Re: Imperium Julianorum Discussion
First of all, I must congratulate the modders for delivering such an amazing mod to the gaming community.
The level of detail and historical accuracy of the mod is excellent, but playing with Julian's empire in the 355 AD campaign I've noticed some minor details with the map in the western part of the empire, mainly about the cities. As I'm new to this mod, I don't know if they're this way because of a conscient decision of the modders or if it's really a slight inaccuracy in the mod.
First of all, I think that the outlay of cities in Hispania does not reflect historical reality in the IV century AD. The biggest city in Hispania at that time (probably atill retaining its population levels from the High Empire at 25,000-30,000 inhabitants), capital of the "Diocesis Hispaniae" and residence of the "Vicarius Hispaniae" (apart from being provincial capital of Lusitania) was Emerita Augusta, which is not reflected in the game.
Gades, which had been one of the main ports of the peninsula in the High Empire and pre-roman times, had now been reduced to a shrunk and decadent town, hardly worthy to be in the game. I think that it should be replaced by Hispalis (modern Seville) as main urban center in the lower Betica area, as this city became more and more important from the Late Empire onwards, eclipsing even Corduba during Visigothic times and later again after the fall of the Caliphate. Only think that while Hispalis became an metropolitan see during the Lower Empire (with such illustrious archbishops as Leander and Isidore during the VI century AD), both Corduba and Gades became only bishoprics.
Toletum was only a minor city in Roman times, a small provincial town like many others scattered across the scarcely populated interior plateau of Hispania. I guess the city is there because of the role it played in Visigothic times, but bear in mind that it only became the capital after the Goths were expelled from southern Gaul after the battle of Vouillé in 507 AD, which is quite removed from the timeframe of the game.
I think that instead of Toletum, the map should include Caesaraugusta (modern Saragossa), which was one of the biggest cities in Roman Spain and retained its vitality as an urban center across the Late Empire and bothe the Visigothic and Islamic rules. Plus, it had a marked strategic importance, due to its massive walls built in the III century AD to repeal the first barbarian attacks and its commanding position at the center of teh Ebro valley, with its bridge and several important roman roads coverging there, linking the interior of Hispania with the passes across the Pyrenées.
By the IV c.AD, Nova Carthago had been in decadence for more than two centuries since the exhaustion of its silver mines during the second half of I century AD. By now, it was just a small town, a shadow of its former glory. It should be kept in the map because of its strategic harbour and old Punic walls, the fact that it was the capital of the Carthaginensis province, but much reduced in importance.
Well, I have more thoughts but this is enough for now. Again, kudos for such an awesome job!
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Originally Posted by Semper_Victor
