Recommendation: the Hardcore History podcast by Dan Carlin [1]. He has a series on the Kings of Ancient Persia and an episode on Caesar's conquest of Gaul.
Dan talks about this concept a lot. In his words, who invented the light bulb doesn't matter. If someone didn't do it someone else would. But what is far more interesting are these turning points in history that could've completely changed the course of civilization.
What if Alexander the Great hadn't died? Dan mentions one of the Kings of Persia was responsible for rebuilding the Temple of Solomon without which Judaism may well have died out. Then we may not have had it, Christianity or Islam. What would the world be like then? Persia came very close to conquering Greece. Roman culture and development was heavily influenced by Greece. The entire of European history turned on that moment. Or the Mongols who turned back from conquering Europe to choose a new Khan.
It's fun to theorize about these events but the best we can do is guess as to the immediate aftermath. The ripple effets mean modern history would be completely unrecognizable.
Dan talks about this concept a lot. In his words, who invented the light bulb doesn't matter. If someone didn't do it someone else would. But what is far more interesting are these turning points in history that could've completely changed the course of civilization.
What if Alexander the Great hadn't died? Dan mentions one of the Kings of Persia was responsible for rebuilding the Temple of Solomon without which Judaism may well have died out. Then we may not have had it, Christianity or Islam. What would the world be like then? Persia came very close to conquering Greece. Roman culture and development was heavily influenced by Greece. The entire of European history turned on that moment. Or the Mongols who turned back from conquering Europe to choose a new Khan.
It's fun to theorize about these events but the best we can do is guess as to the immediate aftermath. The ripple effets mean modern history would be completely unrecognizable.
[1]: https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/