The forged document was used as leverage to try to expand papal control throughout the Italian peninsula.
Articles on Rome
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Uncertainty over whether the seat of the papacy would remain in the city explains why Rome was a late developer when it came to palace-building, lagging behind Florence and Venice.
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.
A red chalk sketch for the Sistine ceiling fetched an eye-popping sum at auction, reflecting the artist’s lifelong belief that drawing and design – not painting – were the wellspring of all great art.
Depictions of the eccentricities of Roman leaders were (and remain) interesting. But such leaders were often also dangerous, unpredictable and frightening.
More than 2,000 years ago, the depiction of living leaders on Roman coins caused similar ructions. It came at a time when the Roman republic was in trouble.
Fermented fish sauce was a staple of the Roman diet, but its origins were even more ancient.
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.
‘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’.
Becoming pope was a big deal for a cardinal and his family. Leading candidates known as papabili (pope-ables) began strategizing and negotiating even before a pontiff died.
While Roman emperors dominated the institutions of state, they were still constrained by them.
Pope Francis had expressed the desire to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fifth-century church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Unfortunately for the Romans, high tariffs often led to higher prices, black markets and other economic woes.
Luce carries symbols that have been associated with pilgrimage in Europe since the 12th century, particularly with the shrine of St. James in northwestern Spain.
Ancient letters by ordinary Greeks and Romans reveal their everyday triumphs, tragedies and habits.
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.
In the future, a program like AI Jesus could be used to hear confessions around the clock. But with no experience of having a human body, it cannot engage or absolve human sins.
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.
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.
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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Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Cambridge
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PhD Candidate in Classics and Archaeology, The University of Melbourne
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Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Senior Lecturer, Creative Writing Program, The University of Melbourne
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Principal and Vice Chancellor, University of Glasgow
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Associate Professor, University of Leicester
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Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity, University of Birmingham
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Douglas Huntly Gordon Distinguished Professor of French, University of Virginia
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Director of Studies in Classics, Churchill College, University of Cambridge
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Lecturer in Ancient History, Cardiff University
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PhD Candidate in Classical Studies, The Open University
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Professor of Anthropology, Religion and Transnational Studies, Emerson College
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Professor, History of Education, Queen's University, Ontario