Roman Empire Anecdotes
The Surprising Roman Roots of Macaroni and Cheese
Cato layered grain dough with fresh cheese centuries before macaroni and cheese. His Roman recipes reveal a surprising backstory, with important differences.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Rome Recycled More Than We Think
Romans gave old materials surprisingly long lives. Glass, metal, pottery, textiles, papyrus and even buildings could be repaired, reused, sold or remade.
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
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
No Fridge? No Problem: How Romans Preserved Food
Romans preserved food through drying, salting, smoking, pickling, fermentation and careful storage, using techniques that could keep grain, fruit, cheese, meat and wine usable for months.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Fashion and Textile Industry of Ancient Rome
Roman fashion relied on spinners, weavers, dyers, fullers, tailors and traders, while clothing could signal status, citizenship, wealth and identity.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Businesswomen of Ancient Rome
Roman women lent money, ran shops and workshops, owned productive property, took part in long-distance trade and managed agricultural estates. The surviving evidence reveals a much wider female presence in the Roman economy than the traditional image suggests.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
A Roman’s Manual for Survival
What if one man, standing at the twilight of Rome, believed that the fate of peace depended on the art of war? His words, written more than 1,500 years ago, became the backbone of medieval strategy and echoed in the training grounds of emperors and knights alike.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Antiochus III: The Last Great Rival of Rome
Antiochus III entered Greece as a would-be liberator and rival to Rome, but his campaign exposed the limits of Seleucid power against Rome’s armies, navy, and diplomacy.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Did Ancient Romans Exercise to Keep Fit?
The idea that exercise and physical activity are beneficial is not a recent discovery; it has been recognized and practiced for thousands of years.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Seneca the Elder: Before Seneca the Philosopher
Before Seneca the philosopher, there was Seneca the Elder: the Roman writer who preserved the speeches, exercises, and remembered voices of declamatory culture.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Debt and Disgrace in Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, debt could expose property, reputation, friendship, and political ambition. To owe money was often to stand inside a relationship of power.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Roman Cookbook That Reveals an Empire
More than a gourmand, Apicius became a name that absorbed generations of Roman cooks. De Re Coquinaria is not a single author’s work, but the most complete survival of ancient kitchen practice, preserved under a reputation built on excess.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Saturnalia: The Roman Festival that Inspired the Spirit of Christmas
Was Saturnalia of the ancient Romans what Christmas is for us today? The two have a lot in common. How was Saturnalia celebrated?
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Behind Rome’s Prosperity: A Guide Not a Myth
Some of Rome’s most enduring lessons were not carved in stone but preserved in quieter forms, where method speaks softly and the world behind the empire comes into view.