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Articles

The Roman state existed in practice for XIII centuries, being the power which was impacting the history. Therefore, I decided that I would tell the history of ancient Rome in the articles below, which will not necessarily cover only the Eternal City.

I encourage you to send articles and point out any corrections or inaccuracies.

Who struck the fatal blow? Revisiting Julius Caesar’s wounds

Two of the most well-known and often repeated aspects of Caesar’s assassination are the number of conspirators involved in the conspiracy and the number of wounds he received. Most of the ancient sources agree that there were sixty or so conspirators involved and that Caesar ended up with twenty-three stab wounds. As such, it is not uncommon to hear it said that a group of Senators killed Caesar, or that he was killed after being stabbed twenty-three times. Usually, the ancient sources and modern writers group all of the assassins, referring to the murder of Caesar as one collective action, his death the result of his many stab wounds. However, the reality may be different.

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17 September 2024
Death of Caesar, Vincenzo Camuccini

“Meditations” of Marcus Aurelius: philosophy of stoicism in everyday life of emperor

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor who reigned from 161 to 180 CE, went down in history not only as a just ruler but also as one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity. His work Meditations is a collection of reflections that he wrote mainly for himself, to cultivate his inner life. It is an extremely intimate record of thoughts that refer to everyday struggles, and reflections on the nature of man and the world and the meaning of life. Meditations are deeply rooted in Stoic philosophy, and at the same time constitute a practical guide to ethics and morality.

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11 September 2024
Marcus Aurelius

Review: “Those About To Die” – to what extent is series true to history?

“Those About to Die” is the latest series that takes the viewer to the world of ancient Rome, namely 79 CE and the reign of Emperor Vespasian. The premiere of the series, which can be watched on the Amazon Prime platform, took place on July 18, 2024. What can we say about the series from a historical perspective? To what extent has it been consistent with scientific knowledge and ancient sources?

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2 August 2024
Those About to Die

Did ancient Romans ever meet Chinese?

The history of the world is full of meetings – and sometimes even clashes – between completely different civilizations. The most famous examples of such interactions are the colonization and conquest of the so-called New World, i.e. both Americas by Europeans, starting from the very end of the 15th century, invasions of nomadic Mongols from the 13th century, reaching as far as Central Europe and the Balkans, or the long expeditions of the Vikings approximately 1000 CE, which took them as far as North America, where they encountered natives – skraelings.

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13 May 2024
Scene from the movie Dragon Blade from 2015

Tacitus Unveiled: Reevaluating Unpopular Theories on Jewish Origins

The origins of the Jewish people have been a topic of discussion throughout history, characterized by complexity and sometimes bias. In today’s era, armed with numerous historical sources, we can more accurately trace their ethnic roots. However, in the early days, especially during the classical period, historians grappled with the challenge of unraveling this enigma. Tacitus, a prominent historical figure, delves into this question in his significant work The Histories, Book V, composed around 110 CE. In this narrative, Tacitus explores various theories and possible interpretations of Jewish origins, including some less emphasized ones that offer intriguing classical perspectives. While the final explanation provided by Tacitus is often cited, these lesser-known interpretations provide a nuanced and complex view of classical thought on the Jewish exodus, adding an interesting layer to a forgotten past.

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8 January 2024
Image shows modern Jerusalem, a place mentioned in the article that has a historical connection to the Jewish people

Two emperors on one throne: Pupienus and Balbinus

In the Roman Empire in the 3rd century CE there were many times when the throne was usurped and several emperors ruled at the same time. One day in 238, however, an extraordinary event occurred in Rome. The Senate elected two emperors at once and ordered them to rule together. Who were these two distinguished people?

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19 October 2023
Emperors Pupienus and Balbinus on Roman coins

Rome 2.0, or how the Renaissance rediscovered antiquity

When the Germanic leader Odoacer dethroned the minor emperor Romulus Augustus in 476, the Roman Empire effectively ceased to exist. With this event, many achievements of antiquity were lost – some irretrievably, others fell into oblivion for hundreds of years. It was only with the advent of the Renaissance that changes in European communities were so serious that they returned to the achievements of the ancient Romans on a larger scale. So what were the causes and consequences of the Renaissance?

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13 October 2023
Statue of Antinous

Pets of ancient Romans

Almost everyone likes animals. Most of us probably once had or currently have a pet. In this matter, we are almost no different from the ancient Romans, who also had their animal friends, not only those that are most popular today, such as dogs or cats, but also parrots, snakes, lions, bears, and even monkeys.

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13 October 2023
Fresco depicting a bird, Villa of the Empress Poppea, Torre Annunziata, Italy

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