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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.
Over the dying Julius Caesar did not stand his longtime enemies or sworn defenders of the rights of the crumbling Republic. The consuls appointed by him, governors, commanders fighting at his side from Gaul to Africa, as well as close friends, reached for daggers. Among them stood Brutus, or rather two Brutus – Marcus and Decimius. The history of both politicians shows how different paths led to the conspiracy against Caesar.
Caligula is a particularly important ruler for the study of the descriptions of the appearance of emperors in the works of Suetonius because his body was supposed to clearly reflect the nature of the emperor. The features of the ruler’s disposition (e.g. lust and madness) were not only to be shown through specific events in his life but also manifested in his appearance (Suet. Cal. 50.1 -3).
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.
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.
Gaius Julius Caesar, we evaluate today through the prism of the most famous facts from his life: the romance with Cleopatra, betrayal of Brutus and death as a result of the Ides of March 44 BCE, or the establishment of the Julian calendar. Caesar claims to be an excellent leader, humanist, excellent speaker, author of works written in beautiful Latin: “About the Civil War”, “About the Gallic War” and the creator of the quotes used until today: “the dice were thrown” or “I came, I saw, I conquered”.
Demetrius I Soter was the ruler of the Seleucid state from 162 to 150 BCE. Demetrius proved to be an ambitious and talented leader, who, however, in the face of the progressive disintegration of the state, numerous enemies and the power of Rome, was not able to succeed in rebuilding the former glory of the Seleucid Empire.
Reign of Domitian (81–96) is an interesting and at the same time controversial period in the history of the Roman Empire. Writers from senatorial circles described the emperor as cruel and authoritarian.
One of the most interesting issues related to ancient Rome is the phenomenon of slavery and its very heterogeneous nature. How different was the life of a slave working in a quarry from, for example, Tyiro – a comprehensively educated slave and later liberator of Cicero, who is perhaps one of the most interesting figures of ancient Rome.
Caratacus was the king and leader of the Catuvellauni tribe – one of the most powerful tribes in Britain. He was the son of a Celtic king named Cunobeline and ruled alone from 43-50 CE. When other tribes of Britain went to the side of the Romans or recognized their supremacy, Caratacus fought for freedom by organizing a confederation of the tribes of Britain against the Romans.
Antiquity abounds in many colourful characters with interesting lives. Both positive and negative. There is no shortage of statesmen, warriors, chiefs as well as torturers, psychopaths and deviants. One of such characters is undoubtedly Caligula, actually Gaius Iulius Caesar Germanicus.
