Rome

  • On This Day in History, September 9th AD 9 | Teutoburg Forest

    You’ve heard of the “Teutoburg disaster”, right? It’s kinda infamous if you like brushing up on your history stuff, particularly so if you are pro- or anti- Roman. It’s so touted as an example of anti-Roman rule, that it can be somewhat overdone. Or, to quote one Roman-o-phile I know; “I’m sick of hearing about bloody Teutoburg.” And I kind of understand that, particularly the tendency to then fall into college schoolboy speak: “yeah, boyeee, we kicked yo asses right outta Germany, bitch! YEAH!” *chestbump* But let’s tell the true story here, let’s take ourselves back to Ancient Rome and the newly acquired province of Germania. Yes, “Germania.” This was…

  • Ancient Ghost Stories

    Anyone familiar with Greek myth knows that any hero worth his salt had to make a visit to the underworld.  However, the afterlife was not an unfamiliar concept to any of the cultures of the ancient world.  In fact, ancient peoples were probably more sure that the soul survived bodily death than some in the modern world.  The details of the afterlife differed from culture to culture, but there are consistent themes.  The afterlife was a place ruled by specific laws and souls could only roam the earth if given specific permission from the gods for special circumstances.  These usually included murder, where the murderer went unpunished, improper funeral rites…

  • Locusta the Poisoner

    Rome was a rough and tumble place.  Even in the golden years of the Pax Romana where everyone was supposed to gather around and celebrate being in the glory of the Roman Empire.  Political intrigue was rife and there was more drama than Days of Our Lives even when Marlena was possessed by the devil.  So what did you do if you have a political enemy that was really getting under your skin?  You looked up Locusta of Gaul or as she was known, Locusta the Poisoner.  Tacitus describes her in his Annals, “This was the famous Locusta; a woman lately condemned as a dealer in clandestine practices, but reserved…

  • The Etruscans

    Before the Romans, there was another advanced civilization living in central Italy- the Etruscans. Not much is known about them, and what we do know comes from the Romans, who threw off their rule to become independent. Therefore, most of our view of them are colored by Roman attitudes, which were less than favorable. Who were the Etruscans really? The Etruscans lived in central Italy in an area including Tuscany, western Umbria and northern Lazio. Some theories say the Etruscans were descendents of the “Sea Peoples”. This would have made them a mix of peoples including the biblical Canaanites or Phoenicians. Hellanicaus of Lesbos wrote in the 5th century BCE…

  • The Gracchi Brothers-  Part I-  Tiberius

    The two Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were significant players in Roman History because of what they fought and died for.  Their deaths marked the first blood spilled in the Roman civil wars that led to the end of the Roman Republic.  They came of age at a time when the Republic was unsteady and their deaths marked the beginning of its end. The brothers were born to Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, a member of the plebeian branch of the Sempronia family who was consul twice and censor in 169.  He died when the brothers were young leaving their education to their mother, Cornelia Africana.  She was the daughter of Scipio…