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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
Sex and love were major themes in classic erotic art, as they remain today. (Public Domain/Deriv)
5 February, 2021 - 23:40 ancient-origins

The Erotic Art of Ancient Greece and Rome

Craig Barker / The Conversation Rarely does L.P. Hartley’s dictum that “the past is a foreign country” hold more firmly than in the area of sexuality in classical art. Classic erotic art, erotic...
An aerial view of the 2,100-year-old Roman camp of Lomba do Mouro at Melgaço, Portugal. Source: University of Exeter
29 June, 2021 - 01:56 ashley cowie

Oldest Roman Camp of Northern Hispania Found in Portugal

A vast 10,000-man Roman camp has been discovered in northern Portugal. Not only is it one of the biggest ever discovered, but it’s also the oldest ever discovered in northern Hispania (the name of...
Part of the Novae Roman military camp. (Kleo73 / CC BY-SA 3.0) Insert: Ancient Roman fridge found at the site. Source: P. Dyczek / PAP
10 October, 2022 - 22:53 ashley cowie

Ancient Fridge Unearthed at Roman Military Camp in Bulgaria Kept Food Cool

Polish archaeologists excavating a Roman military camp in Bulgaria expected to discover some coins; and they weren’t really surprised by the hoards of day-to-day tools and the expansive ancient water...
Three gold coins on the seabed. Source: Copyright University of Alicante.
26 September, 2021 - 14:44 Sahir

Divers Find Huge 1,500-Year-Old Roman Coin Hoard off The Spanish Coast

Two amateur divers cleaning trash from the seabed of Alicante while holidaying off the coast of Spain have uncovered a cache of 1,500-year-old gold Roman coins. Numbering 53 in total, the gold coins...
Roman baths in Bath, England
10 January, 2016 - 21:51 ancient-origins

Why the Romans were not quite as clean as you might have thought

Prior to the Romans, Greece was the only part of Europe to have had toilets. But by the peak of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD, the Romans had introduced sanitation to much of their domain,...
Gladiators fighting
15 July, 2020 - 22:05 dhwty

Gladiators: Ancient Romans Loved Their Deadly Games

The ancient Romans were known for many things – their engineering marvels, road networks, and the establishment of Roman law. They were, however, also renowned for their war-like nature. After all,...
The ancient marble mosaic, which has now been returned to the Italian government in New York.
19 March, 2021 - 19:33 Theodoros Karasavvas

2,000-Year-Old Mosaic from Caligula's ‘Orgy Ship’ Goes from Coffee Table to Returned Relic

A valuable piece of mosaic flooring from one of Caligula’s ‘orgy ships’, so-called for the lavish sex parties he hosted on the boats, somehow found its way from the bottom of Lake Nemi to the Upper...
Archaeologists in the Netherlands have discovered a rare Roman canal and Roman road near Nijmegen. Source: RAAP
2 August, 2021 - 14:59 Nathan Falde

Buried Roman Canal and Road Unearthed in the Netherlands

Archaeologists from the Dutch consultancy firm RAAP have unearthed a 2,000-year-old Roman highway and canal not far from the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands . The buried highway and Roman canal...
Was sophisticated Roman technology used in construction of the Roman Colosseum?
4 May, 2019 - 17:04 Joanna Gillan

Romans Had Ancient Tech for Creating Seismic Invisibility Cloak Around Monuments

A team of civil engineers in France have revealed that the Romans had ancient technology for building structures that acted like modern-day electromagnetic cloaking devices. The pattern of...
Example of a modified skull
31 March, 2017 - 01:53 ancient-origins

Tiller the Hun? Farmers in Roman Empire Converted to Hun Lifestyle

Marauding hordes of barbarian Huns, under their ferocious leader Attila, are often credited with triggering the fall of one of history's greatest empires: Rome . Historians believe Hunnic incursions...
The Roman amphitheater of Cagliari Source: murasal / Adobe Stock
16 May, 2020 - 01:50 Ed Whelan

When in Sardinia, Do as the Romans Do: The Cagliari Amphitheater

Sardinia is a beautiful Italian island renowned for its stunning views. It is also a historic island with over 7000 prehistoric archaeological sites that date from before 1000 BC and many amazing...
An ancient Roman road at Leptis Magna, Libya
17 January, 2016 - 04:12 victor labate

Ancient Journeys: What was Travel Like for the Romans?

It was not uncommon for the ancient Romans to travel long distances all across Europe. Actually during the Roman Empire, Rome had an incredible road network which extended from northern England all...
Two gladiators bear-baiting also depicted on the Colchester vase. (Carole Raddato / CC BY-SA 2.0)
6 March, 2023 - 21:53 Gary Manners

Colchester Vase is First Proof of Gladiator Tournaments in Roman Britain

New research has revealed evidence that gladiatorial combat took place in Roman Britain in the late second century AD. The evidence of these bloody battles was found on a vase discovered in a Roman...
Aeneas fleeing from Troy
16 April, 2020 - 20:25 pkoutoupis

History Versus Legend: In Search of Aeneas, the Trojan Refugee

Roman mythology designates Aeneas as the founder of the great nation of Rome and ancestor to its peoples. In fact, his story begins long before Rome came into existence. While the Romans lay claim to...
The remains of the Roman marching camp were uncovered during building work. Source: GUARD Archaeology Ltd / Fair Use.
28 May, 2019 - 17:10 ashley cowie

Evidence Of New Route Into Scotland For Roman Invasion Attempt

A school playing field in Ayrshire , in the west of Scotland, has provided archaeologists with multiple layers of archaeology topped with a Roman marching camp used in the Roman conquest of Scotland...
A Turkish archaeologist holding up the 1800-year-old iron Roman cavalry mask found at the ancient garrison town of Hadrianopolis, Turkey. Source: YouTube screenshot / DHA
24 November, 2021 - 17:57 ashley cowie

Rare Iron Roman Cavalry Face Mask Discovered At Hadrianopolis, Turkey

An 1,800 year old Roman soldier's cavalry face mask has been discovered at a 3rd century AD military site in Turkey. But this site isn’t located in the heart of the Roman empire, but at a far flung...
Ancient gladiator and image representative of the Flavian amphitheater Source: Luis Louro/ Adobe Stock
14 May, 2020 - 01:50 Ed Whelan

The Flavian Amphitheater that Bought Emperor Vespasian’s Popularity

Amphitheaters were a large part of the Roman culture and they were built in many of their cities across their empire, such as El Jem in Tunisia, Nimes Arena in France, and Leptis Magnus in Libya...
Skeletons from a vaulted chamber in Herculaneum. Source: L. Fattore, Sapienza University of Rome / Sciencemag
28 August, 2021 - 14:27 ashley cowie

Roman Diets Exposed: Who Ate Best? Elite Roman Men, Or Women?

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered significant ‘dietary gender differences’ in an exclusive pocket of the ancient Roman Empire. Skeletons found at Herculaneum have provided new insights into the...
Artifact Reveals People Were Fed To Lions In Roman Britain
12 August, 2021 - 18:47 ashley cowie

Artifact Reveals People Were Fed To Lions In Roman Britain

Archaeologists have presented gory visual evidence that problematic people were fed to lions in Roman Britain. Excavations at a Roman house in Leicester, England in 2017 unearthed a dirt-caked bronze...
A Shining Example of Roman Craftsmanship: Unveiling the Superb Berthouville Treasure
27 November, 2016 - 21:49 Natalia Klimczak

A Shining Example of Roman Craftsmanship: Unveiling the Superb Berthouville Treasure

A remarkable silver treasure discovered in France in 1830 is one of the most impressive collections of extremely well-preserved Roman artifacts. Even though almost two centuries have passed since it...
Deriv; Left, Roman legionnaire reenactor in period gear. Right, Jabbaren rock painting (Via author)
27 August, 2016 - 03:48 Clyde Winters

The Giant of Algeria: Iconographic Evidence of Roman Expeditions in the Sahara

There are thousands of rock engravings at the dramatic rocky landscape of Jabbaren, Algeria. Jabbaren is an archaeological site in the Tassili N'ajjer National Park in Algeria with some of the most...
Ancient Roman refrigerator found at Novae Roman settlement, Bulgaria. Source: P. Dyczek / PAP
30 September, 2022 - 22:53 Nathan Falde

Archaeologists Unearth First Century Roman Refrigerator in Bulgaria

Over the last few decades, archaeologists from Bulgaria and Poland have been performing excavations at the site where the Roman legionary fortress of Novae once stood. The ruins of the fortress can...
Roman centurions like this were the backbone of the Roman army. Source: Fernando Cortés / Adobe Stock
28 October, 2022 - 19:01 Robbie Mitchell

Roman Centurions: Elite Forces of the Roman Empire’s Military

The ancient world had some impressive military forces. For example, Egypt was famed for its chariots and Greece for its navy. The Romans? They were famous for their foot troops, the legionaries. Yet...
Rome's Colosseum
7 July, 2014 - 03:21 aprilholloway

Colosseum of Rome, a Condominium in Medieval Times

The Colosseum of Rome is infamously known as the site of brutal gladiator battles in which slaves, Christians, and gladiator fighters were mercilessly slaughtered for the enjoyment of the emperor and...

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