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Articles

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.

History of Punic Wars

Everyone has heard something about Punic wars, everyone knows something. It was called the war of the Roman Republic with Carthage, a Phoenician colony that became a separate state. Qart Hadasht (New Town) was the capital of the North African country. A country that possessed great wealth, mainly thanks to its excellent fleet and well-developed trade, was second to none because of the merchants of Carthagina. But why do we call the Rome-Carthage wars the Punic? Well, because in Latin the word Punicus meant Carthaginian.

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28 October 2019
The capture of Carthage in 146 BCE

Vision of Constantine before the battle of the Milvian Bridge

According to ancient sources, on the evening of October 27, 312 CE, just before the battle at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine the Great was to have a vision that led him to victory with the support of a Christian god. Historical sources, however, are not consistent and differ on certain issues as to the so-called “miracle of Constantine”.

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27 October 2019
Jacopo Vignali, The Appearance of the Cross to Constantine

Great fire in Rome

A great fire in Rome (Magnum Incendium Romae) broke out on July 19, 64 CE, when it consumed a large part of the city of Rome. Tacitus mentions the rapid spread of fire, which lasted five and a half days, until July 24. The spark was to appear in one of the stores with a flammable substance1. Only four of the fourteen districts of Rome at that time avoided destruction, three were completely destroyed by fire, and another seven were severely damaged.

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21 October 2019
Great fire of Rome

Kingdom period in Roman history

The history of Rome in the educational canon of teaching history begins with the founding myth immediately enters the times of the republic. The royal period is often overlooked in silence. This is understandable given the tight schedule of history lessons. However, the royal period in Rome’s history, which lasted 244 years, prepared the ground and paved the way for further conquests on the Apennine Peninsula, literally and figuratively.

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19 October 2019
Map of ancient Rome

Profanity in ancient Rome

Profanity is not just the domain of modern language. In the ancient and Roman times, vocabulary considered indecent was widely used. In ancient times and Roman times, descendants of “she-wolf” were commonly used in conversations, and less often in texts considered indecent.

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6 October 2019
Roman fresco depicting a sex scene

Infanticide in ancient Rome

Starting from the founding of Rome, the father of the family had extensive, almost unlimited power in relation to his family – literally the life of the offspring was in his hands. He had the right not to accept a child, regardless of his sex, even if he was healthy. The law of the Twelfth Tablets adopted in the early stages of the republic (450 BCE) even demanded the elimination of sick or weak children: “A dreadfully deformed child shall be quickly killed” (Table IV).

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26 September 2019
Young Nero

Roman sea expeditions

In addition to many land expeditions, the Romans also undertook several sea expeditions in southern directions. Greek scholars did not realize that the African continent stretches south of Libya, they believed that Libya was flowing around the ocean – according to Plutarch, Alexander the Great considered circumnavigating Libya as a shorter alternative to a trip by land from the Indus estuary to Macedonia.

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21 September 2019
World map according to Strabo

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