Roman Empire

Recovering the Story of the Empress Messalina After a Roman Cancellation

by Honor Cargill-Martin

After the empress Valeria Messalina's fatal fall from favor with her husband Claudius, her name and image were stricken from public and private spheres, an episode that reveals the tightly-regulated dissemination of imperial women's images (and puts current "cancel culture" panic and whisper networks into perspective). 

What Makes a Rebel Into a Hero?

by Stephen Dando-Collins

The same political process that made a hero out of the rebel Julius Caesar made villains out of his assassins, and burnished the reputations of some other rebels against the Roman Empire. 

The Roman Empress Who Willed Herself to Power Amid Chaos

Galla Placidia was the only member of the imperial family who remained in Rome in 410 AD when the Visigoths approached the city. Her role in what happened next has been misrepresented or ignored by historians for centuries. 

Stabbing, Crucifixion, Eaten by Eels: Learn all about Murder the Roman Way

Historian Emma Souther's new book is a mix of the true crime genre and a history of crime and punishment in ancient Rome. 

How a Disaster Relief Program Changed the Roman Empire for the Better

The 10,000 Pompeiians who evacuated the city ahead of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD benefited from the redistribution of the property of nobles who didn't. 

If Trump Is Caligula, There Could Be Some Unexpected Benefits

How the story of a Roman emperor planning to appoint his horse as consul relates to the Trump administration, with input from historian Aloys Winterling.

Has Italy Fallen, Again, to Dictatorship?

by Christopher Binetti

As a result of several factors--a tradition of temporary strongman leaders, a history of disguised dictatorship, and a unitary government for a regionally divided people--Italy has been more susceptible than other liberal democracies of falling into autocracy in the current COVID crisis. 

The Roman ‘Brexit’: how life in Britain changed after 409AD

by Will Bowden

One of the remarkable things about the first decades of the 5th century was the apparent speed with which the things we associate with Roman life disappeared.

It’s Time to Rethink the Byzantine Legacy

by Michael Goodyear

It wasn’t Europe that gave us our idea of the Byzantines. They crafted their own Western European image.

Bronze Arm Found in Famous Shipwreck Points to More Treasure Below

Marine archaeologists announced new findings from their most recent excavation of the roughly 2,000-year-old Antikythera wreck.

Historian David Potter corrects the Dutch prime minister

In a letter to the editor of the Financial Times he says the Roman Empire didn’t collapse because of loose border controls.

The Lesson of the Fall of the Roman Republic We Ignore at Our Peril

by Richard Alston

In the modern West, we assume loyalty to the state and thus fail to consider how states can secure the loyalty of their people. Rome teaches us why this is a mistake.

The Fall of Rome and All that

by Douglas Boin

Our obsession with the Fall of Rome reflects our belief in the end times – a belief shared by the people of Rome.

The best thing the Romans did for Britain was leave, historian claims

On average Britons lived for two years longer after the fall of the Roman Empire

Are We More Like the Roman Empire than We Care to Admit?

by David M. Carr

That’s a good question to ask ourselves at the start of a new year. History doesn’t provide a comforting answer.

Website publishes 40 amazing maps that show the Roman Empire's rise and fall

by Timothy B. Lee

Here are 40 maps that explain the Roman Empire — its rise and fall, its culture and economy, and how it laid the foundations of the modern world.

Plague of Justinian confirmed as Black Death

New DNA sequencing shows that the Plague of Justinian was in fact the bubonic plague.

Gladiators in London death pits were 'chewed by dogs'

New findings suggest corpses of defeated gladiators fed to dogs.

Polish archaeologists discovered a Roman garrison commander's house in the Crimea

Until now, researchers have speculated that this house was located at the citadel in nearby Chersonesus.

Alarm sounded over state of Italy's historic monuments

ROME (AFP).- Alarm bells are ringing once more over the upkeep of Italy's historic monuments, from the Roman city of Pompeii to the Colosseum, with budget cuts hampering repairs and UNESCO issuing a stern rebuke."Over the last five years, the culture budget has been reduced by two thirds," Culture Minister Massimo Bray complained in an interview on Monday published in Italian newspapers.Italy is now lagging well behind its European counterparts: the country allocates just 1.1 percent of its budget to culture, compared to 7.4 percent in Ireland, 3.3 percent in Spain and 2.5 percent in France.The lack of funds is having a disastrous affect on the country's archaeological treasures, with many sites closed due to fears of rock collapses and others sporadically shut by protests and strikes....