Yep, another alternate history. This time, we have the game split into three parts: The West, The Middle, and The East. This is to make organizing the game easier. As the title suggests, some unusual things are going to happen. We begin in the year 2500 BC. Here's to start it off:

The West:
The Norte Chico civilization sees a giant meteor fall through the sky. They take this to mean that they should become more powerful, and they gain more territory, threatening to declare war on anybody who gets in their way.

The Middle:
The Celts are amazed at the sight of a giant meteor falling through the sky. It inspires them to transform Stonehenge into Stonehenge City, and they're gaining population rapidly.

The East:
The Indus Valley civilization panics when they see a giant meteor fall through the sky. They understand it to mean that the gods are displeased with them. They start building numerous temples and monuments in an attempt to please the gods. They're gaining new converts every year.

I'm doing the East, I'm guessing.

The Lords of Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro quickly called for a meeting of priests. The disaster was actually benificial for the priests, as the religious leaders gain more power and influence. The new advances in agriculture were quickly exploited by the priests, who aimed to create a large population base to support them. The society was gradually turned into a theocratic society, and the economy was geraed toward spiritual perfection, with numerous religious festivals to the god of fertility. The newly discovered advances in mathematics went out of use, and the society turned into a peaceful, cultural, artistic and most importantly, weaponless utopia.

More on the East then, it won't be complete without the Dragon.

The meteor has inspired the people of the Yangtze (Changcheng) to band together. They dsicovered agriculture and rapidly created a growing society. Soon, the abundance of results around them will enable to create a kingdom that would change history.

Thus the Orient stands at 2300 approx. BTW can someone please do something about the Fertile Crescent?

The Middle

Europe: Influenced by Stonehenge City, the tribes in Northern Europe began to build large cities. By c.2300 BC Northern Europe is divided into many city states, of which Stonehenge is the most powerful, controlling the most part of the southern British Isles.

Middle East: The meteor was spotted in the reign of Khafra (Chephren, builder of the Second Pyramid of Giza). He take this as a sign that Egypt must expand beyond the Nile Valley. He began a massive military build up.

Meanwhile, in Sumer, a battle was raging the night the meteor appeared, between the city states of Uruk and another minor state. The night before, an Uruk priest predicted that "a ball of fire will descend from the sky and defeat the enemy". When the meteor appeared, the Urukians morals were greatly increased. They won the battle, and in the next two centuries, annexed all other city states, created the Sumerian Empire.

Africa: The meteor was interpreted as a sign that the end of the world was nearing. In one West African village, a shaman claimed himself to be the Prophet of God and start preaching monotheism and calling for people to repent before the End of Days. He gathered a large following, and by 2300BC the new religion was firmly established. It united the disparate tribes who lived in Western Africa, and allowed them to unite into one state.

Thus the Middle stands at c. 2300 BC.

I'll do a part of the East:

It is 2500 BC and the Lapita Populations of New Guinea see the Meteor. They see it as the gods telling them to follow the Meteor East, and so the Lapita Populations of New Guinea began raising small army's and groups of settlers to settle the pacific islands to the east. They bring to the islands a large Variety of crops, fruits, vegitables and other plants with them, as well as some domesticated animals such as pigs. Little do they know, there descendants will become the greatest seafarers in world history, the Polynesians.

Thus the East (or South East) stands at 2300 BC.

Maybe to organize things better it should be arranged like this:

The Americas (west)

Europe (northern part of middle)

Africa (middle)

Middle East, Asia and Oceania (East)

I say the because 1. The East needs a bit more clarification. Usually by East people think China, Japan etc. although the east in this thread is meant to be all of asia. And Oceania is to small to have it's own catagory. (people would complain about splitting the americas if we have Oceania in a seperate group)

Has it occurred to anyone else that the area around Stonhenge lacks the resources to support a major population centre without a relatively modern level of technology, one that was certainly not available in Neolithic Britain? The site, after all, was of astronomical and religous significance, it was never a political or economic centre.
Alternative history is all well and good, but there's such a thing as just being absurd.
And, for the record, the "Celts" that the OP reference wouldn't become a distinct group for over 1,000 years, and wouldn't be in the Britain for over 2,000. The neolithic beaker people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaker_people) were the contemporary inhabitants of Britain.

Edit: Originally forgot the bit in italics.

Has it occurred to anyone else that the area around Stonhenge lacks the resources to support a major population centre without a relatively modern level of technology, one that was certainly not available in Neolithic Britain? The site, after all, was of astronomical and religous significance, it was never a political or economic centre.
Alternative history is all well and good, but there's such a thing as just being absurd.
And, for the record, the "Celts" that the OP reference wouldn't become a distinct group for over 1,000 years, and wouldn't be in the Britain for over 2,000. The neolithic beaker people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaker_people)

Traitorfish: :gripe:

GigaNerd: :wow:

no worry, just rewrite it. Maybe stonehenge is built in a different location that can sustain a major population center? And the Celts could've been existing for thousands of year already. This is alternative history after all right?

Has it occurred to anyone else that the area around Stonhenge lacks the resources to support a major population centre without a relatively modern level of technology, one that was certainly not available in Neolithic Britain? The site, after all, was of astronomical and religous significance, it was never a political or economic centre.
Alternative history is all well and good, but there's such a thing as just being absurd.


Many large populations centres were founded in relatively unsuitable areas (eg cities in the Silk Road, North Africa, Americas, etc). And Neolithic people in Britain have shown they're quite capable of constructing large sophisticated buildings. They could've gone one step further and build stuff like aqueducts to support their population centres. This is alternative history after all.

Many large populations centres were founded in relatively unsuitable areas (eg cities in the Silk Road, North Africa, Americas, etc). And Neolithic people in Britain have shown they're quite capable of constructing large sophisticated buildings. They could've gone one step further and build stuff like aqueducts to support their population centres.
True, but the inhabitants of those areas clearly found some way to make them work. The neolithic people of Britain simply could not do that, they simply did have the technology, and it would take, at the very least, centuries for them to achieve it. Impressive as something like Stonehenge or Newgrange is, they are ultimately rather simple buildings. little more than earth and stone. That is far short of the level of technology being utilised in bronze-aged Sumeria, let alone the level of technology which would be required for Stonehenge to become a viable population centre.

True, but the inhabitants of those areas clearly found some way to make them work. The neolithic people of Britain simply could not do that, they simply did have the technology, and it would take, at the very least, centuries for them to achieve it. Impressive as something like Stonehenge or Newgrange is, they are ultimately rather simple buildings. little more than earth and stone. That is far short of the level of technology being utilised in bronze-aged Sumeria, let alone the level of technology which would be required for Stonehenge to become a viable population centre.

Newgrange? What's that? Another megalith?

Wikipedia is your friend ;)

Newgrange (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange)

Newgrange? What's that? Another megalith?
Burial mound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange), actually. Quite an impressive piece of architecture, considering when it was built, both in terms of construction and astology. But, either way, that sort of thing doesn't actually help support a large population centre.