Elite Gladiators – Rock Stars of Ancient Rome
Roman gladiators can be classified in various ways. One such way is by considering their star power.
The gladiators with the biggest draw were considered...
Claudius: From Court Fool to Emperor of Rome
Ridiculed and ignored by the imperial family because of poor health and deficiency of social skills, Claudius rose to be an exemplary ruler.
Under Tiberius...
Otho: Roman Emperor for Three Months
Apparently well meaning, but surely ineffective, Otho – the second ruler in the Year of the Four Emperors – lasted only three months in...
Octavia, Wife of Nero: Seneca’s Tragedy – Roman Empress Octavia’s Marriage, Exile and Death...
Octavia was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Claudius and his wife Messalina. Her mother was executed in their childhood for committing adultery, and...
The End of Pompeii: The Death and Eventual Resurrection of an Ancient Roman City
On August 24, 79 A.D., a small town in the Roman province of Campania, on the western shore of Italy, was stopped dead in...
The Praetorian Guard – Bodyguards and Kingmakers
The elite force was supposed to protect the emperor and his palace, police Rome, interrogate and guard the emperor’s prisoners as well as to...
Tiberius – The Moody Emperor of Rome
Tiberius had the unenviable position of being the successor of Augustus as emperor of Rome. He pales in comparison.
Even though he was an able...
The Battle of Alesia: Julius Caesar’s Siege Warfare Masterpiece
The 52 BC Battle of Alesia was the concluding episode of Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul.
Implementing a ruthless, classic strategy of siege warfare at...
Romans And Barbarians – Part 3
Sometimes the freedom enjoyed by the hitherto un-Romanized Britons was valued more highly than the supposed benefits of civilization, especially if that civilization was...
Top Ancient Roman Ruins in Rome
Rome, the ‘Eternal City’, continues to amaze after more than two millenia at the centre stage of world culture and civilisation. A large part...