Roman Empire News
Romans Stored or Smoked Hallucinogenic Seeds Using Animal Bone
A Roman-era bone held hundreds of black henbane seeds. Researchers weighed a pipe theory, but its shape and uncharred contents point to deliberate storage.
10 Best Roman Series to Watch, Ranked
Palace plots, chariot races and spectacularly bad decisions: our countdown ranks ten Roman series for your next binge, from gritty drama to irreverent comedy.
Roman Well Mystery: Seven Bodies, Four Different Ancestry Profiles
Ancient DNA from four of seven men buried at Roman Mursa shows varied ancestry. Bone wounds point to violence, while the burial’s exact cause remains uncertain.
Kapersburg Brooch Raises Questions About Life After Rome's German Frontier
A brooch and pottery near Kapersburg's Roman temple may point to later use of the site. New research adds context to the changing German frontier.
Horace: The Roman Poet of Friendship, Wine and Knowing When Enough Was Enough
Horace rose from the son of a freedman to one of Rome’s most celebrated poets, writing about friendship, wine, ambition, ageing and the difficult art of knowing when enough was enough.
Copenhagen’s Glyptotek Adds Roman Perfume to Its Fashion Exhibition
Four scent stations and three modern products reveal how the Glyptotek and Karmameju interpret Roman fragrance, from ancient texts to a sealed perfume flask.
Montenegro’s Roman City Had a Forum Long Before Diocletian
A study of Doclea’s forum and basilica in Montenegro places their main construction in the first century CE, before later work in Diocletian’s era.
Wall Paintings Found Near Ancient Smyrna’s Agora and Theater
Three late-antique rooms with mosaic and marble floors accompany newly reported wall paintings around Smyrna’s agora and theater in modern İzmir.
Marcus Attilius: The Novice Gladiator Who Beat Rome’s Veterans
A novice gladiator known from Pompeian graffiti, Marcus Attilius won two remarkable bouts against far more experienced fighters.
Forget Quiet Luxury: A Roman Fashion Exhibition Puts Power in Colour
A pink Tiberius, surviving tunics and imperial boots anchor the Glyptotek’s new exhibition on how Romans used appearance to present authority.
A Roman Ritual for Night Lightning Comes to Light at Hadrian’s Villa
An inscribed slab found in place at Hadrian’s Villa points to a Roman lightning rite. Its ancient parallels show what the evidence can – and cannot – tell us.
AI Maps the Sights and Sounds of Two Pre-Roman Etruscan Tombs
A study of two painted tombs at Tarquinia combines acoustic measurements and AI models to test how their spaces may have guided ancient visitors.
Scipio Aemilianus: The Roman Who Destroyed Carthage and Numantia
Born an Aemilius and adopted into the house of Scipio, Scipio Aemilianus built his reputation in Spain before becoming the conqueror of Carthage and Numantia.