It seems that the Romans penetrated a lot further north (& south) that modern historians give them credit for.
Here’s an article from a few years back substantiating this further expansion or penetration.
Most people don’t even know that Nero engaged the Ancient Ethiopians and was going to raze the city of Meroë until they sued for peace.
Yeah, there are still those who claim that the Romans didn’t cross the Rhine after the Varian disaster, and they’re in error. And a Roman commercial presence persisted in India, Ireland, the Baltic, etc.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2147810/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3019050/posts
“Most people dont even know that Nero engaged the Ancient Ethiopians”
Most people don’t know that Ethiopia was Christian long before most of Europe.