One Thousand Years of Domelessness
For more than 900 years, between the fifth century and the Renaissance, Romans didn’t cap their buildings with domes. Why?
The Numinous World of Pliny the Elder
As a follower of Stoic philosophy, Pliny used sensory experience to try to understand the divine.
Did Romans Really Fight Rhinos?
A sports historian explains the truth behind the battle scenes in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II.
Foreign Magic in Imperial Rome
Roman ideas about witchcraft were often associated with distant regions, including India and the Kush kingdom in northeast Africa.
Political Corruption in Athens and Rome
Bribery was widespread in the ancient world. That didn’t mean it was considered acceptable.
Beware the Ides of March. (But Why?)
Everybody remembers that the Ides of March was the day Julius Caesar was assassinated. But what does it mean, and why that day?
Holiday Supply Chain Issues of Ancient Rome
Hey, at least we’re not trying to track down frankincense and myrrh.
In Rome, Mourning Clothes as Political Resistance
In Ancient Rome, swapping one’s regular toga for the dirty, drab robes associated with mourning could request mercy, or communicate resistance.
The Early History of Human Excreta
When humans stopped being nomadic, we could no longer walk away from our waste. We’ve been battling it ever since.
Venus of the Sewers
The Roman sewer, the Cloaca Maxima, was presided over by a goddess whose shrine stood near the Forum.