“Agrippa, favoured by the winds and the gods leads his towering column of ships, his brow shines with the beaks of the naval crown, his proud battle distinction” Virgil, Aeneid. Book VIII (translation by A.S. Kline) Agrippa is one of the greatest men of Ancient Rome. His lifetime accomplishments were spectacular and his heritage is incredibly rich even two thousand years after his [...]
The Revolt of Carausius, Ancient Londinium, and the split from Empire
Placed at the West end of the Forum Romanum, leaning against the substructures of the Tabularium at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, the temple was dedicated to the goddess Concord, personification of harmony among men. The temple has been renovated several times, the last renovation being held under Tiberius. The exterior of the temple was then entirely covered with marble, making the [...]
No, not the desperate Spartan defense of the pass against the Persians, made famous by big muscles and lots of slow motion in the movie 300. In fact, over the centuries, many Battles of Thermopylae have taken place in that mountain pass. However, today the terrain has changed. Visitors no longer see the narrow passage of ancient times, but an open plain. The [...]
Meta Sudans: meaning and significance “Meta” was a tall conical structure that stood on either side of chariot racing tracks, while the Latin word “Sudans” stands for sweating. The Meta Sudans in the Valley of the Coliseum was once an imposing, conically-shaped fountain that seemed to sweat water. It stood at the juncture of four of the city’s Augustan regions (I, III, IV [...]
Egyptians never called their river “Nile”. This word comes from the Egyptian “nwy”, which means 'water' – it was mispronounced by Greeks as “Neilos”. But the original and very ancient name of Nile was “Hapi” probably signifying "the hidden". Later, Egyptians started to call the Nile 'the river', and Hapi became the name of river’s god, or, more precisely, the god of the [...]
Some travelers who come to Rome think that Trajan’s column was the very first of its kind and that it is unique. In reality, Romans have erected many great columns in Rome and across the Empire. Some of them still stand today, but most of them are unfortunately lost. We know about a dozen of Columns that stood in Rome, but only three [...]
The Circus Maximus’s history is as ancient as Rome’s itself. Legend has it that it was during the first games in the circus, put on by Romulus himself, that Rome’s king gave the order for the infamous Rape of the Sabine women. Under the Tarquins, wooden seats were constructed that spatially separated spectators according to class. And during the mid-Republic (c. 189 BC) [...]
The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most spectacular ancient Greek monuments that are still visible today. The sanctuary reached its peak when the Athenians, empowered from their victory over the Persians, built a number of great monuments including the famous Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia and the temple of Athena Nike. The Acropolis has become the visible symbol of all that [...]
Ephesus has a continuous and complex history which begun some nine thousand years ago. Ephesus location is very favourable, but the shoreline was constantly moving from east to west due to sedimentation, which led to several relocations of the city. Excavations have revealed splendid monuments of the Roman Imperial period including the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. But the most famous [...]