor; Alexandria; 915(162)-921(168); specialising in astronomy
- Aelius Claudius Levon; Pergamum; 938(185)-944(191),944(191)-950(197); specialising in medicine
- Aurelius Riad Pantheras; Ragus; 1806(1053)-1810(1057); specialising in physics
- Basus Karamka Antonius; Tosacum; 2142(1389)-2148(1395); specialising in law
The ADA budget rarely ever encountered a decrease (an example being the Argentium Dementis depression in 1929(1176)), normally its budget was on a slow rise. Never before the Ice Age Crisis had the ADAs had to deal with a substantial cut in funds. Both the initial cuts to deal with the crisis and the fragmentation of the ADA society with the empire's break up caused a near crippling of the entire scientific community which the rest of the world had difficulty to fill. This was because for so long Rome had been the almost singular beacon of development, and that every nation was suffering critically from the environmental catastrophe. Sinica, always a close second, was not exempt or treated any lighter by the Ice Age. The Human rights declarations in Sinica was to their research establishments' detriment, but research deemed important to the Sinican government was easily exempted.
The Technocrats of the Second Republic of Europe did little to help the situation. With their constricting of people's rights and descent into totalitarianism, they were perhaps the last blow to guarantee the end of Europe's millennia in the sun.
Because of the long lamely state of slavery, a very large portion of Roman industry, agriculture, and production has been automated for quite some time.
[edit] The Society for Civilised Progress
The Society for Civilised Progress was a Roman academician organisation that independently formed shortly after the beginning of the Zeno Renovation (1227(474)-1244(491)). It's aims were to promote academic discovery and sharing of knowledge and functioned as an ancillary support of both the ADAs and independent inventors and experimentalists. It made monetary contributions but was also featured prominently in the discussions of new and emerging fields of research. The Society's partiality for free information made it continuously subject to suspicion by the Senate and guilds until the early 1500's(750+) when many engineering and technological secrets of the empire were finally allowed to the public. Membership prerequisites included being a Roman citizen (although by the 1800's(1060's) a very limited number of foreign members were included) and being invited and elected into the Society by its existing members.
[edit] The Computactor
A marvel of advancement just like in any timeline it appears, however, due to the high funding of the space programmes (requiring virtually no at-home application research) and the weak position of capitalism, high quality graphic and sound cards developed slowly and were only readily accessible to aeronautical and military outfits. As a result, one would not see a Crysis or even a Quake I until the late 1400's.
The development of integrated circuits in the mid 2110's(1361+) quickly led to computer-integrated manufacturing techniques, leading to exponential increases in productivity. The agriculture industries, feeling the growing inefficiency of slavery and needing a boost in increasingly poor crop weather, also enthusiastically applied computer technologies.
Dyo (binary) is the code system for computactors, their basic unit of information storage being the 'cav', increasing with bases of ten.
[edit] The Rest of the World
Rome was the veritable beacon of intellect for many many centuries, much of its everyday technology was not beyond the scope of the barbarians, merely beyond their industrial and educational capacity. Analysts rarely had a homogeneous position of whether Rome was fast to advance or the world was slow to follow. Safe to say though that public opinion in Rome leaned to the latter even after the empire's break up. Many technological advancements were kept secret at various levels throughout its history, ranging from top secret community planning methods to the restricted specifics of the steamwheel. By the 22nd century however, increased globalisation, greater freedom of information, and expanding trade markets had given many countries the capacity to advance quickly to first world levels if their leaders had the initiative.
This rise in free information allowed for the formation of the Moles Belli Ostento Transversarium Nationem in Rome in 1907(1154). It was a yearly exhibit, funded mostly by the Magastratus Arma, to superfluously show off current and pending military vehicle and weapon technology, concept designs, antiques, and military history. In Rome's tradition of militarism it was commonly attended by a majority of civilians but also by military-contracted manufacturers both from within and without the empire. Civilian booths also existed, advertising customised or entirely original weapons and concepts. Occasionally sister shows were held in other cities.
These shows were often criticised by various local elements for exposing, if not the technicalities, the tactical secrets of Rome's military. Other nations also called the shows haughty and self-promoting; however, after centuries of supremacy and perceived virtual invincibility, the Magisterium believed the shows, permitting foreign audiences and maintaining great security, acted as a beneficial deterrent to potential threats. Possibly they were right, possibly not.
[edit] Post-Nihonian Wars of South Terranova
Soon After the defeat of Nihonia in South Terranova, their south Terranovan provinces were broken up and mostly left to their own devices (unlike the careful and planned programmes in use in Nihonia's former Asian territories), they fought amongst themselves and with the still surviving native kingdoms sporadically. When the P.A.B. came around, the instability of the continent flared up as P.A.B. spies and saboteurs incited rebellions and coups. Corporate conspiracies had an even greater effect, and as a result most of the post-Nihonian states are nominally totalitarian but still claim to be republics.
[2069-73(1316-1320) Dyapapaka vs. Chachapoyas Kingdom
Chachapoyas had access to vast amounts of Natrium Mephitbioxis (Sodium Nitrate) mines in the Desert Ri-ikana, a key ingredient in fertilizers, explosives, and rocket propellants. As a result, Chachapoyas was becoming one of the most prosperous exporter countries in South Terranova. Dyapapaka had very few mines in comparison, and argued that in the post Amplus Arma border negotiations, Dyapapaka got gypped. First attempting to reach an agreement from June to August in the CM forums, Dyapapaka declared war on the Kingdom. Chachapoyas was on the defensive until '71 when a major naval victory was won and admiral Yukarao Konuma made a successful midnight raid on Dyapapaka's main naval port, destroying the majority of Dyapapaka's ships that had retreated for repairs. Nearing the middle of 2072(1319) Dyapapaka was losing but it was painfully slow and both were convinced to return to the CM forums to negotiate. A truce was reached in 2073 with the signing of the Treaty of Toshirima. The Chachapoyas was given some reparations from Dyapapaka and the borders were reexamined but not changed. Dyapapaka lost out, but it didn't much matter. In early '73 a Germanian ADA developed artificial Natrium Mephitbioxis and within 10 years the Chachapoyas Kingdom entered a serious recession and the Ri-ikana was mostly abandoned.]
As New Found Land became Newfoundland ('Newfinland'), Terra Nova became Terranova ('Turnova')
[edit] Vehicles
Up to the 21st century, few Romans owned motorized vehicles because of the massive transportation infrastructure the Empire maintained. With the demilitarized centre of the empire progressively expanding, civilian vaposcurr rails soon parallelled virtually all roads, connecting virtually all cities. With the introduction of the city-owned petra oleum extrudotrusi (and later trollies, metros and eventually maglevs) in sprawling cities, workers rarely had a need to have their own extrudotrusi to take them to their office towers at the edges of their cities. Parks and other public areas were often close to residential blocks anyways.
Up to the Ice Age, there were a multitude of different personal vehicle companies, producing a myriad of designs and concepts (especially axels and suspensions); but on the whole Roman cars:
- seem rather large and bulky, less aerodynamic
- have very rigid frames
- mostly lack speed limiters
- have manually adjusted high-beams
- a laterally rear mounted engine-rear wheeled drive (and often using a rotary engine design)
- white or grey tyres (as Aluminum Silicate or Calcium Carbonate tended to be used for rubber reinforcing instead of Carbon, a simply arbitrary development)
- terrible fuel economy
- higher emissions than you'd think the Pruddai(hippies) would have accepted
- a few vehicles are left side driver, requiring a special licence
In the 22nd century, most still did not own a personal extrudotrusi. Vaposcurr, magnescurr, and metroscurr are the primary civilian transports. Heavy extrudotrusi are used for in-city mass deliveries, but they are still only permitted on the streets at mid-day, to avoid interfering with the civilian migration to-and-from work places.
Extrudotrusi were also less widespread as the first advanced assembly line was specifically developed for the Nihonian War and a civilian application to popularise the extrudotrusi was not realised for many decades.
By the 23rd century, the ratio of those who hadn't cars or motorcycles (excurrusai) to those who did went from Most to Many- owing to the development of Africa under the influence of the corporations and the fact that people in the most populous cities were undeniably getting fat and preferred an air-conditioned, enclosed vehicle over taking a trolley, bicycle, or walking.
Virtually all city vigiles(police) have their drivers licence and access to a vehicle capable of high speed pursuit, but super highways are relatively uncommon, and narrow.
Were you dropped in on this timeline at this time, you would see cars with technology from the OTL 50's and 60's in a world where there are people living permanently on Mars and the Moon. Classic unbalanced development? Or is it OUR timeline that is developing lopsided? ;D
Due to the tight grip on companies, automotive businesses in the Roman world were small but as a result, more numerous. Though each manufacturer had perhaps 10-30 models (as opposed to OTL's +60) there were more companies to make up a proportionality. This changed with the Ice Age Crisis however, as many companies atrophied or went bankrupt. Those that managed to get themselves bought out by Corporations fared much better. Eventually virtually all aspects of the automotive industry became greatly standardised by the effort of the Corporations in order to make manufacture cheaper. The end results were many models but all of which actually varied only in aesthetics. The number of vehicle companies dwindled while the 'same structure, different face' trend would continue for an indefinite time.
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In the Empire, the legal driving age varies between 17-19 years, whereas no province had a drinking age above 14 before the children of the Pruddai started "rebelling" at the start of the 22nd century. Some provinces set their drinking ages as high 18 during this period.
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Semi-truck type vehicles (the Romans call it a gravie tractor) really find popularity only outside of Rome, in places where roads are more common than rails.
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Most cargo aircraft are Navifluitare (dirigibles), there was luckily no Hindenburg-type disaster before it was required by law to use non-flammable substances in the cells. Personal and commercial flights are mostly fixed-wing. Navifluitare cruises have been popular since the late 1680's AUC, sea cruises have been going on since the 1860's AUC.
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The vast majority of modern sea craft use screw propellers instead of OTL conventional 2-4 bladed ones.
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In Rome only the newer and most backwater roads were made of mumiya bigad (asphalt) rather than concrete.
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With the growing popularity of motorized vehicles in the late 22nd century, horse racing has been pushed aside to the 'richman's indulgence' entertainment sector by growing interest in excurrusai (motorcycle) racing.
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Throughout the world, vehicles' exteriors, interiors, and mechanics have a tendency to be highly personalised and stylised, implemented either by dealerships or the the vehicle's owners.
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In Rome, speed limits for personal vehicles have always been much lower than OTL to reduce accidents - the clashing safety features of vehicles following different standards (preceding the Ice Age Crisis) was a serious hazard.
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OTL vehicle types such as sedans, station waggons, minivans, SUVs, etc. are understandably not solidly present. There are things like van-like convertibles and roadsters, station waggon-like SUV looking things, and vans that have liftbacks. Some cars are terribly terribly ugly by OTL standards.
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The closest thing to Formulae One racing originated in Nihhon in the early 21st century, where it is called Sayashinga (Siliqo Lapithae in the Latin world). The tracks are normally use already existing twisting, narrow mountain roads.
[edit] Just What is the Concilium Mundi all About Anyways?
The CM was formed in 2067(1314) between Rome and the Nanchao Sinica after the Amplus Arma as an international organisation to peacefully prevent future armed violence between nations. It was designed to encompass as many members as required to facilitate diplomatic negotiations. Unfortunately, just 22 years after the Concilium Mundi's formation, Sinica itself fell to a radical revolutionary government and the CM proved incapable of reaching a peaceful agreement. Rome was forced to decide to either abandon the idea or take up the slack left by Sinica's departure. Understanding that a single national entity cannot control a planet, Rome decided to keep backing the Concilium Mundi and the CM was permitted more power in order to do its job, including the control of a mobile coalition military in 2091(1338) to enforce peace where it was needed.
2094(1341) is generally the year agreed to be the point where the CM began being able to actually do its job.
As the decades progressed and the coldwar developed, the CM's power and responsibility (as well as its autonomy) grew through to the late 22nd century until it would be perfectly true to say the 'Concilium' was in fact a 'Foederiolis'. The CM was now also tasked with opposing the spread of the P.A.B's power. This was a hamper on prospective new members but overall, CM members and CM territories were contented and domestically independent enough. The CM has been deemed a success in preventing war, the only place it consistently failed was in Africa where the nations tended to fight within themselves as much as neighbouring countries, including CM coalition troops attempting to restore regional order. Rome enforced that the CM had no control over the Praetorius Foederiolis and had no secret service as that would be against the CM's principle for an open council of nations. By the 2180's(1427+) The CM was near totally independent of Roman control, and so when the ice age arrived, the CM was less troubled than it could have been had the Romans been able to manipulate the CM in a feeble attempt to aide in the empire's survival. The PAB was close to direct Sinican control and so encountered some stifling influence, though it was not a hopeless situation and Sinica did not break up.
Several nations (most notably Sinica) declared that the start of the 23rd century was the point at which the CM went bad, this defined by the blundering and confusion encountered in the Maia nations that were being body-snatched by corporations.
[edit] Corporations
The idea of Abadse (Capitalism) took comparatively longer to gain popularity without a feudalist base for company owners to work from. Also, without a long world-wide depression, they were unable to extend their influence as far into governments.
A corporation in Roman law is not a legal entity unto itself. During the rise of industrialization, politicians of all levels realised the potential for such a body in making massive profits and influencing all manner of government procedures while eliciting no personal blame, for any occurrence, on any of those owning it. The Senate came near to voting for this idea in the early 1800's but upon further deliberation, the senators also realised the possibility for any one person to rise in personal power allow those not of Senator material was quite high. One free-man citizen born in a lowly backwater could rise up and smite the heads of Rome theirself. Thus government officials were banned from coalescing into political parties to pool their resources to push one person above others up onto the Senate floor where he would then pay them back with lucrative deals. Athens' direct democracy seemed the only alternative to how the Republic operated, and having hundreds of millions of plebs choosing their leader was almost as frightening as the one corporate individual destroying and usurping the world.
This did not stop all other nations from making the law though, as long as the corporations stayed within their home nation, Rome could care less if they were owned by a company rather than a politician.
Planned Obsolescence first came into regular use during the rise of the corporations (2179(1426)-2187(1434)) though it was a cautious introduction and was only ever in full force in Africa where the markets were less developed. Obsolescence when used correctly greatly extended the life of its users' companies in the short term. Prior to this in the Roman world it was considered simply good business practice to make products that could last the life of its buyer even though it was not as profitable.
In nations being 'assimilated' by corporations, initially the corp would be selling high quality products at reasonable prices, either to compete with other corps for control or for general promotion. Once monopoly was secured (if other corps didn't interfere too much), they would proceed to make the lowest quality goods possible, selling the highest prices possible, paying the lowest wages possible. The best example would be vehicles in Khmer and Maialand in the mid-2190's(1437+), public transit was majorly downsized by the corp-govs in order for the people to become dependent on personal vehicles. In Africa public transportation was a rare amenity to begin with so the corporations' vehicles were also good examples.
Consumerism in an OTL sense emerged after WWI when the assembly line began seeing civilian applications, however it was not until the rise of corporate influences that advertising and consumerism began to grow in obnoxious volumes.
One backlash experienced in countries with corporations has been the unorganised/unlead emergence of the Litigoscrotaria movement, where some citizens spend large portions of their lives and finances exacting compensation from the corporations for injuries/dissatisfactions sustained during the use of the corp's products or services. Where the judges could not be directly influenced, the corporations were forced to hire their own lawyers, making places like Patagonia, the Mali Empire, and the UAR hot spots for ambitious lawyers.
Not all corporations are so sociopathic in their pursuits of profit, some have positive ideals and see the legal corporation as a way to cross national and ethnic borders to bring employment, good-natured competition, humane treatment, and prosperity to everyone. These corporations were small and although they usually worked together, they often had to compromise some of these ethics, making deals with the darker corps in order to survive against the PAB/CM anti-corporate agencies AND the ambitions of the other corporations. In the IL these corporations advocated negotiation and diplomacy when the regulars planned terrorism and subterfuge, but they were not significant.
[edit] Job Migration
Before the rise of corporations in the 2180's(1427+) manufacturing jobs were pretty stable in their position. With the corporations' drive for cheapness and the increasing demand from globalisation, jobs began shifting; from Rome and Sinica's richer areas, they first moved to South East Asia and western Sinica; then to Africa in the 2200's(1447+). The attention Africa received from the shift was a deciding factor in its quick rise to prominence.
[edit] Stability of the Middle East
Obviously this is because of continued strong Roman rule and its protection of those provinces during the Menguren Wars. The coldwar began some trouble though.
The ADAs and independent scientists of Parthia and Mesopotamia were renowned as the foremost developers and manufacturers of optical equipment such as telescopes, binoculars, etc.
[edit] World Wonders
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not named in any order as of yet.
| name | was a(n).. | built | destroyed/current role | notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Oceanus Britannicus Defossa | tunnel connecting Belgica and Britannia | 1880-85(1127-32) | still in service | feat of contemptorary engineering, second tunnel built 1955(1202) |
| 2. | Genicus Turris Cuashia | telelexy tower in Faurijericos, Cuashium Confederation | 2102-06(1349-53) | abandoned 2193(1440) | tallest free-standing structure |
| 3. | Superturris Caesari | business tower in Avalit, Habasiah | 2106-09(1353-1356) | still in service | first true Skyscraper |
| 4. | Pyramids of Giza | set of ancient Egyptian Royal Burial monuments | -1897--1747(-2650--2500) | still recognisable | among the largest ancient constructions |
| 5. | Hanging Gardens of Semiramida | large terraced garden complex | 153(-600) | 653(-100) by an earthquake | advanced water circulation mechanisms, good bio-deversity |
| 6. | Statue of Zeus | massive deity statue, very ornate | 318(-435) | 1642(889) from the Germanicus/Octavius Civil war | largest statue of its time |
| 7. | Alfadur Ald’alzhar bridge | 203 kilopes(60km) bridge between the UAR's Sral al-Rashir constituent (Musandam penisulae) and Parthia's Aracia Island (Qeshm Island) | 2276(1523) | still in service | longest bridge ever built |
| 8. | Yan Dontingbey | dam built in Xun Sinica's Dontingbey province | 2106-25(1353-72) | still in service | the largest hydro-electric dam built |
| 9. | Frisii Murusi | network of dykes in Germania Ulterior | 2122-26(1369-73) | 2193(1440) by the world flood | largest dyke system ever built |
| 10. | Canalis Banaba | canal separating North and South Terranova | 2003-30(1250-77) | still in service | a monumentally difficult construction despite the short distance |
| 11. | Pacari no Yohsai | hidden refuge of the Chapapoyas royal family during the Quixil corporation's regime (2203(1450)-2214(1461)) | 2203(1450)-2205(1452) | now a historic destination spot | well designed, self sufficient, and fully hidden even from satellite observations |
| 12. | Temple of Artemis | the largest and fanciest temple dedicated to Artemis | 203(-550) | destroyed and rebuilt (though not always immediately) several times under several circumstances, currently a historic cultural destination | religious services performed only by pilgrimaging tourists, mostly a museum for Ephesus |
| 13. | Mausoleum at Halicarnassus | large tomb of Mausolus and Artemisia II in Anatolia | 400(-353) | deterioration and earthquakes, in ruins by 2150(1397) | an aesthetic triumph, parts often stolen from the premises and sold as collectibles |
| 14. | Colossus of Rhodes | large statue of Helios over 100 pes high (30m) | 473(-280) | earthquake in 527(-226) left the statue toppled | the fallen statue continues to be a historic destination |
| 15. | Pharos of Alexandria | a towering lighthouse at Alexandria, Ægyptus | 506(-247) | earthquake caused heavy damage in 2056(1303), repaired 2076(1323) | Continues to serve as Alexandria's lighthouse |
| 16. | Stonehenge | prehistoric monument in Belgae, Britannia | ~2347-1177 Antiveni Urbe Condita(~3100-1930 BCE) | still recognisable | mysterious feat of ancient construction talent |
| 17. | Great Wall | long series of walls in northern Sinica | ~533(-220) | very dilapidated and deteriorated by 2067(1314), most of remains destroyed in 2100(1347) by Xun revolution | longest fortified wall built |
| 18. | Sagar Mons | Earth's tallest mountain | cca. 60 000 000 BCE | originally thought to be the tallest mountain ever, now the sixth, people very disappointed in it | first scaled in 1949(1196) |
| name | was a(n).. | built | destroyed/current role | notes |
Colosseum not included as larger and more impressive ones have been built since its construction.
[edit] Major Languages
Latin is globally considered the language of law; geographically and by population it is the most widespread.
- Although the letters U in 1653(900); thorn (Þ,þ/th) in 1703(950); and J in 1824(1072) were developed, a single letter for the W has not been introduced, and when W sounds are encountered, they are either pronounced as Vs or 'qu'. An example being the Aboriginal tribe 'Odawa' being written and pronounced as 'Otaqua' by the Roman colonists and explorers.
Greek and Latin over the centuries had changed with time and conquest in terms of grammar, structure, etc. They also came closer together as the old west and east became more integrated; Latin adopted Greek words for greater vocabulary, and Greek adopted some Latin structure for simpler and wider understanding.
The Ab urbe condita year system grew in greater importance than the Consular year system in a long period between ~1270(517) and 1650(897) when reforms to the Senate gave it greater power in government. In modern times historic records have been researched and given their appropriate AUC dates. Dates before the founding of the Eternal City are usually numbered negatively as the acronyms are otherwise the same.
AUC has been adopted by most countries. It is the official calendar of the CM but there are nations part of the CM which domestically still follow their own calendars. In the PAB Sinica's calendar is official but the AUC calendar is used in international trade.
Nihonian is the second most widespread in geography but 3rd in population.
Zhongwen (Sinican) is a close third in geography but second in population.
[edit] Entirely Inconsequential Differences
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Seams on T shirts are usually on the sides rather than the top.
In the Roman world, 'patents' (more similar to royalties) for non-ADA members last 10 years, statistics and records are considered very important in this field. If there are no visible attempts to develop the technology for commercial public use by the inventor while at the same time trolling the patent, the patent is revoked by the Magistratus Ingenium and all rights are opened to both the ADAs and other inventors.
Much more Hellenistic literature has survived to be reprinted.
History of Rome-After Ætas ab Brian (Ætas ab Brian)
