Wine Is 8,000 Years Old. How Much Had the Romans Already Mastered?

Ancient vineyard practices, cellar instructions and judgements of quality complicate the idea that good wine is a modern achievement.

Edicta Munerum: How Romans Advertised Gladiator Games

Painted across houses, baths and tombs, edicta munerum advertised gladiator games with dates, sponsors, fighters and extra attractions.

Annion and the Family Tombs of Roman-Era Chersonesus

A young woman’s probable identification connects human remains with a named family memorial in the cemetery outside Chersonesus.

Dionysius of Halicarnassus: The Greek who Flourished during Roman Times

Not every account of the past aims to preserve memory alone. Some are crafted to impose order, meaning, and authority on events that resist easy explanation.

Aulus Gellius: The Roman Who Wrote Down Everything He Found Interesting

Aulus Gellius filled the Attic Nights with notes on books, conversations, language, philosophy, law and the curious details he wanted to remember.

The Battle of Pydna: How Rome Broke the Macedonian Phalanx

At Pydna in 168 BC, Aemilius Paullus defeated Perseus after the Macedonian phalanx lost cohesion and Roman troops entered the gaps in its line.

Roman Astronomers: The Men Who Studied the Stars in Ancient Rome

Roman astronomy was shaped by soldiers, statesmen, poets and natural philosophers who studied eclipses, stars, planets, calendars and comets.

The Six Men Who Said No to Roman Emperors

From Thrasea Paetus and Helvidius Priscus to Basil, Ambrose and Martin of Tours, six men were remembered for refusing imperial demands. Their stories reveal very different forms of resistance; and very different levels of historical certainty.

Gratian: A Child on the Throne, a Soldier in the Making

Raised to the rank of Augustus at just eight years old, Gratian spent his reign trying to grow into the military and political role his father had prepared for him.

The Roman Rudis: The Award That Ended a Gladiator’s Service

The rudis marked a gladiator’s release from compulsory service in the arena, but it did not always mean legal freedom. From training weapon to retirement award and referee’s staff, its meaning reveals much about gladiatorial careers, status and life after combat.

Petronius: The Courtier Who Understood How Rome Really Worked

A figure known through fragments, proximity, and performance offers a rare view into how Roman society operated when authority was informal and observation mattered more than power.

How Did Romans Do Math?

How Romans handled arithmetic without modern numerals, from finger reckoning and abaci to fractions, interest, multiplication, division and engineering calculations.