Tag: roman-history
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Spartacus: The 3rd Servile War
Slavery in ancient Rome differed from its more modern form only in that it was not based on race, but like any form of slavery it was an abusive and degrading practice, and cruelty was commonplace. As a slave you had no rights whatsoever, and time and again those who suffered under this practice rebelled…
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Have 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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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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The Short Reign of Pertinax: Corruption and Assassination
Image Credit: Egisto Sani-Flickr Publius Helvius Pertinax was born of a fairly low status on the 1st August 126 AD. The son of a freed slave, he joined the legions, and after commanding in Syria, Britain, and earning distinction on the Danube and the Rhine during the invasion by German tribes in 169 AD, he found…
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Verism: Portraying Power and Ancestry
Heavily wrinkled, with sagging jowls and a thrusting jaw, the face of a Roman aristocrat stares back at us from the time of the late Republic, his countenance meaning to convey his seriousness of mind (gravitas) and the battle scars earned through a life of public and military service. The Veristic style (from the Latin verus meaning true)…
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