| abstract
| - The Romans had a great affiliation with the building materiel of cement, as can be seen in their construction throughout the city of Rome. Just at the start of the Millennium a new element was emerging in the Norther Provinces. Iron ore was used mostly by the military but a few modifications to it would allow it to be used by the whole of the nation. Among these innovations was steel through the incorporation of carbon and magnesium as alloys in the ore. The Germanic Provinces, prized for their rich reserves of Iron and extensive forests for making charcoal to melt the ore, produced this but were at first not recognized as much more than some chemical tinkering, nothing special. The Great Wall of Germania was built in less than five years between the Rivers Albis and Odris (Oder). This was the strongest fortification in the Empire and rested the criticisms of those who now saw the power of this new metal. This method of fortification was not only used on the Albis but also on the Ister, on the edge of Britannia and in the areas North of Parthia. By no means was this impregnable but the barbarians who saw this had neither the technology nor the military leadership to conquer these fortresses. With this the Pictish above the wall in Britannia, still commemoratively called Hadrian’s Wall, dropped any idea that the Romans would attempt to take their lands, as the only ships they ever saw were from expeditions. This came to an end with a Britannian invention, cast iron, made with the alloy of silicon and carbon. This was credited at first to the Britannians but was actually borrowed from the more obscure records brought from Sinica. Both of these were used to make another and an improved version of the weapons from the records of China. The Rifle. The navy of Rome also invested heavily in the cannon on their ships. The iron miners became an important factor in the demographics of Rome and the managers of the mills creating the cast iron and steel became extremely wealthy as well. However, both of these inventors Manus Aventinus of Germania Chalybem (Steel of Germania), and Cloelius Juniculus of Major Ferrum Britanniae (Greater British Iron) decided against patenting either of these inventions. Competition quickly sprung up within the first decade of the new millennium. Cloelius and Manus were remembered throughout the Empire and retired very wealthy; they were recognized for their contributions on the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the death of Marcus Aurelius in 1008 (255AD) with Ignacius at the age of Sixty Seven. The Generals with the blessing of the elderly Emperor prepared to take the islands of Hibernia (Ireland) and the parts of the island of Britannia not yet under Roman control. The leader of this mission was the son of Horatius from the Viking Wars, Soletius Africanus. Ignacius on the morning of June the fifth was poised to order the invasion but died in the night, possibly from a stroke which he had been found to be prone to on a trip to the Medical University in Lutetia. The Senate ordered the legions to move, ‘in the name and honor of Ignacius’ and they did so; in the mean time the zealous nationalist and expansionist who had risen to one of the senator seats from Hispania. His name was Jacobus Zaragonus and he introduced the option of ordering the conquest of Hibernia and what was planned to be called Caledonia (Scotland). Soletius followed his orders and left with the writ from the Senate ordering the invasion. Almost without resistance the areas of Hibernia and Caledonia became new Imperial Provinces and many people from the province of Britannia came to introduce Roman customs to the conquered. The Senate of Caledonia was called to replace the meetings taking place in any open place in each village. The same was found in Hibernia though trade had been more active with that Province and some customs were slipping through if not in practice but in that they did not seem so foreign and dangerous. Caledonia and Hibernia stayed peacefully developing over the next few years and the Wall of Hadrian was turned into schools and Hospitals that would stand for much longer in the settlements of Edinia (Edinburgh) and Glasionensis (Glasgow) which would become important trading ports and military bases. The fleet of Soletius came from Aquitania to which the Africanus family returned after a spite with the family of Lutetius Cimber. Lutetius Cimber, though he had no sons, remained a high advisor of the Britannian military whose opinion was regarded as ‘second only to the Emperor’ as one high general described him. Ignacius wanted to form a contingent group of troops from Aquitania and Britannia who would attack from several directions but Soletius was the only man given the order form the Senate. Lutetius became enraged, though not prone to rash behavior, he declared that ‘the development of Caledonia into a civilized region will be met by the conquest of Britannia of both this and all other islands.’ The Senate saw no problem with this and saw it a suggested plan for the future of these two new areas rather than a spiteful statement by a scorned man. Hibernia with its closer connection to Britannia became its façade for a greater tension between Aquitania and Britannia. Caledonia being that of the Aquitanians. The Island of New Cyprus as it was called (The Isle of Man) was the setting for this proxy war and would decide the prevalence in the military of the Cimber or the Africanus family in the military of the Northern Provinces.
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