Ancient Egypt is known for its grand pyramids, impressive temples, and elaborate tombs, but what about the everyday homes of the people who lived there? The architecture and design of ancient Egyptian homes offer a look at the daily lives of the people who called this land home. From the bustling cities of the Nile […]
What Were Homes Like in Ancient Egypt? Read More »
On 1 November 82 BC, a battle took place virtually within the city of Rome itself. It was a climactic end to a civil war that began the previous between the supporters of the Roman general, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, and an alliance of Marians. The Marians were supporters of the recently deceased military commander, Gaius
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A visitor today to the ruins of the town of Pompeii, which was buried under volcanic ash and rock following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, will be confronted by many frescoes, mosaics, and wall paintings showing people and mythological figures playing musical instruments. These scenes in places such as the Villa of
What Were Music and Instruments Like in Ancient Rome? Read More »
The toys that children play with can tell a person a lot about the society involved. In Victorian Britain, the doll house became one of the most ubiquitous forms of play as the manufacture of detailed objects such as these was made possible on a large scale by the Industrial Revolution and the advent of
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What was it like to be a slave in ancient Egypt? This is a question that historians have asked for many years, but we may never honestly know the answer. However, we know what life was like for slaves based on what we can learn from ancient texts and archaeological evidence. Enslaved people in ancient
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When Julius Caesar was assassinated on the 15th of March in 44 BC, his adoptive heir and eventual political successor, Octavian, was just eighteen. Within weeks the young man was striving to gather military force to his cause as other allies of Caesar’s, such as Marc Anthony, scrambled for positions of power in the vacuum
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History is littered with traitors who sold their countries or families for personal gain. But unfortunately, for some people, greed and power overrule loyalty. Every country has fallen prey to someone who has switched sides for their gain. It doesn’t matter if it’s money or political power promised to them. People have seen fit to
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One of the significant advantages any historian of ancient Rome has is a wealth of written material that has survived from 2,000 years ago to help explain to us what the remains of the Roman Empire mean. For instance, we know how the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum ended up buried under volcanic ash because
What Was the Purpose of a Roman Dodecahedron? Read More »
The Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which followed it controlled most of the Mediterranean world for over half a millennium. That’s twice the length of the time that the United States has existed. At its height in the second century AD, Rome’s power extended from southern Scotland in the north-south to the Sahara Desert
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Between the third century BC and the fifth century AD, the city of Alexandria, named after Alexander the Great and sitting at the mouth of the River Nile Delta in northern Egypt, was one of the greatest cities in the world. While Rome grew to become the political center of the Mediterranean world, Alexandria was
What Happened to the Lighthouse of Alexandria? Read More »
