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Roman state existed for nearly thirteen centuries, repeatedly exerting a profound influence on the course of history. I present the history of ancient Rome in the individual articles below, which not always refer solely to the Eternal City itself but encompass the wider world of the Roman Empire.
I encourage you to submit your own articles and to report any corrections or factual inaccuracies.
“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?
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.
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.
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?
Magic is always known to be at odds with science. One believes in the truth, while the other bends it. However sometimes, magic and science find themselves on the same side.
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?
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.
If there were no preserved Roman sources, our knowledge of ancient Rome would not be so complete. Some of the stories seem to be fantasy, others reflect the seriousness of events and present facts unknown to us. Check how much you know about the events from the Roman world described by ancient writers.
The history of ancient Rome is over 1000 years of continuity of a state organism that had its beginnings as a small settlement in central Italy, on the Tiber. However, what is usually most interesting is the time of the reign of the Roman emperors, which are associated with numerous events and, above all, scandals. Check how much you know about Roman emperors!
To this day, the Roman legions are considered one of the best armies in the history of mankind. Disciplined, brave and deadly effective Roman troops were able to defeat many times a much more numerous enemy. Check how much you know about the legions of Rome!
