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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.
Inflation is not a problem today. The falling value of money is one of the factors adversely affecting the progressive increase in prices, which in turn leads to destabilization of the economy and social unrest. As it turns out, ancient Romans had to face similar problems.
One of the most famous events in human history is undoubtedly the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the early 30s of the 1st century CE. For this reason, along with the development of cinematography, many works were created to show the life of Christ: his birth, teaching, death and resurrection. Most of these works show Roman soldiers, specifically – legionarys, who most of the time appear only as a background.
Thanks to the transformations in Roman administration made by Octavian Augustus during his reign, the Roman empire could enjoy two centuries of relative peace and prosperity, commonly known as Pax Romana – “Roman peace.” Many historians describe the 2nd century CE as the golden age of the empire, but it was not quite a time that would favour everyone, especially when it comes to power.
In Ukraine, we can find remains of the presence of ancient Romans, as well as evidence of intimate trade contacts with peoples inhabiting the Ukrainian steppes – Sarmatians or Scythians. One of the most abundant Roman finds is the Crimean Peninsula.
Callicrates, a politician of the Achaean League, postulated faithful cooperation with the Romans after the defeat of Carthage in the Second Punic War. He is described by historians with unrefined epithets: “collaborator” or “ancient Quisling”, and sources say that the Achaeans avoided him and did not even want to bathe with him.
With the development of the Imperium, a huge number of different religions with a shorter or longer traditions found themselves within the borders of the Roman state. As a result, a process of intense religious change began. Romans became more and more interested in attractive Eastern cults over time. These include, among others, Egyptian cults, primarily the goddess of Isis and Serapis.
With the growth of the Roman state and the emergence of real money, the Romans began to see the importance of coins aside from the payment function. The possibility of placing initials and images/symbols on the obverse or reverse allowed politicians and emperors to influence the social masses. After all, every inhabitant of the Roman state wanted money, which was also indirectly a carrier of information and a means of propaganda.
The civil war of 193-197 was presented by ancient writers very one-sidedly. The main focus was on the figure of its winner, Septimius Severus. The other participants of this conflict, i.e. Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus and Didius Julianus, did not receive such interest from ancient historiographers. Unfortunately, the number of resources available to help recreate their political agendas is very limited. The basis for this type of consideration is, above all, the coins minted by individual purple candidates. The aforementioned Clodius Albinus stood out in this field.
Constantine I the Great (Gaius Flavius Valerius Constantinus) stopped persecuting Christians and was baptized before his death, becoming the first Christian ruler. He was recognized as a saint in the Orthodox Church. But was he really so holy? When we delve into his biography, we come to the conclusion that he did not differ much from the power-hungry “wicked emperors” who condemned people to death without blinking an eye. Christian virtues were alien to him, especially love for his neighbour and forgiveness.
On June 9, 68 CE in Rome, Nero, the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, committed suicide. Nero was a figure hated by Christians and the Roman aristocracy. However, the ruler was perceived differently among the lower social classes; its popularity was so great that three pretenders appeared throughout history.
