Roman Empire Anecdotes
Incense in Ancient Rome: Smoke, Ritual, and Power
From temple rites to family altars and funerals, incense in the Roman Empire was a ritual tool with global supply chains, moral debates, and political weight.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
The Elderly in Ancient Rome: Voices of Respect and Fear
Old age in Rome was both feared and revered. Cicero praised its dignity, Juvenal mocked its weakness, and proverbs marked sixty as the threshold of decline. Between honor and ridicule, the elderly lived at the margins of Roman society.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Marcus Terentius Varro: The Polymath who catalogued the Roman Civilization
Marcus Terentius Varro sought to catalogue Rome itself — its language, gods, customs, and farms. From etymology to agriculture, his vast writings preserved the memory of a people whose strength lay in mixture, tradition, and resilience.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Vitruvius: The Roman Who Shaped Modern Architecture
Vitruvius wasn’t Rome’s most famous architect—but he gave architecture its voice. His treatise De Architectura did more than codify how to build; it taught Rome how to think about building.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Senate of Rome, Senatus Populusque Romanus: Backbone of a Republic, Shadow of an Empire
From royal council to imperial echo, the Roman Senate survived upheaval, adapting to centuries of change. Even stripped of power, it remained the beating heart of Roman identity—a symbol more potent than its voice.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Mistress of Rome: Servilia, Caesar, and the Politics of Passion
They whispered about her in marble halls—Servilia Caepionis, sister to Cato, mother to Brutus, lover to Caesar. The story of a woman whose silence echoed louder than a senator’s speech.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Rome’s Tastiest Obsession: The Red Mullet and the Price of Prestige
The Roman passion for red mullet drove them to pay fortunes to have this delicacy on their tables.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Roman Engineering: The Backbone of an Empire
Roman engineering combined practicality with innovation, utilizing materials like concrete and brick to construct vast, enduring structures. The adaptability of their methods allowed for architectural achievements that shaped both their empire and future civilizations.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Plutarch: A Greek Voice in the Heart of Rome
Plutarch, the Greek historian, biographer, and philosopher, wrote in an era when Rome dominated the Mediterranean world, yet his works found an eager audience among the very people who had conquered his homeland.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Sallust: Details on the Historian of Roman Elite and the Republic’s Decline
Sallust, one of Rome’s earliest and most profound historians, offers an intense and critical perspective on the decline of the Roman Republic.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
How did Romans Go to the Toilet and Use Urine in Ways we Cannot Imagine Today
How did the Romans go about… number one and number two, and how did they utilize their human waste?
Roman Empire Anecdotes
The Food Culture of Ancient Rome: What did the Different Social Classes Eat?
The everyday diet of the ancient Mediterranean has been relatively understudied, particularly the cultural importance of various foods in the Greek and Roman worlds.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
August Super Moon is coming. How did Romans “see” the Moon?
The moon's influence was acknowledged and respected in various aspects of Roman life.