“There is a place called the Tullianum, about twelve feet below the earth. It is enclosed on all sides by walls, and above it is a chamber with a vaulted roof of stone. Neglect, darkness, and stench make it hideous…
“The life of Elagabalus, I should never have put into writing – hoping that nobody should know that he was emperor of Rome.” The Augustan History So starts Elagabalus’ imperial biographer, Aelius Lampridius, and his scathing review only goes downhill…
Just north of London’s Westminster Bridge stands a nineteenth-century sculpture of Boudica and Her Daughters. The warrior queen rides in the rear of a scythed chariot, her arms aloft, a spear pointing to the sky. Her daughters crouch down on…
In 2009 Germany commemorated the bimillennial anniversary of a momentous event from its ancient history, the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. This terrible Roman defeat saw the complete annihilation of the XVII, XVIII and XIX legions, ranking amongst Rome’s worst…
“Wherever they go they leave destruction, and call it peace”. So says Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) towards the beginning of Gladiator 2, calling his Numidian comrades to arms against the approaching Roman fleet of Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal). An educated…
Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, used to boast that he had inherited a city of brick and left a city of marble. Modesty was never one of his strong points. This was, after all, the emperor who wrote an autobiography called…
Ridley Scott’s sword-and-sandals epic is rightfully regarded as the movie that rekindled Hollywood’s love for the classics. Gladiator has all the ingredients for the perfect historical drama: a stellar cast, groundbreaking special effects and a soaring Hans Zimmer soundtrack. More…
Of their many ingenious feats of engineering, it was the aqueducts in which the Romans took most pride. As the encyclopaedist Pliny the Elder reflected in the first century CE: If we only take into consideration the abundant supply of…
Rome Tour Guide Explore Rome with Alex Private Tours — Tailored to Your Interests I’m a British-born historian with an MPhil in Roman History from the University of Oxford and have been in Italy for 11 years, working as a…
Weaving through Venice’s side streets. Promenading its Grand Canal. Losing yourself — often rather literally — as you try to navigate its historical centre. Everyone visiting Venice should set aside time to explore La Serenissima at their leisure, but if…
