When Elon Musk performed a gesture that many saw as a fascist gesture, his supporters claimed it was a Roman salute. So what’s the difference?
Articles on Ancient Rome
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Trump’s coin is nothing new. In a pre-social media world, coins were the ultimate propaganda tool.
Pompeii: Inside a Lost City at the National Museum of Australia depicts life in the flourishing Roman city of Pompeii before it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
Justin Trudeau has resigned, but the Liberal Party faces an uphill battle heading into a federal election year. Here are some lessons from the Roman Empire on leadership and governance.
Taking time off in the summer was important in ancient Greek and Roman times. But some found it hard to detach from work and completely relax.
Ancient letters by ordinary Greeks and Romans reveal their everyday triumphs, tragedies and habits.
On Old Age, the Roman politician, orator, and philosopher Cicero advocates for the dignity and value of growing old. But his is a voice of privilege, which discounts women and the enslaved.
One particularly good example of ‘damnatio memoriae’ involves Crispus, the first son of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Here’s how he became Crispus the Cancelled.
Inflation today is daunting but in third century Rome it was rampant. It eroded the pay of the soldiers whose loyalty was the basis of the emperors’ authority.
Since it was so widely consumed, beer has made the perfect target for taxation for governments throughout the centuries. But the way Australia taxes beer has caused prices to soar.
Emperor Augustus’ scheme for retired soldiers paid a decent sum after 25 years, so retirement age could be as young as 42 while they were still strong and healthy.
Sure, the ancients went on holidays for a rest and to cure illnesses. But they didn’t always come back healthy.
To early Christians, ancient gladiators were potent symbols of martyrdom, embodying virtue and bravery despite being enslaved.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the walls of Pompeii’s brothel were a particular hot-spot for sexual graffiti.
Politicians like Cicero saw gladiators as vain and self-indulgent, while the true warriors engaged in wars of words.
A new Netflix biopic has resurfaced arguments over whether Jesus, a Jewish man, was Palestinian. Was he? Or are these claims cultural and political appropriation? A historian of religion explains.
It’s clear Caracalla and Geta had an intense rivalry. This was kept in check while their father Septimius Severus was emperor. But once he died, their relationship devolved into outright hostility.
Much like modern-day football hooliganism, gladiator fandom could be weaponised in inter-communal violence.
This doomed romance ended abruptly in 44 BCE when Caesar was quite literally stabbed in the back (and from all sides) by his enemies in Rome. She pretty soon hooked up with one of his closest allies.
While undoubtedly entertaining, the sequel feels like a duplicate of the original which sacrifices characterisation for ambitious set pieces.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia
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Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University
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Professor of Classics and Head of the Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University
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Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Cambridge
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Head, Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
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Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland
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Lecturer in Archaeology and Classical Studies, Adelaide University ; School of Advanced Study, University of London
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Professor of Classics and the Director of Peace and Conflict Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Honorary Fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
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Gale Research Fellow in Ancient Glass and Material Culture, Macquarie University
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Professeur d'histoire ancienne, Université de Lorraine
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Lecturer, Classics, University of Glasgow
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PhD Candidate in Classics and Archaeology, The University of Melbourne
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Lecturer in Ancient History, Cardiff University
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Emeritus Professor of Roman Archaeology, University of Birmingham