Life for Lowest Classes in Roman Empire Was Awful

New archaelogical digging and research at Pompei, Italy, where a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius buried Romans in ash, creating a snapshot of life nearly 2,000 years ago, in 79 A.D. reveals that the lowest class of society lived like and with animals, donkeys. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/world/europe/pompeii-ruins-slaves.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/world/europe/pompeii-ruins-slaves.html

Give People Bread and Circuses Instead of Education and Intellectual Challenge, Roman Satirist Urged

The ancient Roman poet Juvenal, born in 55 A.D. was one of the first satirists. He accused his fellow citizens of selling out their patriotic duty for bribes of “bread and circuses.” They cared not about their freedom or the well-being of their fellow citizens, only about entertainment and food.   “… Already long ago, from when …

Ruins of Pompeii Give Great Insight Into Everyday Life in Roman Empire

Pompeii, located near present-day Naples, Italy, "is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region, near the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated …

Alexandria, Egypt: The Intellectual Capital of Antiquity

When I and my two sons hopped off a cruise ship to spend a day in Alexandria, Egypt, it was hard to imagine that it was once the "intellectual capital of antiquity," as Thersites the Historian characterizes it. The most enduring image my sons and I have of that city is, because it was Ramadan, …

A Jewish Empire, 103-67 BC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRsU6UqAcCQ Sam Aronow The Hellenistic World has ended. The Roman World has yet to arrive. Now the nations of West Asia decide their own fate. A Jewish queen will rise higher than any king before her, and for a single generation, Judea will become an empire. Sources: Flavius Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Available free …

Why Do Westerners Use Arabic Numerals?

History Matters: "Why does the western world, who are proudly descended from the Romans, use the Arabic Numeral system instead of the Roman one? You can find out why and when that change happened in this short and simple animated documentary." Essentially, they were far more intuitive, efficient, and communicative than Roman numerals. If a …

Caligula: Rome’s Mad Emperor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zgJ1Cb99uA Caligula, formally known as Gaius, was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 to 41. The son of the popular Roman general Germanicus and Augustus's granddaughter Agrippina the Elder, Caligula was born into the first ruling family of the Roman Empire, conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Wikipedia Source/Further reading: (Excellent, two part podcast on …

Augustus: Roman Empire’s Greatest Emperor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw9le2od08k Caesar Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor, reigning from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. Source/Further reading: Mike Duncan’s excellent, in-depth History of Rome podcast (several episodes covering Augustus): https://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/... Britannica, in-depth: https://www.britannica.com/biography/... Explainer, Ancient.Eu: https://www.ancient.eu/augustus/ Marcus Agrippa: https://www.britannica.com/biography/... More on Marcus: …

The Roman Wall That Split Britain Into Two Parts, England and Scotland

This wall split England from the more rowdy Picts of Scotland. Smithsonian Channel: Hadrian’s Wall was a 73 mile barrier stretching from coast to coast, splitting the warlike north of Britain from the more docile south. It was the Roman Empire’s way of imposing peace in a hostile land. From the Series: Mystic Britain: Hadrian's …

Best Roman Ruins. Where Are the Romans Now?

Throughout Europe and the Middle East, you can find Roman ruins -- more than 40 in Rome, Italy. The 10 best Roman ruins outside Rome that give you a sense of the remarkable geographical span of the Roman Empire are in Merida, Spain; Leptis Magna, Libya; Pula, Croatia; Jerash, Jordan; Caesarea, Israel; Aspendos, Turkey; Baalbek, …