An equestrian statue of a Julio-Claudian prince, originally identified as Caligula / British Museum, Creative Commons Looking, with late Italian historian Guglielmo Ferrero, at the facts cited by the ancients as examples of corruption in the Roman Empire. By Dr. Guglielmo Ferrero (1909) Early 20th-Century Historian Two years ago in Paris, while giving a course of lectures[…]
Was persecution a consistent imperial policy, and what types of punishments were inflicted on Christians? The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883)/Wikimedia Commons The image of cowering Christians being thrown to the lions by Roman emperors is a grisly staple of popular culture. But how accurate is it? By Dr. Shushma Malik and Dr. Caillan Davenport / 11.21.2016 Malik: Lecturer in[…]
Ancient Athens practically invented Western culture, but xenophobia led to the collapse of the Empire. Flickr/SantiMB The ancients knew that the key to a successful state was extending citizenship to those who need it. By Dr. Alastair Blanshard / 06.15.2011 Senior Lecture in Classics and Ancient History University of Sydney In the short period of its[…]
The entrance of Sulla into Rome / Creative Commons Factions seeking to manipulate the system for control. By the mid-second century B.C. the aristocrats who traditionally made up the ruling class in the Roman Republic had adopted the epithet “optimates” – the best men , or “boni” – the good men, following the Greek model[…]
Vercingetorix, atop his horse, surrenders to Julius Caesar. Painting by Lionel Royer. | Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons Caesar’s conquest of Gaul was a prelude to the start of the Second Roman Civil War, marking the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic. By Peter Coons / 10.21.2018 In 58 BCE, Roman proconsul Julius Caesar,[…]
Decimation in Beaver’s Roman Military Punishments, by William Hogarth, c.1725 / Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wikimedia Commons Punishment by lot for soldiers in ancient Rome. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 11.04.2018 Public Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Introduction Decimation (Latin: decimatio; decem = “ten”) was a form of military discipline used by senior commanders in the Roman Army to punish units or large groups guilty of[…]
When Britain went it alone. Shutterstock Centuries ago Britain attempted to sever ties with the continent – and it ended in murder. By Dr. Adam Rogers / 03.23.2017 Teaching Fellow, School of Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester From the first to the fifth centuries AD, Britain – though not officially Scotland, which lay beyond the frontier at Hadrian’s Wall – was[…]
Modern reconstruction of what the Second Temple would have looked like after its renovation during the reign of Herod I / Photo by Juan R. Cuadra, Wikimedia Commons Exploring Judaism from 515 BCE to the destruction of the Second Temple and the following rise of anti-semitism in early Christianity. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 10.28.2018 Public Historian[…]
Examining interactions and the exchanges in the Eurasian networks during the first centuries of the Roman Empire. By Dr. Marco Galli / 12.16.2016 Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology Sapienza University of Rome Abstract This research focuses on four relevant points. From a historiographical perspective, the reconstruction of the trading routes represented a central theme in the[…]
Creative Commons One of the most fundamental characteristics of civilization is the rule of law, especially equal law. By Thomas Fortuna / 09.12.2011 494 BCE: Campaign at the Sacred Mount The Secession of the People to the Mons Sacer, engraving by B. Barloccini, 1849 / Wikimedia Commons The plebeians made up the majority of the[…]
The Plebeian struggle to gain equal standing with the aristocratic Patrician ruling class. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 10.24.2018 Public Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Introduction The Conflict of the Orders, also referred to as the Struggle of the Orders, was a political struggle between the Plebeians (commoners) and Patricians (aristocrats) of the ancient Roman Republic lasting from 500 BC to 287 BC, in which[…]
Decimation (William Hogarth) in Beaver’s Roman Military Punishments / Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wikimedia Commons The ancient Romans interpreted the favor of the gods as justification to perform ritual killings. By Dawn F. Carver, Jasmine Watson, and Jason Curtiss, Jr. Colorado State University-Pueblo The ancient Romans outlawed human sacrifice in 97 BCE after increasing discomfort with the[…]
The Republic at the Zenith of Its Power. Golden Liberty. The Royal Election of 1573, by Jan Matejko / Royal Castle, Wikimedia Commons This essay traces the Greek and Roman roots of Polish sixteenth- to eighteenth-century political thought by discussing the Polish nobility’s concept of the “Golden Freedom” (L. aurea libertas). By focusing on the Roman and the Greek[…]
Inside Rome’s Colosseum visitors can view the chambers that once held animals and contenders below the arena floor. / Photo by Senior Airman Alex Wieman, Wikimedia Commons The Roman state imposed a behavioral change that would over time alter the mix of genotypes, thus facilitating a subsequent ideological change. By Dr. Peter Frost Professor of Anthropology[…]
Wall painting (1st century AD) from Pompeii depicting a multigenerational banquet / Naples National Archaeological Museum, Wikimedia Commons The Roman Empire, at its height (c. 117 CE), was the most extensive political and social structure in Western civilization. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 10.18.2018 Public Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Introduction The culture of ancient Rome existed throughout[…]
On the eastern side of Ara Pacis is a relief of Tellus Mater, the Roman earth-goddess / Photo by Chris Nas, Wikimedia Commons With the new religion, Christianity, came new attitudes to sexual behaviour and morality. Interview of Dr. Kyle Harper by Dr. Katherine Harvey / 09.01.2016 Harper: Professor of Classics and Letters, The[…]
Titus Lartius was one of the leading men of the early Roman Republic, twice consul, and the first Roman dictator. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 10.12.2018 Public Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Background The Lartii, whose nomen is also spelled Larcius and Largius, were an Etruscan family at Rome during the early years of the Republic. Their nomen is derived from the Etruscan praenomen Lars. Titus’ brother, Spurius Lartius, was one[…]
The Sebasteion, excavated in 1979-81, was a grandiose temple complex dedicated to Aphrodite and the Julio-Claudian emperors and was decorated with a lavish sculptural program of which much survives. / Photo by wneuheisel, Wikimedia Commons Augustus and the Julio-Claudian emperors’ successful reign over the vast Roman Empire were due primarily to provincial loyalty and acquiescence.[…]
There were alternate systems of belief for those dissatisfied with the chaotic traditional religious forms. By Dr. Lynn Harry Nelson Emeritus Professor of Medieval History The University of Kansas Introduction Christianity first arose historically as a reform movement within Judaism. The apostle Paul forced it open to non-Jews and gave it the Greek flavor that[…]
Trajan / Creative Commons The Roman Empire reached its greatest geographical extent under Emperor Trajan. By Dr. Lynn Harry Nelson Emeritus Professor of Medieval History The University of Kansas Introduction In many ways, the Roman empire remains the ideal upon which Western civilization has shaped itself. One need only look at the Capitol in Washington[…]
Detail of Geta (face removed) and Caracalla from the Severan Tondo, c. 200 C.E., tempera on wood, 30.5 cm diameter (Altes Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, photo: Carole Raddato, Creative Commons We know that Roman emperors were often raised to the status of gods after their deaths. However, just as many were given the opposite treatment—officially erased from[…]
A section of the Antonine Wall at Rough Castle near Falkirk / Photo by Kim Traynor, Wikimedia Commons The Antonine Wall is an ancient and historical monument originating as imperial Rome’s one-‐‑time northwest frontier in modern Scotland. By Dr. Darrell Jesse Rohl Assistant Professor of History and Archaeology Calvin College Introduction The Antonine Wall is first,[…]
Chesters Roman Fort – View of the Barrack Blocks Securing the borders of the Roman Empire had become more important than expansion. By Heather Wake Location [LEFT]: Chesters Roman Fort – Commanders House [RIGHT]: Chesters Roman Fort – Remains of the HQ Building Hadrian’s Wall stretched across the North of England from one coast to the[…]
The mausoleum of Augustus in Rome / Photo by ryarwood, Wikimedia Commons “I found a city built of sun-dried brick. I leave her clothed in marble.” By Donald L. Wasson / 05.25.2016 Professor of Ancient/Medieval History Lincoln College Introduction Emperor Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE) accomplished much during his time on the Roman throne, far more than many of[…]
Dated to the New Kingdom (c. 1570 – c. 1069 BCE), and specifically to c. 1200 BCE, the text is written in demotic script and is the oldest treatise on anorectal disease (affecting the anus and rectum) in history. / Photo by Ibolya Horvath, British Museum, Creative Commons The history of medicine is a long and distinguished one, as[…]
The peristyle (courtyard) of Diocletian’s palace The reforms of Diocletian and Constantine “preserved” the empire, but changed it radically. By Dr. Lynn Harry Nelson Emeritus Professor of Medieval History The University of Kansas The Reforms of Diocletian, 284-305 CE Laureate bust of Diocletian / Photo by G.dallorto, Museo Archaeologico, Wikimedia Commons Political Diocletian divided the[…]
In response to drastic unjust debt and legal principles the Plebeians deserted their positions in society and left the Army refusing to fight in 494 BCE. The laws restored the right of appeal to the people and introduced measures which were favorable to the plebeians. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 10.05.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief[…]
The historical importance of Roman law is reflected by the continued use of Latin legal terminology in many legal systems influenced by it, including common law. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 10.05.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Introduction Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years[…]
The Age of Augustus, the Birth of Christ, by Jean-Léon Gérôme, c.1852 / Getty Images, Creative Commons Augustus was the “first among equals”, though of course equality was in so sense an accurate description of either him or ancient Roman life. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 10.04.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Introduction Augustus was a[…]
Vincenzo Camuccini’s depiction of the death of Julius Caesar / Getty Images, Creative Commons Caesar made politics and power his life’s ambition. By Dr. Sarah Midford (left) and Dr. Rhiannon Evans (right) Midford: Lecturer, School of Humanities Evans: Senior Lecturer, Ancient Mediterranean Studies La Trobe University Posterity will be staggered to hear and read[…]