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In Our Timeline, Rome was one of, if not the, most influential nations to ever exist. It spread its influence across the Mediterranean Sea, to Egypt, Mesopotamia, Africa, Gaul, and beyond. Roman culture hugely influences culture today, everything from armies to tax systems are inspired, at least in part, by this awesome civilization. Of course this massive amount of influence simply begs the question: what if Rome had fallen apart early? What if such a powerful and influential society had been strangled in its crib? That is the idea I intend to explore in this timeline, to look into every aspect of the world today if Rome had fallen early
Explanation of Title
The title of this timeline, "Vae victis," is loosely translated Latin for "Woe to the vanquished," or sometimes "woe to the conquered." The phrase is supposed to remind the defeated that they are the losers, and should not expect, or ask for, any leniency in their defeat. According to legend, This is what Brennus said to Marcus Furius Camillus right before running his sword through his heart, immortalizing the phrase and ensuring it's us in many future battles.
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Background
In 387 BCE, the Senones, a tribe of Gaul crossed the Apennines, and eventually camped out near Clusiam, in the Etruscan province of Siana. They were lead by Brennus, and their goal was to settle new lands, in order to deal with the growing numbers of there tribe. Naturally, the Etruscans felt threaten by the Gauls, and asked the Romans, who had military influence over Etrusca the time, for help. Rome, not wanting war, decided to only send ambassadors to help, rather than fighting men.
This proved to be a mistake, as when negotiations broke down, the Clusiam sent solders to force the Senones of there land. The Roman ambassadors joined them, and began to fight, thus breaking the "law of nations," which prevented ambassadors from fighting. During the fight, a Roman ambassador killed a high ranking Senone chieftain enraging the Senone army. When Rome refused to turn the ambassadors over for justice, the Senones Began to march south, to take revenge on Rome.
Point of Divergence
With the Senones marching to Rome, the only option was a strong defense. In the battle of Allia, the 14,000 Senones nearly massacred almost 24,000 roman solders, losing only 2,000 of their own and allowing the roman survivors fleeing to Rome. With the Romans retreating, Brennus made the quick desiccation to chase them, instead of letting them go. Because of this, both sides arrived in Rome at the same time, and fighting ensued.
Just before the Senones arrived, the senate passed a ruling making Marcus Furius Camillus the dictator of Rome. Upon arriving in Rome, the Senone launched a massive attack on the city, and unlike in our timeline, managed to take Capitoline Hill. The control of this location allowed them to annihilate Rome, killing the senate and looting the city. Now, with the senate and Rome destroyed, the Senones were now at a crossroads: should they take there victory and leave, or attempt to take Veii, were Marcus Furius Camillus was. Whichever decision they made, it was bound to change the course of history for millennia to come...
Welcome to Vae victis!
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