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Alexandria: Known colloquially as the Eternal City, Alexandria sits in the Nile delta. It is a city of extremes. Some of the world's greatest scholarship takes place here, but also some of its seediest activities. The great female pagan mathematician Hypatia was murdered here in 405, some believe by a conspiracy of Christian monks. Alexandria is currently the seat of the Coptic church.
Antioch: The city was founded in 300 BC by a former general of Alexander the Great and was the center of the Seleucid Kingdom until 64 BC, when it was annexed by Rome and made capital of the province of Syria. Antioch became the third-largest city in the Empire and was keystone in the defense of Asia Minor against the Persians, as well as an early stronghold for Christianity. In fact, it was so important to Christianity due to the influence of the Apostles Peter and Paul that its bishops rank with Rome's and Alexandria's.
Aquileia: Founded in 181 BC as a Roman colony, the city occupies a strategic location at the junction of two major roads connecting the provinces of Illyria, Pannonia and Noricum. It subsequently grew rapidly as a commercial and military center, and was the capital of Venetia and Istria by the fourth century AD. It was sacked by the Huns in 452 but remains an important city. It is a metropolitan see in the Catholic church.
Athens (Athenae): The most powerful of the Greek city-states during the fourth and fifth centuries BC, Athens' fortunes waned with its capitulation to Sparta in 404 BC. It gradually recovered, but never to its former prominence, and when the Roman general Sulla captured and sacked the city in 86 BC, the ascendence of the Roman Empire was assured. Athens has done well under Roman control, becoming once again a major trading port and center of education. Although the walls of the city were rebuilt in the third century, Athens was captured and the lower town was sacked by the barbarian Heruli. It has since experienced a revival. The outer walls have been rebuilt once again, and it is one of the last remaining strongholds of paganism. The Athenian philosophical schools are legendary and a prime source of the city's current image.
Belgrade (Singidunum): An ancient fortress built by the Celts in the fourth century BC later became the Roman city of Singidunum. Located on three critical trade routes (the valleys of the Danube River, the Sava River, and the Morava/Vardar Rivers), Singidunum was an important garrison protecting Rome's heartland. It was destroyed by the Huns in 442 and has been contested ever since, having been subsequently held by the Sarmatians, Ostrogoths and Gepids, who are currently ensconced there.
Budapest (Aquincum):
Carthage (Carthago): The capital of Rome's great enemy in the second and third centuries BC, Carthage is now the capital of the Vandal Kingdom in Africa. After Carthage was defeated in 146 BC, the land was salted to prevent any further habitation of the site. Rome lifted the prohibition and founded a colony there in 122 BC, and within 100 years it was the center of the province of Africa. It grew to a prominence similar to Alexandria and Antioch by the third century, but has since declined. It has been troubled by religious squabbles during the fourth century.
Constantinopolis: Built in the seventh century BC, possibly by the Greek leader Byzas, who captured the peninsula on which the city stands. The city was razed by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 196 AD, but he subsequently rebuilt it and named in Augusta Antonina. Constantine the Great chose this city as his capital in 330, establishing it once and for all as the center of the eastern administrative region of the divided empire to follow.
Probably the most impressive city in Europe, Constantinople is the capital of what remains of the Roman Empire. It is currently the seat of power of Emperor Anastasius as well as the second most powerful patriarch in the Catholic church. Constantinople offers free medical care and bread to the poor and practices surprising religious tolerance. The city has grown so much that a third wall was required early in the fourth century.
Hippo Regius: An important naval base on the African shore of the Mediterranean, Hippo is currently under the control of the Vandals. The Donatist Schism was primarily centered in Hippo, but was rooted out by its most famous citizen, St. Augustine, in 411. Augustine was bishop of Hippo from 395 to 430.
Jerusalem (Hierosolyma):
London (Londinium):
Lyon (Lugdunum): A relatively unimportant military colony. Lugdunum was at one time the capital of Gaul, but its early acceptance of Christianity was its downfall under the persecutions. The city was decimated in 197 AD by Lucius Septimius Severus, and has only begun to recover.
Milan (Mediolanum): Founded by the Gauls in about 600 BC, the city was one of the most powerful in Cisalpine Gaul when it was captured by Rome in 222 BC. It continued to prosper until it became the second greatest city in the Western Roman Empire, and was a main administrative center there under Diocletian. But in 452, Attila the Hun destroyed much of the city, and it has since declined in importance.
Nice (Nicaea):
Ravenna: One of the oldest cities in Italy, Ravenna was first settled by Italic people in around 1400 BC. It was subsequently occupied by the Etruscans and the Gauls, and was taken by Rome in 191 BC. It became the base of Rome's Adriatic Sea fleet after the port of Classis was built near the city. Emperor Honorius moved his court here in 402 AD when Rome was threatened by barbarians, and it has remained the capital of the Western Empire ever since. It is currently the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom under Theodoric and is undergoing a renaissance of rebuilding and beautifying. Ravenna is also an archbishopric and thus important to the Catholic church.
Rome (Roma): Center of the Western Roman Empire, and of European civilization itself, for six centuries prior to its sack in 410, Rome is still a large and thriving city. Although the seat of government under Theodoric has permanently shifted to Ravenna (where it had been, in fact, under many previous Emperors stretching back over two hundred years), the Senate still meets in Rome to decide questions of Roman law. Most barbarians still revere the city and consider it a mysterious and untouchably holy place. The Catholic church is centered here.
Sofia (Serdica): Founded in the 8th century BC by a local Thracian tribe, Serdica was conquered in 29 BC by the Roman Empire. It flourished and was the site of the Council of Serdica in 342-343 under Constantine the Great. Later becoming part of the Eastern Empire, Serdica was sacked by Attila and the Huns in 441-447.
Trier (Augusta Treverorum): The site of an ancient shrine of the Germanic Treveri tribe, the Romans founded the town in 15 BC. Strategically located at a crossroads, Trier became very important to Roman strategy in Gaul. It was the capital of the Belgic division of Gaul in the 2nd century AD, an imperial seat in the 3rd, and, later, the seat of the emperor responsible for Gaul and Britain. Currently Frankish, Trier is a bishopric and a center for Christianity north of the Alps.
Vienna (Vindobona): Occupied by Rome in 15 BC, Vindobona was an important army town, growing to a population of about 15,000 by the second century AD. It has been decimated by barbarian attacks since that time, however, and currently is only a minor stop in the road.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 302 | Emperor Diocletian orders the death of all Christians, but Rome has no efficient way to carry out this task |
| 305 | Diocletian retires |
| 312 | Emperor Constantine defeats the usurper Maxentius |
| 313 | Constantine grants Christianity equality with other religions |
| 324 | Constantine defeats the East (under Licinius) and unites the Roman Empire. The same year he founds Constantinople |
| 337 | Constantine dies. His three sons split up the Empire - Constantine II takes Gaul, Britain and Spain, Constans takes Italy, and Constantius II takes the East. |
| 338-350 | East fights against Persians (Sassanids) in Mesopotamia |
| 340 | Constantine II invades Italy and is defeated and slain by Constans |
| 350 | Constans deposed and executed in a military coup by Magnentius |
| 353 | Magnentius defeated and executed by Constantius II, who unifies the Empire and executes all possible usurpers of his power |
| 355 | Julian, whose father and brother were killed in the purges of Constantius II, becomes Augustus in the West |
| 361 | Constantius II, jealous of Julian's growing power, sets off to attack him, but dies in transit. The Empire is again unified, now under Julian |
| 363 | Julian dies and Jovian is selected new Emperor by his troops |
| 364 | Jovian dies and is replaced by Valentinian, a Christian military commander from Illyricum, in the West and Valens in the East |
| 364 | Barbarians incursions become problematic. Anglo-Saxons, Picts, and Irish attack Britain, but are repulsed by 369 |
| 374 | German and Sarmatian tribes cross the Danube and invade Pannonia |
| 375 | Valentinian dies and is succeeded by his son, Gratian |
| 376 | Under pressure from the advancing Huns, the Visigoths are allowed to settle in Moesia in the East by Valens, but soon revolt due to poor treatment |
| 378 | Valens leads an army against the Visigoths and is destroyed at the Battle of Adrianople. Valens is killed, and Gratian appoints Theodosius the new Emperor of the East |
| c.375-c.390 | The Christian Emperors Gratian and Theodosius pursue a policy of religious intolerance towards pagans and heretics such as Arians and Manichaeans |
| 380 | Gratian captured and beheaded while on a campaign in Gaul. The usurper Maximus declares himself Emperor of the West |
| 382 | Theodosius defeats Maximus, has him executed, and installs Valentinian's son as the real Emperor of the West: Valentinian II |
| 392 | Pagans revolt, assassinating Valentinian II, and declare their own Emperor, Eugenius |
| 394 | Theodosius arrives from the East to destroy Eugenius and quell the revolt at the Battle of Frigidus |
| 395 | Theodosius dies of natural causes, leaving his heirs as successors - Honorius, 11, becomes Emperor of the West; Arcadius, 18, becomes Emperor of the East. Honorius' regent is a half-Vandal, Stilicho |
| 396 | Sensing opportunity, the Visigoths under Alaric march into Thrace and threaten Constantinople. |
| 397 | Bolstered by Stilicho's troops, Constantinople resists the Visigoths, who then proceed to sack much of Greece. They eventually reach an agreement with Arcadius and settle in Illyricum |
| 397-407 | Bishop Chrysostom of Constantinople pronounces many modern beliefs, including the sovereignty of the common people, equality of the sexes, and denunciation of child labor. He is also a rabid anti-Semite. Considered highly dangerous by both Church and State, he is forced out but brought back to power by popular opinion. |
| 399-402 | Alaric leads the Visigoths into Italy but is defeated by Stilicho and forced to retreat to Illyricum |
| 405 | Radagaisus unites the Vandals, Suevi and Burgundians and invades Italy with about one-third of his forces. Stilicho's forces again resist, execute Radagaisus, and destroy his army |
| 406 | Stilicho forges an alliance with the Franks and defeats the remainder of Radagaisus' army, pushing them back into Germany. Stilicho allies with Alaric to invade the East |
| 407 | Huge force of Vandals, Suevi, Burgundians and Alans cross the Rhine into Gaul. Some make it to the Pyrenees. They encounter only light resistance, but force Stilicho to delay the assault on the East |
| 408 | Arcadius dies, and a power struggle ensues after which Theodosius II, seven, is named Emperor of the East. Honorius becomes suspicious of Stilicho's intentions and has him arrested and executed. Thirty thousand of Stilicho's German troops desert and join Alaric's Visigoths, who cross the Alps and invade Italy |
| 409 | Stymied by the walls of Ravenna (where sat Emperor Honorius), Alaric's forces reach Rome and besiege it. Alaric demands a massive ransom in gold and silver to spare the city |
| 410 | After over a year of unprofitable negotiations, Alaric enters Rome and sacks it for three days. The news is heralded far and wide as the end of civilization |
| 412 | Alaric dies, and the Visigoths migrate into southern Gaul |
| 418 | Honorius secures peace with the Visigoths via the marriage of his sister Placidia to their new leader, Atauf, and grants them legal domain in Gaul |
| 423 | Honorius dies and is succeeded by Placidia's six-year-old son, Valentinian III. Placidia, as regent, places control of the Roman military in the hands of Aetius |
| 425 | Vortigern rises to power in Celtic Britain |
| 428 | Eighty thousand Vandals cross the Strait of Gibraltar into Africa and begin to conquer |
| 430 | The Vandals besiege and eventually overrun Hippo, a fortified African city |
| 431 | Third Ecumenical Council meets at Ephesus to denounce Nestorianism (the doctrine that Christ had a dual nature, both human and divine). Nestorianism remains popular, however |
| 434 | Celts under Vortigern ally with the Anglo-Saxons to battle the Picts and Scots |
| c.435-c.445 | Aetius successfully defends Rome against invastions of Burgundians and Franks and uprisings in Spain and Gaul |
| 435 | Roua, leader of the Huns, dies, leaving the kingship to be shared between Attila and his older brother |
| 441 | Theodosius II stops paying tribute to the Huns, who retaliate by attacking Illyricum and razing Belgrade and Sofia. The Huns subjugate the Ostrogoths and reach the walls of Constantinople. Theodosius triples the annual tribute and the Huns withdraw |
| 442 | Anglo-Saxons attack Vortigern's army over a dispute in their pact |
| 443-c.450 | Angles, Jutes and Saxons invade Britain while running from the Huns. The Picts cross Hadrian's Wall. Celts flee into hiding or across to the continent |
| 445 | Attila murders his brother and rules the Huns alone |
| 447 | The Huns invade Greece but are stopped at Thermopylae |
| 450 | Theodosius II dies and is succeeded by Marcian, who is not recognized by Valentinian III |
| 451 | Attila allies with the Franks and Vandals and crosses the Rhine into Gaul, where he devastates the land. He is defeated by Aetius at the Battle of Catalaunian Fields, losing over half of his 300,000-man army |
| 451 | Fourth Ecumenical Council meets at Chalcedon and defeats the Monophysite theory, which holds that Christ has a single composite nature. The accepted theory, proposed by Bishop Leo I of Rome, is that Christ has two natures (divine and human) but is composed of just one substance |
| 452 | Attila invades Italy and sacks Milan. He approaches Rome but retreats when supplies run short, plague breaks out, and military forces from the East draw near |
| 453 | The Huns settle in Hungary. Attila dies and the Hunnic Kingdom, such as it was, dissolves |
| 454 | Valentinian III murders Aetius in cold blood |
| 455 | Valentinian III is assassinated by two of Aetius' retainers. A power vacuum ensues, and Petronius Maximus seizes power. The Vandals sense opportunity, land a large force in Italy, and lead the second sack of Rome, systematically removing all movable valuables and taking thousands of prisoners. Petronius Maximus is killed by a mob while trying to escape the city |
| 456 | Power devolves to Ricimer, a barbarian military commander, who appoints the next Emperor, Majorian, as a puppet ruler |
| 457 | Marcian dies and is succeeded by Leo in the East |
| 461 | Disappointed with Majorian, Ricimer has him executed and appoints Libius Severus in his place |
| 465 | Libius Severus dies and is replaced by Anthemius, a member of the royal family of the East |
| 472 | Ricimer executes Anthemius after a failed campaign against the Vandals |
| 473 | Ricimer dies. Leo appoints Nepos Emperor of the West |
| 474 | Leo dies and is succeeded by Zeno in the East |
| 475 | A Western military commander, Orestes, defeats Nepos and drives him into exile. Orestes appoints his son, Romulus Augustulus, Emperor |
| 476 | The barbarian Odovacar demands federate status for his Ostrogothic troops and is rejected. He arrests Orestes and Romulus and executes Orestes. Romulus is forcibly retired, and Odovacar becomes the first barbarian king of Italy. He is never recognized, however, by Zeno |
| 481 | Clovis becomes King of the Franks |
| 482 | Theodoric Strabo dies, leaving Theodoric (later "The Great") sole leader of the Ostrogoths |
| 486 | The Ostrogoths under Theodoric threaten Constantinople, but are pursuaded to move against Odovacar instead |
| 486 | Franks under Clovis defeat Syagrius, the last Roman ruler in Gaul |
| 488 | Theodoric crosses into Italy and engages Odovacar, defeating him in a series of battles |
| 491 | Zeno is succeeded by Anastasius as Emperor of the East |
| 493 | Odovacar is pinned down in his capital, Ravenna, and a truce is arranged. Theodoric kills Odovacar at a festival banquet and claims sole kingship of Italy |
| 493 | Clovis marries Clotilda, a Burgundian and a devout Catholic |
| 496 | Clovis engages the Alamanni and, facing defeat, he exhorts Christ to bring him victory. The Franks eventually triumph, and Clovis becomes a Catholic |
| 497 | Theodoric is recognized as King of Italy by Anastasius |
For further information, please check Ancient Roman Technology.
This is the Iron Age, so iron is readily available. Steel can be produced, but is very expensive and difficult. A sword, for example, is more likely to have an iron core with steel edges than a solid steel blade. Most armor is made of iron, but fine armor made of steel is available at 15x cost. (This gives +1 DR.) Gold, silver, copper, lead, and tin are other common metals. The first three are generally used for currency. Tin and copper are combined to make bronze (used for currency as well as some cheap weaponry and armor). Lead is soft and workable and is often used for pipes and fittings.
Ceramics are used for pottery and tableware, and in such applications as roof tiles and drainage pipes. The related art of brick-making is well-developed and thriving. Glass-making is surprisingly mature, but expensive. Glass windows are not common but may be produced - large ones will always have some inherent distortion. Glass containers are not as common as ceramic ones, but the rich may own quite intricate pieces.
The primary source of power at this time is slave labor, which is cheap and readily available. So no great investment has ever been made in special machinery. Waterwheels do exist in some areas, but most mills use animals or slaves. Wine and olive presses use slaves. The copying of books is generally done by teams of monks. In general, muscle power reigns.
The main exceptions to this are in the military. There are several engines of war which use machine power to amplify the actions of a few men. Trebuchets can throw rocks as far as half a mile, damaging wooden and simple stone structures (although dressed stone can resist this attack). Ballistae can fire three-foot bolts hundreds of meters, and the smaller scorpions are man-portable versions of the same, somewhat less powerful. Melee-level crossbows are also available, but not considered very effective.
Stone walls were built by stone and mortar, or from concrete with stone facings and aggregate. Bricks and mortar were also commonly used. Roofs could be made of wood, thatch, or ceramic tile. Large cities often contained multistory apartment buildings, which were fairly dangerous to live in as they tended to collapse.
The roads and bridges were more enduring. There is a vast network of roads connecting all the major cities in Europe, and bridges over most of the rivers that can be bridged. Due to limitations in underwater construction and the lack of iron as a construction material, wide rivers such as the Rhine and Danube must still be crossed by boat.
Medical technology is essentially unknown. The germ theory of medicine is over a millennium from being discovered, so keeping wounds clean is not a priority. It should be noted that Romans do keep quite clean (hence the baths), but this is associated not with disease but rather with social graces. Given this, it is surprising to discover that the Romans could do surgery at all. But very general types of surgery were known and did not always kill the patient. The most reliable forms of medical treatment by far are herbal and ritual preparations.
This also goes for disease treatment. Plagues were quite common and could devastate the populations of towns and major cities. Quarantine was the best "treatment" known. Disease was considered to be a reflection of the wrath of the gods and could be dealt with best by appeasing those gods.
Wine, Olive Oil, Iron, Grain, Wool, Gold, Tin, Horses, Silk, Glass, Ivory, Honey...
Alaric II:
Boethius: Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius is a Roman scholar and Christian philosopher, born in 472 to a privileged Christian family. His father, a one-time Roman consul, died when he was 15, and Boethius was subsequently raised by Quintus Aurelius Memmius Symmachus and married his daughter Rusticiana. He is currently studying such arcane subjects as the theories of music and mathematics, and has published works on both subjects in Greek.
Cassiodorus:
Clovis:
Theodoric: Theodoric's rise to power over the Ostrogoths was mainly affected by two other rulers: Emperor Zeno of Byzantium and Theodoric Strabo, who ruled the larger part of the Ostrogoths. Strabo was the leader recognized by Zeno, but Theodoric's success in putting down two rebellion's against Byzantium gained him favor as well. When Strabo died mysteriously in 482, Theodoric was left as leader of the Ostrogoths.
He continued to agitate in the East as his relationship with Zeno waxed and waned. Finally, Zeno convinced Theodoric to take on the barbarian King Odovacar, who was distasteful to the Romans. They first engaged in battle in 488 and, after a five-year campaign, Odovacar was left only with Ravenna, his capital. After a length siege, a truce was signed in which the two kings agreed to share power. At the celebration banquet, Theodoric slew Odovacar in cold blood with his own sword, ending the reign of Odovacar with a finality that drew public criticism but much private affirmation. Emperor Anastasius of the East recognized Theodoric as King of Italy in 497.
Theodoric's bloody rise has not been indicative of his later career. While he is illiterate and unquestionably a barbarian, Theodoric has also demonstrated reverence for Roman culture. He has upheld the Laws of Rome, begun vast building and repair projects, and left Romans in power. He has also begun to forge new alliances with the other barbarian powers that press Italy on each side.
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