What's the closest area to Rome in Golarion? Is there one? I was almost thinking it was Cheliax ...
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If you're talking about the city of Rome itself (as in "all roads lead to..."), then I'd be inclined to say Absalom. "City at the Center of the World" and all. If you want something akin to the Roman Empire as a whole, then, yeah, probably Cheliax. Or, for Rome in its decline, Taldor.
(As Gorbacz says, it really depends on what exactly you're looking for.)
@Gorbacz> Mostly Imperial Rome ... or the closest that I could find.
@Sozin> Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well ...
@Gorbacz> Mostly Imperial Rome ... or the closest that I could find.
@Sozin> Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well ...
There really isn't anything analogous between Cheliax (or its cities) and the Roman Empire. Cheliax isn't even a true empire, but more of a nation state (which also limits its similarities with its closes real-world setting, Renaissance Italy). Likewise, its governmental structure, culture, and traditions are nothing at all like the Roman Empire.
Taldor has more similarities with the Eastern Roman Empire (though it isn't a true empire either, but again a nation state), but only in the briefest, most superficial passing.
In short, you're not really going to find a Rome clone in Golarion.
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I think the closest you are going to get to the Roman Empire is to run a ´historical´ game set before the current age, with the Chelaxo-Taldoran politic still intact and Aroden in full stride.
There are definitely Roman allusions in Cheliax (the Hellknight leaders are called "lictors", and their armies include "signifers", for example), but I don't think it's linked to Imperial Rome. If anything, it's probably closer in concept to late Republican Rome as it collapsed into effective Empire, with the rise of specific individuals with their own private armies (effectively), dominated by a few powerful families.
So the various noble houses, dominated by Thrune, are probably more akin to the likes of Antony and Lepidus and Sextus Pompey, dominated by Octavian.
Of course, I'm not saying there's a one-to-one correlation here. At best, there are some very loose connections.
Still, there's something about Cheliax that makes me want to describe its soldiers as Roman legionaries, carrying a scutum and pilum and gladius and wearing lorica segmentata! :)
From a few things here and there I was under impression that long vanished Jistka Empire was a Rome expy in Golarion.
Drejk - you're absolutely right. I'd forgotten about the Jistka, but having just had a brief re-read, the Pathfinder wiki quotes "Path of the Hellknight" in saying that the ranks of the Hellknights are based on those of the old Jistka Imperium's military ranks.
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My tendency is to give Taldor a "post-Hellenic" flavour, and Cheliax a "post-Roman" flavour in my campaigns. But there's a fair amount of cross-over in there...
I second the Jistka Imperium as having been the ancient (classical) Rome analogue.