Roman America

Background
The exact date of America's discovery by Europeans is disputed among historians and experts. Evidence nearly confirms that while many people are led to believe Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover North America, the Norse likely did it several hundred years earlier. However, some evidence suggests that Romans were present in North America along the east coast in the late 4th century, but obviously any civilization there, if it did exist, did not last long. But what would have happened if Romans had landed in North America and created a civilization that survived and went on to have a profound impact on the world?

Point of Divergence
In early 386 AD, a Roman merchant ship sets sail from a port in the northern coast of Iberia with a large group of people, supplies, goods and weapons bound for Britannia. Several days after the voyage begins, the ship is caught in a massive hurricane and is thrown off course, ending up lost at sea far out into the Atlantic in unfamiliar waters. Unable to get back on course, the vessel ends up heading in a southwestern direction for several weeks before seeing any sign of land. When it finally reaches land, much of the crew and passengers have died of starvation or diseases, and food and water stocks are dwindling. Disoriented and undersupplied, the remaining passengers are just barely able to create a small settlement in this new territory and begin to recover from their disastrous voyage.