500-599 (Abrittus)

Rough sketch - additions and comments welcome!

Centennial developments and trends
The bubonic plagues breaks out in Europe and the Middle East, reducing population and military strength of Romans and Sassanids in turns. Whoever gains the upper hand, often gets to control the Gulf and European-Indian trade. Medical academies, especially in the Greek regions of the Roman Empire, work feverishly, using modern optical and chemical opportunities, to find ways to combat the plague, but without success so far.

Economy:

 * Various research and development successes in the domain of chemistry, especially surrounding processes of destillation and treatment of crude oil, create a growing market of new commodities.
 * The perfection of glass manufacturing culminates in the manufacturing of potent optical lenses, used both for microscopes, which facilitate the further development of chemical, biological and medical research, and for telescopes, which facilitate sea navigation and are used by Ostrogoths first.
 * The increased importance of oil brings new wealth and conflicts to the region between Egypt and Persia. At first, the Romans tap mostly Egyptian oil, while the Sassanids have their own sources. But towards the end of the century, both empires (and further local players) seem to prepare for the scramble for further reserves across Arabia...
 * The development of credit systems has reached a critical point both in the Roman Empire (where public institutions like the academies, temples, infrastructural agencies or even the Cura Annonae are the main lenders) and in India and China (where Buddhist monasteries are the main lenders). Not only occassional debt crises create unrest, but also the enormous power of the lending institutions (crossing imperial borders etc.) harbors potential for conflicts. Christians increasingly stress their anti-interest position, which varies from violent Simonist action to the establishment of interest-free mutual credit systems sponsored / backed by the Roman Catholic Church (and which were, to a great extent, inspired by the mutual credit networks of the Jewish Ostrogothic sea merchants).
 * Ostrogothic sea merchants expand their trade network (accompanied by their own, exclusive, internal credit network, which was free of interest and proved very stable in comparison to other forms of credit over the next centuries) along the European and African Atlantic coasts and into the Indian Ocean.
 * During the periods when ships with Roman goods and citizens on board are able to travel East, the first trade contacts with China are established.

Military:

 * Roman / Saban and Sassanid control over the sea trade routes to India alternate with the bubonic plague sometimes hitting Rome harder, sometimes Persia. Rome´s alliances with Saba, Aksum and different Arab tribes persist throughout the century, but not entirely free from conflict, either.
 * Romans and Sassanids both use lighter, portable flame-throwers in their frequent wars against each other.

Philosophy / science:

 * Celtic philosophy spreads across the Roman Empire, not without conflict.
 * Where it has taken roots, empirical sciences start to blossom, especially chemistry. While Celtic universities focus on fundamental research, Roman academies focus on application.
 * Building on successes in chemistry and optical lense manufacturing, medical research and knowledge start to multiply towards the end of the century.
 * Also enabled by great optical lenses, dominant astronomical views of the solar system are being challenged.

Religion:

 * While Christianity begins to weaken in the Roman West, it starts to heavily influence Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa. While Simonist Christianity, carried across the Sahara by the Garamants, disrupts the divine kingdoms of the Sahel, the liberal atmosphere in Aksum and its coastal cities allows for various mixtures of Christianity with local brands of Animism.
 * To stop their decline, the Roman Catholic church founds large religious schools akin to the universities. They develop intellectually refined Christian doctrines, which later on will lead to new revivals of Catholic Christianity.

Nations of Europe:

 * Gaul: In a series of reforms, the Empire of the Celts abolishes slavery in the 590s and moves towards a republican system, albeit less egalitarian and democratic than in Rome. Its powerful navy controls and pacifies the North Sea. They discover Glaciana (Iceland) in 576.
 * Roman Empire: Western and Eastern provinces try different approaches to tackle the problems arising from new inequalities caused by the development of a financial system. Empire-wide, large projects improve the infrastructure: roads and ports are renovated, the network of roads is extended across the outer provincial regions, the Alexandria-Bubastis-Red Sea canal is refurbished. Economically, living standards continue to improve, but the bubonic plague turns especially the second half of the century into a less pleasant era.
 * During a period of Sassanid blockage of European-Indian trade, Ostrogothic ships rely on the astronomic theories that postulate a round earth, and look for a westward way to India. They discover the Nesoi Atlantikoi (Azores), to where unfavourable winds force them to return. The Atlantic islands are claimed and settled by Ostrogoths after the return of the discoverers.
 * Due to quicker economic development in the Roman Empire as compared to Gaul, the Southern Frankish kingdoms, who trade both with Rome and Gaul, develop faster than their Northern countrymen, who are also frequently plagued by military conflicts with Saxony. As a result, the southern kingdoms of the Usipetri and the Bructeri become the most influential members of the confederacy.
 * Saxony / Scandinavia: Saxony orients itself more towards their northern neighbours. The use of Northern Germanic runes spreads across Saxony.
 * While frequently fighting with each other, Saxons, Venedi and Scandinavians also trade with each other and, through Ostrogothic sea merchant intermediaries, with the Mediterranean empires. The Ostrogoths do not proselytise their Jewish faith openly, but their greek alphabet is adapted by the Venedi (just like their southern sklavenoi brothers had adapted it due to pontic trade).
 * Visigothic Dacia: Visigothic influence over the Danubian towns becomes stronger and stronger, with many sons of wealthy townsmen being educated in Vipjabaurgs. The Gothic alphabet is used in most Danubian towns, and the different Germanic dialects start to assimilate to the Visigothic language, which now incorporates as much Latin influences as their own dialects. Visigothic Dacia is also allowed an exception from the Senate`s policy of not stretching the empire any further; they found a new province "Dacia Inferior" in the Danube Delta and to its East and North, where no Sklavenoi have settled yet.
 * At the beginning of the 6th century, the Ostrogoth`s  northern Slavic neighbors intensify their trade with Tauris and build a city around their trading port, called "Bogatygavan" (rich port). In the North-West, several Venedi tribes successively try to advance into Saxon territory.

Nations of Africa:

 * Following trade contacts with Simonist Christian Garamants, Simonist thought and a revolutionary mood spread first among the Hausa and Banza city states and undermine the divine kingdoms. After several revolutions and ensuing wars between the city states, 12 city states form a Simonist federation, while two are completely destroyed.
 * After the Hausa / Banza refuse sending slave tributes to Kanem, war breaks out. With Garamant help, the Hausa / Banza successfully focus on demobilising and converting the less powerful and poorer strata of the Kanem population. After another two Hausa / Banza cities are destroyed and a military victory of Kanem seems almost inevitable, a revolution back home overthrows the divine king and sparks mutinies among the warriors. In a great assembly / Simonist Christian mass, the people of Kanem and the Hausa / Banza swear oaths of peace, co-operation and piety. Kanem and the city states become the largest exporters of cotton (the Garamants manage the trade) to Rome and Gaul, while they import glass, later also alcohol and petrochemical products.
 * Aksum profits heavily from trade with Rome and its control over the Red Sea. With increasing living standards, Aksum`s political system reforms towards a parliamentary monarchy, and Aksumite Christianity becomes the most liberal brand. Wealth, participation and religious tolerance are the key to the successful establishment and growth of Aksumite or Aksum-allied cities at Africa`s Indian Ocean coast (where Ostrogothic sea merchants make their appearance alongside Persian ones), as well as to a peaceful integration of or co-operation with animinist African peoples like the Nuer, the Massai and the Kikuyu.

Nations of Asia:

 * Persia: Having barely managed to control the Hepthalites, Sassanid control over Bactria and Sogdia finally collapses under Göktürk attack. Under siege from all sides, the Sassanid empire takes on totalitarian traits at times, which includes attempts at imposing Zoroastrism upon all its citizens. The failure starts to become apparent towards the end of the century, and shah Chosrau II. adopts a more liberal strategy, even signing a peace contract with Rome and forging a common strategy to (re-)control the Silk trade route.
 * India: The Gupta empire continues to dominate the North. Especially when the Sassanids loosen their grip on the sea trade routes, exchange with Europe is intense (intellectually, but also by importing glass, cotton and chemical products in exchange for spices). Trade enterprises also present an investment outlet for the monasteries` gold. Southern and Eastern Indians intensify their trade with South-East Asia, influencing the region heavily and contributing to the creation of the Sri Vijaya empire.

Salvador79 (talk) 15:05, March 6, 2014 (UTC)

Abrittus