The city of Verona treats visitors to some of the richest Roman remains in all of northern Italy. Uniquely, its Roman theater and amphitheater are both still in use for performances today. The amphitheater, known as the Roman Arena, is famous for its epic performances of large operas. In the past, the city occupied a strategic place near the river Adige and it [...]
The ancient ruins in the city of Acaunum, now modern day Saint-Maurice, are not extensive. Yet their display is beautiful, and they are steeped in the legend of the Decimation of the Theban Legion. Begun in the Bronze Age or before, it was around 30 B.C. that Acaunum fell under Roman rule. Traditional Christian accounts tell of the martyrdom of an entire Roman [...]
For those who enjoy a bit of historical pop culture, the city of Capua is probably all too familiar due to its association with Spartacus and slave rebellions. Founded during the 6th or 8th centuries BCE, Capua was in the region of Campania. Campania was a prosperous and wealthy region, valued for its lush countryside. Capua itself among many things was a centre [...]
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 [...]
The wars following the death of Alexander saw his great empire split into four, each considered a Hellenistic Kingdom. There were the Seleucids to the east, based out of Babylon. The Antigonids ruled Macedonia and Greece. The great Ptolemaic Empire controlled Egypt from their seat in Alexandria. The fourth and often forgotten kingdom was that of Pergamon, in northern Asia Minor. These four [...]
This past week, the Central Archaeological Council of Greece announced their approval of a plan for certain restoration projects in the ancient city of Pella. A study to this end has been underway since 2016, but this is the first step toward that dream. It will aim to preserve and restore segments of the large ornate entrance and the main ceremonial building. They [...]
By the time of the Second Punic War, Cirta was the capital of the kingdom of Numidia. Here Syphax established his headquarters, after defecting from the Romans and taking much of Masinissa’s ancestral kingdom. Syphax also gained a wife from his new support of Carthage, Sophonisba, who was Masinissa’s former fiancée. After his return from Spain, Masinissa at once began a campaign to [...]
Nestled between the Palatine and the Capitoline Hills, the Forum Romanum was the heart of activity in ancient Rome. To this day its ruins attract millions of visitors. The area was originally a thick bog, entirely uninhabitable. Taquinius Superbus, the very last king of Rome, ordered the area drained by the construction of the Cloaca Maxima, one of the world’s earliest examples of [...]
Phoenician settlers from Tyre established Gades, now Cadiz, in 1104 B.C., and in the 7th century they added a connected port. According to legend, Hercules himself founded the city after defeating Geryon, a three-headed monster. It was the tenth of his famous twelve labors. The Carthaginians took the city when they invaded Spain during the 2nd Punic War. Hannibal even made sacrifices in [...]
“It is impossible for any good man to be born from me and this woman.” - Nero’s Father about himself and Agrippina the Younger The city of Baiae seems to have been one of the younger cities of Italy. A source from 178 B.C makes the earliest known reference to the city. Baiae takes its name from Baius, the Greek helmsman of Odysseus’s [...]