Roman Empire News
2,000-Year-Old Roman Kitchen Found in Spain’s Ancient Segisamo
A kitchen from the age of Augustus and Tiberius preserves imported Roman cookware beside pottery rooted in local Turmogi traditions.
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Anecdotes, historical facts, fictional stories and news curated from a small team of human writers, fascinated with Ancient Rome and its myriad myths and legends.
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Roman Empire News
Rome Opens the Painted City and Great Mosaic Beneath Trajan’s Baths
Restored first-century wall art beneath the Baths of Trajan is now open in controlled visits, alongside new excavation results from Colle Oppio.
Roman Empire News
Ancient Roman Building and Metalworking Site Emerges in Ligornetto
Excavators at Stramonte have uncovered part of a second- to third-century Roman building, along with fire damage and evidence for metalworking nearby.
Roman Empire News
Roman Road Analysis Finds the Empire Did Not Revolve Around Rome
A new study of nearly 300,000 kilometres of Roman roads shows how terrain and provincial cities shaped a network that was not centred on Rome.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
How a Roman Emperor Answered His Mail
Roman emperors received petitions, reports, legal questions and requests from across the Empire. Here is how that imperial correspondence actually worked.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Nannies of the Empire: The Wet Nurses Who Raised Roman Children
Roman wet nurses did far more than feed infants. They could shape a child’s speech, habits and earliest education, while sometimes remaining part of their lives for decades.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
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.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
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.
Roman Empire News
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.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
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.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
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.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
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 Empire Anecdotes
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.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
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.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
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.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
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.