Could the Romans have reached America?

HISTORIANS claim they have found evidence Romans arrived in North America, more than a thousand years before Christopher Columbus set foot on the continent. They say the find will “re-write history” as it reveals ancient mariners visited the New World well before the great explorer.

Why didn’t the Romans discover America?

Why would they have? That’s really the key question. They certainly had oceanworthy ships larger than the Vikings or Columbus had available, and while they didn’t start of as notable seafarers by the time the 2nd Punic War was over they had enough navigational skill to make the trip.

Could the Romans have conquered the world?

Probably not. It had already changed from a Republic to an Empire, with all the structural and political weaknesses of imperial and dictatorial rule. Rome had trouble maintaining the areas it had already conquered.

Could the Romans have crossed the Atlantic?

Two key reasons why the Romans did not cross the Atlantic: They didn’t know there was any land west of the Atlantic and assumed it was all ocean. They would have had little reason to travel to such a remote location even if they had known of its existence.

Did Romans ever meet Chinese?

Han-Roman relations comprised the (mostly indirect) contacts and flows of trade goods, of information, and of occasional travellers between the Roman Empire and the Han Empire of China, as well as between the later Eastern Roman Empire and various Chinese dynasties.

Did the Romans ever go to China?

Ancient Chinese historians recorded several alleged Roman emissaries to China. The first one on record, supposedly either from the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius or from his adopted son Marcus Aurelius, arrived in 166 AD. In Chinese records, the Roman Empire came to be known as Daqin or Great Qin.

Did Romans conquer Germany?

Emperor Augustus ordered his army to subdue the Germanic tribes in what is modern Germany. This was promptly achieved and by 6 AD the Romans controlled Germany up to the river Elba. The Romans were however betrayed and defeated in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, in 9 AD.

Did the Roman Empire ever reach North America?

I believe it is possible some Roman breakaway groups reached the N.American continent ie Nova Scotia and took relics from the sacking of Jerusalem and other cities at the time in the 6th century AD. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in the late 5th century.

Why did ancient Romans not explore the world?

All the great explorers of the Ancient world had been Greek or Phoenician — Pytheas, Simmias, Megasthenes, Hanno, Himilco and so on. Not one Roman among them. They also lacked any incentive to cross the ocean in search of land.

How did the Romans get across the Atlantic Ocean?

So almost certainly over those centuries, a few Roman ships ended up getting caught in large bad storms and blown across the Atlantic. Possibly the Romans reached North and South America or the Caribbean Islands. The Roman Republic and Empire grew and expanded and lasted for hundreds of years.

Could the Romans have conquered the Bactrians?

The Romans were great admirers of Greek culture and would not have considered the Bactrians barbarians. This empire had contacts both with the great civilizations of China and India. If Alexander can take an army into this part of the world, certainly the Romans could have.