Roman coin denominations of the late empire
Roman coinage of the first 2 centuries of the Roman empire is well documented and allows for relative clarity in its study and collection. However by the 3rd century reforms were increasingly required but less well documented, the “Antoninianus” was introduced but the name itself is a modern invention in line with the emperor who […]
How Many Caesars were there in Ancient Rome?
The question “How many Caesars were there?” can be answered “From 1 only, there were more than 70 Caesars, possibly hundreds, depending on how you define Caesar, whether you include both western and eastern halves of the Roman empire, and whether you include derivative titles such as Kaiser and Qaysar amongst others referring to Caesar”. […]
A Comparative Approach to Understanding Ancient Roman Inventions and Innovation
The Paradox of Ancient Roman Inventions Discussions about ancient Roman inventions are often riddled with a commonplace paradox: On the one hand, anyone can easily mention some great inventions of ancient Rome such as the roads, military technology, or the system of law that lies at the foundation of many modern nations. On the other […]
Castrum Novum theatre: The architecture and orientation of a newly discovered ancient Roman theatre
Imagine a stage lit by the burning summer sunset and cooled by the sea breeze: A Roman theatre has recently been unearthed by archaeologists at Castrum Novum, north of Rome. It was built on the coast, some 50m from the sea front and oriented so that the setting sun would light the stage. Were the shows timed to match the sun?
The birth of Rome – a crucible for many ethnicities.
The birth of Rome was about ethnic co-existence rather than deletion. War and conquest was certainly there, but carefully balanced with the admission of other cultures, religions and customs. We can learn much by comparing the early stages of Archaic Rome and the other cultures of Italy.
Walks of Rome you can easily fold in the back of your pocket
Simple ideas to see Rome and get the most out of it – print one of 5 and put it in your pocket!
Understanding the future from Ancient Roman history: Historical Methods
History with a capital ‘H’: Many students know something about the philosophy of science, but is there a philosophy of History? Or different types of “Historical Methods”? Might we develop historical methods which take us from interpreting the past to understanding our future in new and different ways? What about cognitive computing applied to history? […]
Our perception of time and scale: What ancient Rome can teach us
Understanding history is difficult and open to interpretation, no doubt. Much of this difficulty is due to the complexity of the factors involved. The further back we look and the more fragmentary the information. Documentary evidence, or lack of it, seems the main hindrance but it’s not the only one. Our perception of time and […]
Learning from Ancient Rome and social evolution
Can ancient Rome teach us something of social evolution? This short article is little more than a structured collection of thoughts regarding ancient Rome and social evolution: How we can use ancient Rome as a reference for the understanding of social evolution? The study of the evolution of societies is a complex thing. Lying somewhere between […]