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[Gamerlord]

Something I've always wondered: What would have happened if Greece conquered the Mediterraenean (whatever) and Europe instead of Rome?

[miauw62]

Well, IIRC, the downfall of Greece was mainly related to Alexander the Great (or the Devil, depending on where you live) and his father coming in and conquering it, so a lot of stuff would probably have been different.

[Haspen]

Something I've always wondered: What would have happened if Greece conquered the Mediterraenean (whatever) and Europe instead of Rome?

We would be possibly be speaking in some type of greek and used greek alphabet.

[Loud Whispers]

Something I've always wondered: What would have happened if Greece conquered the Mediterraenean (whatever) and Europe instead of Rome?

From which Greek city state?

[Gamerlord]

Athens or Sparta, I guess.

[RedKing]

So, how about that guy, China, who made a mega fleet. And how the next emperor burned it to cinders, with the shipwrights, when the first one wasn't able to launch it from dying.

Not sure if you're thinking of Zheng He? He actually sailed that mega fleet, several times. All the way from Malacca to Mogadishu. But mostly because that one Emperor (Yongle) wanted to see what was out there. Subsequent emperors returned to the notion of "China is the center of the world, everything beyond its borders is full of gui (ghosts/devils) and barbarians and of little importance."

Interestingly enough, Zheng He is becoming a popular figure again in modern-day China for political reasons.


My own favorite AH is what would have happened if the Han Empire and Roman Empire had made contact. They came very close, with Roman diplomats and explorers travelling as far as Transoxiana, and Chinese diplomats/explorers travelling as far as Parthia. Had they crossed paths and followed up on that contact....

The Romans knew tales of a massive powerful kingdom far in the east which they called Serica, the land of silk.
The Chinese knew tales of a powerful and civilized kingdom far in the west which they called Daqin or Lijian.

[Haspen]

Actually from what I know, Chinese merchants did some trading with provinces of Rome, those laying in the east. But yeah, no official contact.

[RedKing]

I'm not aware of any direct trade. They usually used the Parthians and Greco-Bactrians as middlemen (and also where they got most of their information about each other)

[Gervassen]

Had they crossed paths and followed up on that contact....

The ellipsis is telling. There's nothing to fill in there. The Roman dude would have said Salve, and the Chinese guy would have said 尔好。 Then they would have continued down their separate destinies.

[10ebbor10]

What would happen if the purchase of Alaska by the US didn't take place, and Alaska remained a part of Russia?

Would have been a very interesting cold war.

[Loud Whispers]

Had they crossed paths and followed up on that contact....

The ellipsis is telling. There's nothing to fill in there. The Roman dude would have said Salve, and the Chinese guy would have said 尔好。 Then they would have continued down their separate destinies.

Too far away with two empires between. Couldn't really do much.

[miauw62]

But... But... The Glorious and Everlasting Roman-Chinese Empire!

[Loud Whispers]

But... But... The Glorious and Everlasting Roman-Chinese Empire!

In any case all it'd take is a single angry Emperor on either end to destroy an empire and call it "victory."

[Digital Hellhound]

I thought atleast one Roman envoy did arrive in China, which was recorded by both nations? Wikipedia tells me sent by Antoninus Pius.

[SquatchHammer]

A good book that has a bit of alternate history as part of its story is Alistair Reynolds Century Rain. Part of the book takes place in an alien structure that took a "picture" of the earth right before WWII and held it there. The other part of the story revolves around two human factions that end up battling over that earth. For the alternate history part of it has to do with one of the factions helping the Allies to defeat Germany in the opening stages of WWII. It was a very interesting read I have to say.