Continued from the part II... “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety. Other women cloy the appetites they feed: but she makes hungry where most she satisfies.” - Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare Meeting on the Kydnos Cleopatra was not deeply involved in the civil wars that immediately followed the assassination of Caesar, though she stayed in steadfast support of her [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen Modern day Corfu, known in ancient times as Korkyra, is another island with a history steeped in mythology, from its origin story to its place in several more famous legends. Korkyra was one of the three most powerful maritime nations in the Classical world, joining Athens and Corinth in that distinction. Its original inhabitants are not well understood by historians, [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen No archeological tour of Italy would be complete without a visit to Tibur, modern Tivoli. The city has a long history, dating back to the 13th century B.C., when colonists from Alba Longa settled on the site. Tibur held a tumultuous relationship with Rome before it fell to its southern neighbors. Rome granted citizenship to Tibur in 90 B.C., after [...]
Having proven his naval prowess against Sextus Pompey as well as his unwavering loyalty, Agrippa was the natural choice for Octavian when the constant tension with Antony led to another nautical war. Shortly after the Battles of Mylae and Naulochus, Octavian had successfully ousted the third triumvir, Lepidus. As a result, he held sole control of the western half of Rome with Antony [...]
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 [...]