Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Ancient Blueprint Behind Every Modern Stadium
What survives now is only the emptiness of a vast space, yet it carries the weight of a city’s anticipation and the memory of its most restless hours.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Valerius Maximus: The Collector of Roman Virtue and Vice
In Tiberius’ cautious age, Valerius Maximus turned Rome’s past into a manual of virtue. His exempla taught how to speak of courage, justice, and restraint—while his silences reveal the moral tensions of imperial power.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Orosius: The Fall of Rome Through Christian Eyes
From Braga to Jerusalem, Orosius carried letters, relics, and arguments—but his legacy rests on the Historiae, a sweeping Christian vision of world history that shaped medieval thought.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Pompeii’s Taverns and Wine Bars: The Hospitality Business of an Ancient City
Behind Pompeii’s grand villas thrived a bustling world of taverns, inns, and bars. From graffiti complaints about watered wine to marble-clad counters that lured passersby, these establishments reveal the everyday rhythms of food, drink, and company in the Roman world.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Valerian: The Only Roman Emperor Who Was Captured Alive by an Enemy
Valerian’s capture by Shapur I in 260 CE was Rome’s most humiliating defeat—its emperor turned into a Persian trophy. His fate, ambiguous and unforgettable, inspired centuries of reinterpretation, from Christian polemic to Byzantine invective and Persian pride.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Antonine Plague: A Devastation that Reshaped the Roman Empire
The Antonine Plague was a turning point in the empire’s downfall—an often-overlooked epidemic that raged from 165 to 180 CE during the final years of the Antonine Dynasty.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Delving into the Details of the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar
The Gallic Wars, a series of military campaigns waged by Gaius Julius Caesar between 58 and 50 BCE, stand as a critical chapter in both Roman and European history.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Whispers on the Walls: Graffiti as a Voice of Ancient Rome
For tens of thousands of years, people have been leaving their marks on the walls. How was street art during the Empire perceived?
Roman Empire Historical Facts
A Sail Above the Sand: Did the Colosseum Really Have a Retractable Roof?
Imagine 50,000 Romans seated in the blazing summer sun, cheering gladiators while the midday heat bears down on the mighty Colosseum. Yet, their faces are shaded, cooled by a system so advanced that even modern engineers marvel at its ingenuity. How did the Romans achieve this?
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Fortune's Favors: Exploring the Gambling Culture of Ancient Rome
Gambling was a prevalent activity in Ancient Rome, practiced by people of all social classes despite being officially frowned upon and subject to legal restrictions.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Ammian, or Ammianus Marcellinus: From a Roman Soldier to one of the Best Historians of all time
Ammianus Marcellinus wrote what is known as Res gestae, the ultimate historical account about the Roman Empire, that has survived to our days.