The forged document was used as leverage to try to expand papal control throughout the Italian peninsula.
Articles on Roman emperors
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Most Roman emperors died on the job. So when the emperor Diocletian decided to abdicate and retire in March 305 CE, it was a highly unusual development.
Depictions of the eccentricities of Roman leaders were (and remain) interesting. But such leaders were often also dangerous, unpredictable and frightening.
The statue, titled Kneeling Before Iran, shows the emperor grovelling before Persian king Shapur I. Where did this imagery come from? And why now?
Nero, Rome’s emperor from 54 to 68 C.E., rose to power at a young age and remained focused on himself, letting the needs of citizens fall to the wayside.
We can probably safely assume Rome, in many areas, was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. That said, there’s evidence of perfumes, incense and even deodorants.
Public baths also often featured gymnasiums, libraries, restaurants and exercise yards. Archaeological evidence suggests even dentistry was performed at the baths.
‘No kings’ would effectively be the watchword through the Roman republic’s entire history. ‘Rex’ was a word the Romans hated. It was short-hand for ‘tyranny’.
While Roman emperors dominated the institutions of state, they were still constrained by them.
Several libraries in the ancient world blended learning and books with memorials to their sponsors.
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.
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.
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.
The film follows the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus who has been living under a new identity to escape Roman politics.
The scene shows two warships at a face-off while sharks circle in the waters below.
The inviolability of Vestals was predicated on their virginity, which entirely defined their social powers. The control of their sexuality was synonymous with the welfare and politics of the state.
Renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli dissected the threats authoritarian figures pose to representative government.
Voices on the extremes don’t represent society.
Coins have always conveyed a message and, helpfully for historians, they are anchored to a specific time and space. Rome’s emperors used coins to push their political agendas.
The history of early Christianity shows the power of the Bible used as a sign of resistance against repression at the hands of the Romans.
Top contributors
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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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Cadbury Professor of Theology, University of Birmingham
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PhD Candidate in Classics and Archaeology, The University of Melbourne
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Assistant Professor of New Testament, Santa Clara University
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Professor of Political Science, Tufts University
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PhD Candidate in Divinity, University of Cambridge
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Associate Professor, Australian Catholic University
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Head, Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
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Research Associate, Curation and Communication, University of Tübingen
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Research Associate, Institute for Prehistory and Early History and Medieval Archaeology, University of Tübingen
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Lecturer in Classics, University of Tasmania
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Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of Tasmania
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Associate Professor in Latin Christianity in Late Antiquity, Australian Catholic University
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Lecturer of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology