All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

hadrian

Marcus Aurelius Distributing Bread to the People, by Joseph-Marie Vien  (1765) Musée de Picardie (Public Domain)

The Antonine Dynasty: The Good Roman Emperors

While much appreciated by the plebeians and especially by the army, Emperor Domitian was hated by the aristocracy and the Senate, which he himself despised. His absolutist attitude, his austere...
Busts of Hadrian and Antinous. Source: YouTube Screenshot / Royalty Now Studios.

Facial Reconstructions of Emperor Hadrian and Antinous (Video)

Hadrian, born in 76 A.D. in Italica, Spain, faced adversity when both his parents passed away, leaving him a ward. He developed a deep affinity for Greek culture and literature, earning him the...
A Roman emperor with his wife or mistress. AI generated.

Roman Emperors and Their Scandalous Love Lives (Video)

Roman emperors, often celebrated for their military prowess and political achievements, also had fascinating love lives that add depth to their historical personas. Julius Caesar , the iconic figure...
Aftermath of Romans Conquering (furyon/ Adobe Stock)

The Roman Empire’s Pragmatic Puzzle Of Provinces

The popular conception of the Romans, mainly fostered by movies and television, extends to their all-conquering dominance, their armies, gladiators, blood and gore, sex and violence, mad emperors,...
Two new fragments of Roman chronicle ‘Fasti Ostienses’ have been unearthed in the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park.	Source: Italian Ministry of Culture

Roman Chronicle Fragments Offer a New Glimpse of Emperor Hadrian’s Agenda

2,400 years ago, at the mouth of the Tiber River, the Romans established an armed camp and settlement known as Ostia Antica. Eventually transforming into “a flourishing commercial center”, it became...
Roman guards. Source: Martin / Adobe Stock.

Could You Survive as A Roman Soldier On Hadrian’s Wall? (Video)

Hadrian's Wall, a monumental fortification stretching 73 miles across second-century Britain, served as the northern limit of the Roman Empire. Defending the wall were approximately 9,000 auxiliary...
Greece’s Rhamnous Coastal Port: Supreme Court Of Nemesis And Themis

Greece’s Rhamnous Coastal Port: Supreme Court Of Nemesis And Themis

Rhamnous on the east coast of Attica, overlooking the island of Euboea, was a deme of strategic importance to Athens during the sixth and fifth centuries BC, because it guarded the Euripus Strait,...
King Charles I at Carisbrooke Castle, as painted by Eugène Lami in 1829 (Public Domain)

The Recognition Of Monarchy Through History

The well-known story of the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s rebuke at the hands of the petitioner whom he had rebuffed is significant. “ Then, don’t be king! ” was her taunt, illustrating the general...
Athens at sunset. Source: gatsi / Adobe Stock

Athens, Home of Democracy: From Antiquity to Modernity

We often think of ancient Athens as being the home of democracy, the place where it all started. And this is true. But the shocking truth is that Athens has spent the vast majority of its existence...
The Emperor Commodus Leaving the Arena at the Head of the Gladiators by American muralist Edwin Howland Blashfield. Source: Public Domain

5 Celebrity Gladiators of Bloodthirsty Ancient Rome

Fierce fighters, enslaved and forced into a world of violence and brutality, Roman gladiators provided gruesome entertainment to the Roman public, training for months in specialized schools managed...
The latest Vindolanda find on the right is a remarkable and unusual sandstone relief that may depict a god, but this is still unclear. The landscape where the latest tablet was found is shown on the right.             Source: Vindolanda Trust

Latest Vindolanda Find: A Strange Naked Man on a Carved Relief Tablet

Recent excavations at the British Roman fort of Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, England have produced a fascinating and unique artifact, according to a new announcement from the...
Reviving the Panathenaic Stadium for the Olympic Games

Reviving the Panathenaic Stadium for the Olympic Games

The Panathenaic Stadium is a historical monument located in Athens, Greece . Although the current structure was only built at the end of the 1800s, the current stadium was built on a site once...
Powerhouse Breakfasting Platform Unearthed At Hadrian’s Villa

Powerhouse Breakfasting Platform Unearthed At Hadrian’s Villa

Archaeologists excavating at Emperor Hadrian´s villa, a super-famous 1,900-year-old Roman countryside retreat, have discovered his lush breakfasting room. On a semi-circular platform amidst fountains...
Shot of an archaeologist holding the leather prank mouse found in the Roman fort of Vindolanda.      Source: Vindolanda Trust

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...
An ancient imperial floor has been discovered in the latest Rome sinkhole, right in front of the Pantheon.        Source: Virginia Raggi

Rome Sinkhole Reveals Extraordinary Archaeological Find

Another Rome sinkhole has appeared, this time, in front of the Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda and in it, archaeologists have made the unexpected ‘rediscovery’ of an ancient imperial floor...
Entrance to the Luxor Temple at sunset showing the obelisk and statues of pharaohs

Luxor Temple: The Sacred Sanctuary With An Eternal Legacy

Luxor Temple is one of the most famous temple complexes in Egypt. This temple complex is situated on the east bank of the Nile River, in Luxor, the main city of Upper Egypt’s fourth nome. Luxor...
Marcus Aurelius Distributing Bread to the People by Joseph-Marie Vien

The Philosopher-King of Ancient Rome: Marcus Aurelius' Imperium

Marcus Aurelius is famed for various accomplishments—his title as the last of the Five Good Emperors; his extensive study of and literary accomplishments in the field of Stoicism; and, last but not...
The Celts had many female warriors

Eight Surprising Things You Should Know About the Celts

The Celts were a distinct ethnic group made up of tribes spread across Europe. They shared similar languages, traditions, religions , and cultural practices and were known for their fierceness in...
Powerful Roman Emperor

The Five Good Emperors: Prosperity and Power Before the Final Fall

The Five Good Emperors is a term referring to a group of Roman emperors who reigned between the 1 st and 2 nd centuries AD. This period is often regarded to be the high point of the Roman Empire, as...
Pederastic couples at a symposium, as depicted on a tomb fresco from the Greek colony of Paestum in Italy.

The Love Affair of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and the Handsome Antinous

Not much was known of the young Antinous before he attracted the attention of the ruler of the Roman world at its zenith. He was born in 111 AD in the Roman province of Bithynia, which would include...
Six of the Roman Emperors:

A Succinct Timeline of Roman Emperors—400 Years of Power Condensed

To say that the Roman Empire had its ups and downs would be the understatement of all understatements. No “nation” was more abruptly destabilized or even more abruptly stabilized than that of ancient...
Simon Brooks showing the section of Hadrian's Wall that's been found on Westgate Road outside the Mining Institute

True Path of Hadrian's Wall Excavated in Newcastle

A previously recorded stretch of Hadrian's Wall has been rediscovered in Newcastle in northeastern England. Researchers made the discovery as they excavated land during restoration works at a...
Samian ware pottery that was found at the site at the end of last month

Two Roman Cavalry Swords and Two Toy Swords Amongst Treasures Found at Frontier Fort

Evidence of both work and play have been found at a Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall in the UK. Two Roman swords as well as two wooden toy swords have been found in ongoing investigations which are...
An archaeologist collects material in an underground chamber that may have been a hideout for rebels during the Bar Kokhba Revolt of the 2nd century AD.

Remnants of a Revolt: What Did Israeli Archaeologists Find Hidden Under Second Temple Period Homes?

Some Israeli high school students have excavated a hiding place for Jews who rebelled against the Romans about 1,860 years ago in the town of Ramat Bet Shemesh. The complex includes cisterns, ritual...

Pages