| Name | Roman Empire (Alternate Timeline) |
| Type | Regional power |
| Impact | Mediterranean world developed along very different lines |
| Emergence | 1st century BCE, from the Roman Republic |
| Territory | Primarily confined to the Italian peninsula and surrounding islands |
| Expansionism | Limited, unlike the expansionist Roman Empire of our history |
The Roman Empire, in this alternate timeline, refers to the political entity that emerged from the earlier Roman Republic in the 1st century BCE. Unlike the expansionist and imperialist Roman Empire of our own history, this version of Rome remained a regional power, primarily confined to the Italian peninsula and surrounding islands.
The origins of the Roman state trace back to the city of Rome in central Italy, where a republic was established around the 6th century BCE. Over the following centuries, the Roman Republic gradually expanded its control over the Italian peninsula, utilizing a combination of military conquest, political maneuvering, and cultural assimilation.
By the 1st century BCE, the Roman Republic had become a major regional power, rivaling the influence of other Mediterranean entities like the Carthaginian Empire, the Seleucid Empire, and the various Greek City-States. However, the Roman state never fully transformed into the sprawling imperial system that came to dominate our timeline.
Unlike the highly centralized and bureaucratic Roman Empire of our history, this version of Rome maintained a more decentralized, republican system of governance. Power was shared between the Roman Senate, various elected magistrates, and the people of Rome itself, with a complex system of checks and balances.
The Roman military forces, though formidable, were primarily focused on defending the Italian homeland and maintaining control over the surrounding territories, rather than engaging in large-scale campaigns of conquest. Roman culture, law, and language spread through trade, diplomacy, and selective incorporation of conquered peoples, but did not reach the level of hegemonic dominance seen in our timeline.
Over the centuries, the Roman state expanded its influence and control to encompass much of the Italian peninsula, as well as the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. However, it was unable to achieve the dramatic expansion that marked the Roman Empire in our history.
The Roman Republic maintained an uneasy balance of power with other Mediterranean powers, such as the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the Levant, and the Carthaginian Empire in North Africa. Periodic conflicts and wars occurred, but the Roman state was never able to fully subjugate or incorporate these rival powers.
By the late 3rd century CE, the Roman state began to face increasing internal and external challenges, including political instability, economic decline, and the rise of newer powers in the region. However, the Roman Republic never fully collapsed in the manner of the Roman Empire in our timeline.
Instead, the Roman state evolved and adapted, maintaining a reduced but still influential presence in the Mediterranean world for several more centuries. The legacy of Roman law, language, engineering, and culture continued to shape the development of Europe and the surrounding regions, even as the Roman political dominance faded.
Ultimately, the Roman Empire of this alternate timeline stands as a regional power, rather than the vast, globe-spanning empire of our own history. Its more limited expansion and influence resulted in a markedly different geopolitical and cultural landscape across the Mediterranean basin and beyond.
