Res Publica: A Quest of Ancient Rome
- Thread starter Telamon
- Start date
- Original Historic
Omake: A Man Before His Time
globalwarmth
ruining the weather.
- Location
- Polar ice caps
man, if we had a more granular control of Quintus we could do soo much mayhem...
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"We're here outside the recently discovered tomb of the famous inventor, statesman, and general Quintus Cingulatus Atellus whose numerous contributions to natural philosophy and engineering were the backbone of the success of the late Republic and early Empire. Though this tomb was discovered and identified last month it was only last week that the main chamber was carefully breached. The finding inside they tell me are of incredible historical and scientific interest, here we have doctor Max Tiber for more about the artifacts."
"Thank you and good evening! We here at the site are incredibly exited at this find not only because we found the fabled Cingulatus hidden burial site, but because besides the usual funerary chamber contents (body, jewelry, art pieces, etc) we also found 28 thin brass tablets inscribed in incredible detail presumably by the owner of the tomb. these were stored in a wax sealed granite chest. One on top of another with layers of blood soaked papyrus and diatomaceous earth between them. The care in preserving them is not the most impressive of the find though, but their contents. On the topmost tablet alone we can read π to the 500th decimal and on the rest we've managed to identify so far: (photos appear on screen)
a full solar system diagram with estimated orbital periods, a table of elements with expected atomic weights denoted in multiples of hydrogen as units, a DNA diagram, a map of the world including continents that were not discovered until much later, and a calendar of expected solar eclipses, and several others that we have not yet deciphered!"
"That's... that's amazing doctor! but how could you be sure sure these are authentic and not an elaborate hoax from some previous archeologist?"
"Ah yes, well, we did suspect that at first but the several intact clay seals on the site and the inscription on the container convinced us otherwise"
"How so?"
"Well, the granite chest was engraved in bass relief with what we have identified as a Carbon atom whose atomic nucleus contains 6 protons and 8 neutrons..."
"Carbon-14 dating..."
"Yes! Exactly! the papyrus and wax ¹⁴C content matched the appropriate time period and what little DNA we could amplify via PCR matched the body found inside"
"So what can we make from this information doctor?"
"We... Frankly are not sure what to make from this! Some may make sense if we imagine it as a visionary genius but there are so many weird details like information he would have absolutely no way to obtain or his weird choice of index date in his calendars, 104 years after his birth (or 2 before his death) that might coincide with a rumored infant massacre by a Hebrew king of the time."
"Thank you Doctor, This was Domitia Didius for Empire News Network!"
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Professor Vesca
Good News Everyone!
If the Empire survives, it probably won't call itself an Empire if it makes it into the modern era. Instead it would likely call itself Romania.
Or Land of the Romans. Assuming we even continue to identify ourselves as Romans in that age. 2k years is a long time after all.
Or Land of the Romans. Assuming we even continue to identify ourselves as Romans in that age. 2k years is a long time after all.
globalwarmth
ruining the weather.
- Location
- Polar ice caps
Actually, empire would be the most likely constant as it's a fairly simple appendix to add after something else ( X-empire) and any successor state could claim the title.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
It's made pretty clear that Pompolussa and the engineers will build the winter camp whether we take action or not. The only question is whether we help significantly, and if so, what positive effects that has.
I don't actually disagree with you; I'm kind of surprised Wolves of Rome is doing as well as it is. I figured people would want their letter-writing, waifus, engineering XP, and/or diplomacy options.
1) Probably; we're campaigning in central Italy, not the North from the works of G. R. R. Martin. Average winter temperatures are actually above freezing, so we shouldn't expect to see much accumulation of snow or ice blocking roads.
2) That's going to depend almost entirely on circumstances. What can we offer the bride's family? Are they holding out for a 'better' suitor, or desperate to marry off their daughter? Will political considerations delay the negotiations, say because Sulla beating Marius changes everything halfway through?
To be fair, Livia Drusilla herself might not have been quite as much of an industrial-grade terror in her teens, too? Maybe?
If we do that we'd need it, because we'd effectively be turning ourselves into a foreigner in the eyes of the Romans. This is what happened to Marc Antony (the younger, not the chalky one) when he became heavily involved with Cleopatra.
The successor state of the Roman Empire, which evolved smoothly and largely without discontinuity from that empire, was still calling itself the Roman Empire roughly a thousand years after Rome finally fell to the Goths, and roughly nine hundred years after the last time the Eternal City was even temporarily under 'Roman' control.
The Holy Roman Empire, an attempt to piece the Western Empire back together with limited success and few actual Roman successor institutions, was still calling itself 'Roman' over thirteen hundred years after the fall of Rome, despite being blatantly neither Holy, nor Roman, nor much of an empire.
So bet on the 'Roman Empire' or a term translating as same lasting pretty much that same kind of timespan.
backgroundnoise
Getting Too Old For This...
- Location
- The Shadowlands
Meh, I think this was a fairly good turn overall. We lost a Trait that was more trouble than it was worth, made serious gains in Diplomacy, expanded our influence, cemented our reputation, and improved our overall health. It would have been nice if we could have ended the siege early, but we all knew that was a long-shot going in.
I'm not sure she's even been born yet.
*checks*
...Yeah by the time she's born, we'll be in our late fifties or early sixties.
Now, if we're going for extremely formidable wives who would break us to their will and use us as a political
The woman who ruthlessly controlled her own network of Roman street gangs for years after her husband Clodius' death, (yes, that Clodius), and personally saw to it that his killer was found guilty and executed, even when he was defended by Cicero. The woman who raised eight legions for Mark Antony, her third husband, when relations between him and Octavian broke down. The first Roman noblewoman ever to appear on coinage.
Unfortunately she's also far too young right now. But if this quest continues into the sixties, and we happened to get widowed or divorced in our forties, then she'd be someone to seriously consider.
- Location
- Aotearoa
[X] Plan Wolves of Rome
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
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I mean, if that's our goal here, have Atellus conquer Japan or something.
Quintus Cingulatus Atellus Iaponicus, first of his dynasty, and the culprit of many cases of severe alcohol poisoning amongst history and classics PhD students everywhere.
Professor Vesca
Good News Everyone!
If we seriously want to consider an attempt to become emperor, maybe we should consider institution building?
Realtalk for a moment, but I think we're probably a little too early to become Emperor.
The Republic certainly was not predestined to survive as long as it did -it had been looking shakey for a long time- but there's still a ton of legitimacy and respect vested in those laws and institutions, for all that they are slowly dying. To get from the Republic to Augustus, it took Julius Caesar winning a civil war against all the forces trying to preserve the Republican order, then an uneasy peace, then his murder in a far too late last-ditch attempt to save the Republic, then more civil war, a Triumvarate which were not outwardly dissimilar from previous Republican-era power-sharing of Imperium, even more civil war, and finally, Augustus, alone and undefeated, all his enemies dead, stepping into the void in Roman politics left by Julius Caeser, who by that point had been literally deified. A void which Caeser had to dedicate his whole life and then die to create. I'm doubtful that a single man could both create the circumstances necessary for Empire, and then live to be Emperor.
We might not be entirely too late to save the Republic, however, or at least significantly shape whatever form it evolves into. That's a worthy goal too.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
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Also, Sulla being proto-emperor to set up the position in the first place.
While this is a joke, from what I know, China is currently kind of a clusterfuck politically so if we did somehow make it to Japan we could conquer it without getting stomped by China.
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I do not see the republic being saved. Marius enacted reform he believed would help than that was overturned later on. Sulla otl enacted reforms and that was overturned after he died.
In order for the republic to survive we would have to intact institutions and keep them for at least a generation. Because one of the things that allow a country/empire/republic to last long is a strong bureaucracy. Because a strong bureaucracy can out last and keep things going no matter who is in power.
In order for the republic to survive we would have to intact institutions and keep them for at least a generation. Because one of the things that allow a country/empire/republic to last long is a strong bureaucracy. Because a strong bureaucracy can out last and keep things going no matter who is in power.
There's that one town in China who claim to be descended from Roman legionaries, although it's probably nonsense.
By the way, @Telamon, what are the Equites up to right now? Also, how many are there with the Sixth, and what's their social makeup like? Specifically, are only the officers from the equestrian classes proper, and the troopers mostly First Order commoners?
I ask because from the quick reading around I did, the social structure and numbers of the Roman cavalry at this time period seems to be something historians themselves tend to bicker about, and was changing fairly rapidly, so it'd be great to get your take on it for the Sixth.
By the way, @Telamon, what are the Equites up to right now? Also, how many are there with the Sixth, and what's their social makeup like? Specifically, are only the officers from the equestrian classes proper, and the troopers mostly First Order commoners?
I ask because from the quick reading around I did, the social structure and numbers of the Roman cavalry at this time period seems to be something historians themselves tend to bicker about, and was changing fairly rapidly, so it'd be great to get your take on it for the Sixth.
- Location
- Hawaii
Speaking in character, we must first establish contact with China, trade for tea, drink tea, then retire to the countryside to live off our pension and investments.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
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I mean...there is one way we could save the republic?
We've got a spymistress, spy network, and the Pontifex Maximus. Have them work together, see if they can take control of the direction Rome moves in via a mixture of blackmail and misinformation.
Maybe get Cicero in on it for speechifying, he's good at that, we've just got to convince him that it's the only way to save the republic between the two warlords going head to head.
Eh, maybe not. I mean, they'd have to be particularly lost/looking for the end of the world, but a trip down the red sea, part Arabia, and tacking along the coast along the asian continent, and you could see Legionaires there in as little as 5-10 months.
Actually...If we aim to control coastlines rather than moving inland, and that sentiment keeps going for a century or two, we could definitely reach China.
Isn't that basically what Britain did?
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Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
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Oh god, the Three Kingdoms Period would be even more of a clusterfuck. Amazing.
But seriously, if we aim to own the coastlines we could totally reach China by that point.
But seriously, if we aim to own the coastlines we could totally reach China by that point.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
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There's already an Nile-Red Sea canal IIRC?
faux edit: Nope. Last one was a couple hundred years ago under Ptolemy II which dried up or something.
faux edit: Nope. Last one was a couple hundred years ago under Ptolemy II which dried up or something.