Tag: Roman Empire
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Sulpicia
Many women, we know, wrote poetry in ancient Rome. The works of only one have survived. This poem by Sulpicia, the niece of the distinguished statesman and patron of letters Valerius Messalla Corvinus, allow us to hear an aristocratic female voice from the late first century B.C. and the Augustan milieu of Horace and Virgil.…
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The luxury lifestyle of elite Pompeii residents
A thermal bath complex is latest discovery among ruins of Italian city destroyed by Vesuvius eruption in AD79 Angela Giuffrida in Rome, 17th January 2025 A large and sophisticated thermal bath complex that was believed to have been used by its owner to pamper well-heeled guests has been discovered among the ruins of ancient Pompeii. The…
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Caligula – unravelling the madness
Caligula Appointing His Horse Incitatus to the Consulship, unknown author, 1616–1669, The Art Institute Chicago. Caligula, who lived from 12 BC to 24 AD is one of the most well known Roman emperors, but for all the wrong reasons. Everyone has heard the horror stories, from his incestuous relationship with his sister, his madness, and…
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Roman villa in Scarborough & London section of Watling Street unearthed
As reported by Historic England and others in April 2021: Rare Roman remains were discovered in recently at the site of a new housing development in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The potential for discovering Roman ruins had been identified at the site in Eastfield, so archaeologists employed by the developer Keepmoat carried out excavations as part…
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Ancient Greek Miracle Plant Rediscovered
This post was written by Giovanni Prete writing for the Greek Reporter GreekReporter.com – Ancient Greek Miracle Plant Used in Ancient Greece Rediscovered After 2,000 Years – December 2024 The “miracle” plant Silphium consumed by Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, which was thought to have become extinct two thousand years ago, has recently been rediscovered…
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A Happy Roman New Year
The Romans celebrated the New Year as a time of new beginnings and fresh starts, and New Year celebrations in ancient Rome were full of symbolism and held huge significance. Janus, the god who the month of January is named after, was often depicted with one face looking backward and another face looking forward, representing…
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Statius – An Ode to Sleep
An Ode To Sleep by Publius Papinius Statius, a Latin poet of the 1st century CE. Gentle divinity, how have I merited?Whither, unfortunate wretch, have I strayed,Thus of thy bounty to lie disenherited –I alone whilst every other is paid?Sleeping are cattle and birds without number,Beasts of the wilderness rest in their lair;Even the hills,…
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Saturnalia: The Roman festival that influenced Christmas
Antoine-François Callet’s Saturnalia 1783 “For a day and a night the cry of the Saturnalia resounded through the City, and the people were ordered to make that day a festival and observe it as such for ever” (Livy, History of Rome, XXII.1.19) Matt Salusbury wrote the following article and it was published in History Today, Volume 59, Issue…
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Unearthing the first ever Roman Funerary Bed discovered in London
Excavations at the site in central London The following article was written in 2024 by Vladimir Vulic for Roman Empire which can be found at roman-empire.net The discovery was made by a team from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) near Holborn Viaduct, situated in the heart of central London, approximately six meters (20 feet)…
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Cleopatra VII – Power, Romance & Rome
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Bust of Cleopatra VII in the Altes Museum, Berlin Her full name was Kleopatra VII Thea Philopator, the title Kleopatra, is Greek for ‘Glory of her Father’, and she was the seventh female in the royal dynasty of Egypt to be called a Kleopatra. Although she was born in Egypt, she could trace her family…