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Ancient Rome

Welcome to Ancient Origins section on Ancient Rome, one of the most fascinating and influential civilizations in human history. From its legendary founding in 753 BC to its collapse in 476 AD, Rome left an indelible mark on Western culture, politics, law, and architecture, shaping our modern world in countless ways.

Whether you are a student, a history enthusiast, or simply curious about this ancient civilization, this section has hundreds of articles that will take you on a journey through the rise and fall of Rome, its legendary emperors, its iconic landmarks, and its enduring legacy.

Explore the stories of Rome's legendary figures, marvel at the grandeur of its monumental buildings, and learn about the customs, beliefs, and achievements of the Romans, who created one of the most enduring and influential civilizations of all time. Join us as we delve into the world of Ancient Rome, where the past meets the present and the legacy of Rome lives on.

History & Chronology of Ancient Rome

The Roman Kingdom

The Roman Republic

The Punic Wars

The Roman Empire

The Fall of Rome

Byzantium

Roman Figures

Roman Emperors

Other Roman Leaders

Roman Gods & Religion

Other Roman Figures

Roman Places

Roman Cities

Roman Temples & Monuments

Roman Baths & Villas

Roman Entertainment Venues

Roman Life

Roman Society & Culture

Roman Entertainment & Leisure

Roman Politics, Government & Law

Roman Art, Music, Literature

Roman Architecture & Engineering

Roman Colonization & Expansion

Roman Military & Warfare

Roman Economy & Trade

Roman Artifacts

Roman Technology

Roman Writings

Other Artifacts
Inscribed lead Roman curse tablet. Source: British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
1 December, 2022 - 21:50 Lex Leigh

8 Hilarious Curse Tablets from the Roman World

The Roman Empire was famous for many things, but did you know they were also famous for their curse tablets? These tablets, called defixiones by researchers, were a way for ancient Romans to express...
Wall fragment with Two Women Roman 1-75 CE Plaster and pigment fresco.
20 May, 2018 - 13:57 ancient-origins

Scientists Amazed to Discover 2,000-Year-Old Face Cream Still Containing Last Finger Imprints

When archaeologists came across a tin containing an unknown 2000-year-old ointment they were both pleased and bemused. It was not discovered in a home as one might think, but rather near an ancient...
Research of Latin papyrus texts has allowed for a deeper understanding of the Roman world. Representational image of papyrus scrolls. Source: shaiith / Adobe Stock
12 January, 2023 - 21:51 ashley cowie

Latin Papyrus Texts Reanimate Fossils of the Roman World

The PLATINUM project claims to be a “Partnership for Learning and Teaching in University Mathematics.” The study began with the goal of analyzing existing Latin papyrus texts dating to the 1st to 8th...
Huge Roman Silver Hoard Unearthed in Augsburg, Germany
17 November, 2021 - 17:53 Sahir

Huge Roman Silver Hoard Unearthed in Augsburg, Germany

A massive stash of Roman silver dating to the first and second centuries AD has been discovered in the Bavarian city of Augsburg in Germany. The cache, which includes 15 kg (33 pounds) of silver...
Roger Tomlin deciphering one of the 405 Bloomberg Tablets found at the heart of Roman Britain, Londinium, which are the oldest written documents ever found in the UK.
10 July, 2022 - 14:59 Mark Brophy

2,000-Year-Old Bloomberg Tablets Reveal London Life Under the Romans

When archaeologists began excavations on the site of the demolished Bucklesbury House, little did they know that they would uncover the earliest written documents found in Britain. Dating from...
A fragment of the Forma Urbis Romae map
7 March, 2016 - 03:40 mrreese

New Piece of a 2,200-Year-Old Roman Puzzle Emerges, Bringing Together Ancient Map of Rome

Maps are a useful modern tool, telling us how to get places, showing us where borders lie, and illustrating the distance between two places. While modern technology has made the creation of and...
Newly Discovered Ancient Roman Writing Tablets Provide Snapshots of Roman-Era London
2 June, 2016 - 21:49 Mark Miller

Newly Discovered Ancient Roman Writing Tablets Provide Snapshots of Roman-Era London

Recently discovered ancient British Roman texts on wax-covered wood tablets with legal, correspondence, note-taking and accounting documents have been translated, and researchers are now releasing...
Three of the Roman intaglios, engraved semi-precious stones discovered by archaeologists near Hadrian’s Wall. Source: Anna Giecco//Wardell Armstrong
30 January, 2023 - 17:59 Sahir

30 Stunning Roman Intaglios Discovered at Hadrian's Wall Bathhouse Site

Two thousand years ago, beautifully carved Roman stones taken into an ancient pool were lost by the bathers. Now they have been recovered during archaeological excavations in Carlisle, adjacent to...
Stylus with old Roman joke found in London.
30 July, 2019 - 01:57 Ed Whelan

Roman Pen Inscribed With Precursor to Modern Classic Joke Found in London

An expert on inscriptions has deciphered some Roman writing on a pen as a witticism left by its owner, with a sentiment remarkably similar to those found on tongue in cheek souvenirs of today...
The restored horse head is on view for the first time since its discovery in 2009
30 August, 2018 - 14:04 Alicia McDermott

Bronze Horse Head of Waldgirmes Emphasizes that Germanic Tribes and Romans Sometimes Played Nice

Last week a rare Roman bronze horse’s head made international headlines because it gained a German farmer a pretty penny. Now the sculpture fragment is back in the limelight because archaeologists...
Sumerian Artifact with the Tree of Life. (swisshippo / Adobe Stock)
6 February, 2020 - 04:28 Roberto Volterri

In Rome, I Saw Written On Top Of A Door

In Rome "I saw written on top of a door." ( Inferno , III, v. 11, Dante) In Rome, hidden a corner of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, one will find the last remnant of the Academia dell’ Arcadia , an...
Ryedale Roman Bronze Artifacts Found By Detectorists Head for Auction
23 April, 2021 - 14:52 Prisha Aug

Ryedale Roman Bronze Artifacts Found By Detectorists Head for Auction

A marvelous collection of Roman bronze artifacts that were unearthed in the year 2020 by detectorists in Yorkshire, England, is set to be auctioned next month. The rare Roman bronze collection,...
Stav Meir, holding the 1,500-year-old Byzantine inscription that he discovered near Caesarea. Source: Karem Said/ Israel Antiquities Authority
22 January, 2020 - 22:56 Ed Whelan

13-year-old Israeli Boy Stumbles Upon Ancient Byzantine Inscription

Many important archaeological finds have been made by accident down the years. In Israel, a lucky boy came across a very important historic artifact while out searching for mushrooms. He found an...
Dr. Eitan Klein, Archeologist and Deputy Director of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit for Israel Antiquities Authority, holding the Byzantine-amulet under investigation.
27 May, 2021 - 14:57 ashley cowie

Is This Byzantine-Era Demon-Repellent Amulet Jewish or Gnostic?

A Byzantine-era amulet unearthed 40 years ago in Arbel, Israel, has been returned to the authorities. Archaeologists have calculated that the 1,500-year-old magical bronze amulet was definitely used...
Four-sided die from a Roman game found in Norway. Source: University of Bergen
29 May, 2020 - 03:25 ashley cowie

Rare Roman Game Die Unearthed At Norwegian Burial Cairn

In April 2020, Norwegian archaeologists from the University Museum of Bergen were excavating the remains of a small Early Iron Age burial cairn near the village of Ytre Fosse, overlooking Alversund...
Selection of items from the Yorkshire Museum Collection including the mysterious Roman object.
24 October, 2018 - 22:54 Ed Whelan

Mysterious Roman Object Identified After 150 Years is One of Only 23 in the World

There are many curious and mysterious objects that have been unearthed by archaeologists down the years. Many of them have baffled experts for a long time. One of these enigmatic objects was a small...
The Roman chandelier discovered in Spain. Source: Antonio M. Poveda
29 August, 2021 - 14:57 ashley cowie

2,000-Year-Old Roman-Era Chandelier is One-of-a-Kind!

An exceptionally rare, 2,000-year-old Roman-era chandelier has been unearthed at an archeological dig in Spain’s Elda Valley. The now preserved ancient artifact once swung from the ceiling of a large...
Shot of an archaeologist holding the leather prank mouse found in the Roman fort of Vindolanda. Source: Vindolanda Trust
18 May, 2020 - 18:53 ashley cowie

The Romans’ Playful Side Revealed By Prank Mouse in Vindolanda

A 2,000-year-old ‘prank mouse’ has been discovered in a bag of Roman period leather offcuts in a collection of artifacts in Northumberland’s Vindolanda Museum. The life-sized leather mouse, measuring...
1,753 Roman denarii coins were found in total spread out over Mariusz Dyl’s farm near Lublin and they have been described as “the crown of Polish archaeology.” Source: Stanisław Staszic / Muzeum Hrubieszow
1 April, 2020 - 05:56 Ed Whelan

The Massive Roman Denarii Hoard From the ‘Vandals’ Last Stand’

In 2020, Polish archaeologists uncovered a treasure trove of Roman denarii coins. They date from the first and the second century BC, and they probably belonged to a member of a Germanic people who...
Detail of The Boxer at Rest, Greek Hellenistic bronze sculpture of a sitting nude boxer at rest. Credit: giorgio / Adobe Stock
9 February, 2020 - 18:40 dhwty

Boxer at Rest: The Most Iconic Ancient Bronze Statue in the World

The Boxer at Rest is a bronze sculpture from the Hellenistic period , the most iconic ancient bronze statue in the world. When it was discovered in Rome during an excavation in the 19th century it...
The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.
17 May, 2019 - 12:37 Ed Whelan

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

The buried city of Pompeii continues to provide many insights into Roman society , economy, and culture. The ash and pumice , that fell on Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius , froze the city in time. A...
The Lycurgus Cup.
3 February, 2018 - 01:55 aprilholloway

Romans Mastered Nanotechnology and Used it for Eye Catching Decoration

A strange chalice made its way into the British Museum’s collection in the 1950s. It is a 1,600-year-old jade green Roman artifact called the Lycurgus Cup. The image on the chalice is an iconic scene...
Chariot race in Rome's Circus Maximus, as if seen from the starting gate. The Palatine Hill and Imperial palace are to the left, by Jean Léon Gérôme (1876) (Public Domain)
30 December, 2022 - 22:46 Caroline Freema...

The Life Of A Celebrity Roman Chariot Horse

“The horses burst through the sky and with swift-hooved feet cut a dash through the clouds, which blocked their way as borne on wings they passed the east wind .” (Ovid, Metamorphoses II.157–60) The...
The Galli: The Cross-Dressing Cybele Cult Priests Who Castrated Themselves
14 October, 2022 - 18:45 Molly Dowdeswell

The Galli: The Cross-Dressing Cybele Cult Priests Who Castrated Themselves

The galli were priests who formed the cult of the goddess Cybele (Magna Mater in Rome) and her consort Attis. Because of the galli’s adoption of women’s clothing and jewelry, self-castration, and...

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