A Hispanic Roman named Maximus? Clearly, all readers have immediately thought of the protagonist of the movie Gladiator, played by Russell Crowe. But the truth is, there was a historical figure with that name who lived nearly three centuries later than the character in the film and was proclaimed emperor in the turbulent context of […]
Ancient Rome
Posted inAncient Rome
The Temple of Hadrian at Cyzicus was the Largest Built in Antiquity, and its Corinthian Capitals the Largest Ever Sculpted
Founded by Greek colonists from Miletus in the 7th century BC and located on a peninsula in northwest Anatolia, the city of Cyzicus was one of the most thriving metropolises of the ancient world, flourishing in the shadow of the imposing Dindymus mountain massif and bathed by the waters of the Propontis strait, which connected […]
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The Battle of Drepana, the Greatest Roman Naval Defeat in the First Punic War, was Foretold by Chickens
A while ago, we dedicated an article to the long siege that the Romans subjected Lilybaeum to, the last Carthaginian stronghold in Sicily. We then pointed out that this episode, which determined Rome’s victory in the First Punic War, was marked by a series of land and naval battles and that in one of them […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Centuriation, the Complex Land Distribution System in Ancient Rome
It was the year 40 BC when the famous Virgil traveled to Rome from his estate in Mantua to meet with Octavius and demand the return of some expropriated lands given to a retired legionary. It wasn’t a punishment but a necessity to resort to such measure to acquire lands to give to the veterans, […]
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A Guided Tour of the Largest Handcrafted Model of Imperial Rome [Video]
“Il Plastico” is a model of ancient Rome created by Italian archaeologist and architect Italo Gismondi between 1933 and 1937, updated with archaeological discoveries until the early 1970s (it’s still being updated regularly today). The model represents the city of Rome in the 4th century during the reign of Emperor Constantine and is the flagship […]
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Only One Vexillum, the Roman War Standard, has Survived to the Present Day
The word vexillology, which names the discipline that studies flags, derives from the Latin term vexillum meaning flag or banner. But in turn, vexillum came from another Latin word, velum, whose meaning is sail. This confirms the historical evidence from coins and sculptures that the vexilla (plural of vexillum) were indeed small fabric sails in […]
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Scrinium Barbarorum, the Department of the Eastern Roman Empire in Charge of Barbarian Affairs
Some time ago we dedicated an article to the frumentarii and agentes in rebus, who constituted what we might consider the Roman Empire’s secret services, although in reality that body performed more functions – including postal and supply duties – because, after all, we’re talking about another era. Julian the Apostate abolished it, leaving only […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Art
The Temple of Isis at Pompeii, One of the First Buildings to be Unearthed from the Ashes
The Temple of the Egyptian goddess Isis in Pompeii was discovered in 1764 during the initial archaeological excavations of the ancient Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was one of the first buildings to be unearthed, and its walls still bore beautiful ancient paintings. Excavations in Pompeii began […]
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Naulochus, Agrippa’s Great Naval Victory over Sextus Pompey that Raised Octavian to Power
After the death of Julius Caesar, Rome was plunged into a civil war. Another one. If the previous had been due to the power struggle between the deceased and Pompey the Great, this time it was between the heirs of Caesar’s legacy and the assassins. The former, Octavian and Mark Antony, agreed to an alliance […]
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Grotta di Cocceio, the First Great Road Tunnel in the World, Built by the Romans in 36 BC
Between the years 37 and 36 BCE, Marco Vipsanius Agrippa, personal friend and right-hand man of Emperor Augustus, established the foundation of the most important Roman fleet (the classis Misenensis) at Portus Iulius, built for this purpose between Baiae and Puteoli (modern-day Pozzuoli in the Gulf of Naples) by the engineer Lucius Cocceius Auctus. Authors […]
