"What If the Roman Empire Had Never Existed?" Topic

"The Roman Empire was a an incredibly large and powerful political and social entity. At its height, the empire covered most of Europe, all of North Africa and much of the Middle East. Its magnificent network of roads helped unify the areas under its control into a socially cohesive unit sharing one language and, later, one religion.

The barbarian invasions brought the western half of the Roman Empire to an end in 476 A.D., but the eastern half withstood the onslaught of the Religion of Peace until 1453 A.D., when the city of Constantinople, the so called "New Rome," was taken after a long and bloody siege. With the fall of Constantinople, the long and proud history of the Roman Empire came to an end…."
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Amicalement
Armand

We would all be speaking some form of Punic (a Semitic language) and sacrificing babies every so often, whenever things felt overwhelming.

Being a more capable maritime power, the New World might have gotten discovered centuries sooner and, after the disease exchange equalized somewhat, the Punic traders and conquerors would have made the most of it.

The modern African, American and Asian nations would be vilifying them for their own loses the same way they do with Spain, France, Britain etc. today.

Same play, different actors.

Dan

Rome wouldn't have defeated the Greek successor kingdoms and we'd probably be speaking a form of Greek since Latin would not have broken out of its little area of Latium. Greeks would have battled it out with Carthage a bit longer.

Of course we'd probably know a lot more about other Italic languages that Latin snuffed out.

Another alternative: the expanding Samnite confederation might have taken their place.

Or our culture would have been Phoenecian as Carthage, largely unopposed, took over the Mediterranean.

Just some guesses.

I never would have learned to count like this:
I, II, III, IV, V VI, etc.

Well Carthage had been conquered before the Roman empire came into being so that wouldn't make much difference. Latin language would still have been widely spread through Italy, much of Gaul and Spain I would assume someone would have filled the vacuum but who?…by the time of the empire there really wasn't any major player left apart form maybe the Parthians.

IF THE ROMANS HADNT BEEN AROUND ODDS ARE THAT THE GERMANIC TRIBES WOULD HAVE SWARMED OVER THE RHINE EARLIER AND WE WOULD BE MORE GERMANIC

We wouldn't have a history to live again

The Celtic peoples were more advanced than assumed, they would potentially have filled the power vacuum and created an alphabet.

We wouldn't have Star Trek II?

If there wasn't a Roman Empire then how would we count Super Bowls? Not to mention movie sequels.

Some type of Germanic-Celto civilization – well, in all reality it may have been more like the era following the "fall" of the Roman Empire only centuries earlier.

Greece may have been the "civilizing" influence in the West.

"Latin language would still have been widely spread through Italy, much of Gaul and Spain."

I have to take exception to this. Latin was only one of MANY Italic languages and only used in a thin part of the central, western Italian peninsula. Demanding that conquered Italian peoples begin speaking Latin and acting Roman is what propelled this language from a little area (Latium, or modern Lazio) to eventually covering the entire peninsula and wiping out all competing languages. So no Roman Empire = no spread of Latin. Certainly not in Gaul or Spain, where resistance to things Latin or foreign would have been very high and, at least in Spain, was done over a prolonged period of time at a cost of concentrated state resources.

Latin was, at its beginnings, not a good language in which to express very complex thoughts – at least the written Latin. It wasn't until after Cicero and Lucretius and some others brought in philosphical terms from Greek that Latin thrived and eventually outstripped Greek (or at least equalled it) as a language or complex thought and subtlety as it's known for. So I don't think that Latin would have spread naturally and been attractive without those legions and their pointy objects to force it onto other peoples.

The photo of raising the flag on Iwo Jima would not exist, it would be that of Japanese soldiers being burned in a wicker man.

A big impact on the availability of minis in lorica segmentum

Good question as to who would have triumphed but one wonders if the Greek-inclined successor states might have had a broader influence – plus denied the civilizing impact of Rome on the wild-haired Britons and Celts (and called Rome "civilizing" compared to the Britons and Celts is no compliment to the Britons!) one wonders if the Celtic culture might have been even more wide-spread

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

We may see a lot more of Topknots, spiked hair, tatting, piercings ???? WAIT A MINUTE ----never mind ?????

Regards
Russ Dunaway