It's looking good, Murtauh. Do you have the history and politics already in mind, or will the map you come up with drive the writing? Neither way is wrong - each can certainly boost the other if you get stuck.
How well do you know the prejudices and preferences of your audience? After all, whomever is grading this project is like your editor... if for example they appreciate a bit of inventiveness, you'll be able to write & draw outside the box. If they are intent upon their students being well versed in the classical world, some ancient analogues might go over well. For instance - are you working the maps in English, or in a quasi-earthly tongue, or an outright conlang?
Is the project multidisciplinary, or is it focused on writing, or history, or what?
I'm really interested to see what you devise - please do keep us up to date!