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The history of ancient Rome saw the emergence of many outstanding figures who left a lasting mark on the history of the world. Some of them are remembered by posterity as cruel tyrants, such as Caligula, Nero, and Caracalla. Others became renowned as reformers and builders of the Roman state’s power, including Augustus, Claudius, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian, and Constantine the Great. It is also impossible to ignore the Roman generals, who often saved the state from collapse.
History also includes outstanding figures of Roman culture – writers, philosophers, and artists whose work had a profound impact on the development of European civilization. In this section, I present profiles of individuals who achieved great deeds or whose actions left a lasting mark on the pages of history.
(c. 200-251 CE)
Gaius Messius Decius was born around 200 CE and reigned as Roman Emperor from September 249 to June 251 CE. He ruled until his death as Imperator Caesar Gaius Messius Quintus Decius Traianus Augustus. He came from a wealthy Roman family residing near Sirmium in Illyria, thus becoming the first Illyrian emperor in Roman history.
(232-282 CE)
Marcus Aurelius Probus was born in August 232 CE and was Roman emperor from July 276 CE to the second half of 282 CE. He ruled until his death as Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Probus Augustus. He came from a family of a soldier or a gardener, living in Sirmium. He was one of the energetic Illyrian emperors who led the empire out of the so-called Crisis of the Third Century.
(c. 370 - c. 414 CE)
Synesius of Cyrene, Neoplatonic philosopher, bishop of Ptolemais in Cyrenaica, Father of the Church and rhetorician. Today, the figure is probably known only to a small group of specialists and lovers of ancient history, even though he left behind a large literary legacy. A student of the famous Hypatia of Alexandria. Let's take a closer look at this extraordinary, and unfortunately now forgotten figure of late antiquity.
(after 290 - 326 CE)
The life of Constantine the Great was not an easy one. He had to face more and more new problems, and the higher he climbed in his political career, the more of them there were. The emperor had an ambitious and clever woman at his side - Fausta. One time she saved his life by defending him from his own father. However, this made Constantine decide to get rid of her.
(31 March 250 - 25 July 306 CE)
Almost everyone knows the achievements of Constantine the Great. However, not everyone knows that Constantine the Great owes the most to his father - a good and efficient emperor who rose to the top of his career almost from scratch. Who was the father of the great emperor? What has he done? Under what circumstances did he receive the purple? How did he end up in a relationship with a saint? What kind of man was Constantius Chlorus?
(c. 100 - 140 CE)
Faustina the Elder was the daughter of Marek Annius Verus and Faustina Rupilia. She also went down in history as the aunt of emperor Marcus Aurelius. But her biography also hides an interesting story - she was one of the most engaged empresses in improving the education of the lower social strata...
(c. 35 - after 69 CE)
Statilia Messalina was the third and last wife of Emperor Nero. She came from a senatorial family, which enjoyed great fame.
(c. 185/4 – 159 BCE)
Publius Terence Afer was a Roman comedy writer whose work was popular not only in ancient Rome but also in the Middle Ages and later. Terence used elegant Latin, and in his works, he focused primarily on man, his personality and reactions to entanglement in everyday and unusual problems.
(30 January 58 BCE - 29 CE)
Livia Drusilla was the last wife of Emperor Augustus, who reigned from 27 BCE to 14 CE. Their marriage lasted over 50 years and was characterized by mutual loyalty.
(c. 88-144 CE)
Polemon is considered one of the greatest orators of the imperial period. He came from Laodicea (Asia Minor), from a famous senatorial family.
