Tag: Roman Empire

Slaves were trained as gladiators, and in 73 BC such a slave, a Thracian named Spartacus, broke out of a gladiator training camp at Capua and took refuge in the hills. The number of his band swelled rapidly and he kept his men well in hand and under strict discipline and routed two commanders who we...

A great task faced Marcus Aurelius when he became the Roman emperor in AD 161, as successor to his uncle, Emperor Antonius Pius. Generations of luxury had made the patricians, or nobles, weak and selfish. The middle class was disappearing, and the working class was being reduced to a state of slaver...

However, to the south things were different. The princes of Judaea had been allies of Rome for half a century. But Judaea was suffering a civil war between the two brothers Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. Pompey was hence asked to help quell their quarrels and help decide the matter of rule over Judaea (...

Archaeologists in Luxembourg have discovered a remarkable hoard of Roman gold coins dating back around 1,600 years. The collection, featuring the portraits of nine Roman emperors from the fourth and fifth centuries C.E., includes three particularly rare coins depicting Eugenius, a short-lived and il...

Ancient Rome was a powerful civilization that existed from 753 BCE to 476 CE. It was located in the central part of the Italian peninsula and was known for its military prowess, political and legal systems, and architectural and engineering achievements. Ancient Rome is considered to be one of the m...

During the five years of Pompey's absence in the east Roman politics were as lively as ever.Julius Caesar, the nephew of Marius and son-in-law of Cinna, was courting popularity and steadily rising in power and influence. However, among the hot-heads of the anti-senatorial party was Lucius Sergius Ca...

For the moment Caesar's fall produced sheer paralysis. The conspirators imagined that they were going to restore the senatorial republic mid general acclamation. The enemy they had most to fear was Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony, ca. 83-30 BC), consul designate and a favourite lieutenant of the murder...