You often hear that ancient sites like Pompeii and Herculaneum offer valuable windows into the past. More than windows, I think of them as glass-bottom boats. Constantly moving, constantly changing, and, for those who want to dive in and explore…
The reign of the emperor Domitian (81 – 91 CE) is one characterised by infamy. Immortalized for posterity on account of his brutal and unforgiving nature, Domitian comes down to us as the runt of the Flavian family. A tyrannical…
Some regard him as the greatest leader France has ever had. Others as a warmongering tyrant. Few historical figures polarize public opinion like Napoleon Bonaparte. On the one hand, he can be credited with upholding some of the best ideals…
Last week, Italy’s Ministry of Tourism launched its latest campaign entitled Italia: Open to Meraviglia (‘Italy: Open to Wonder’). Fronted by Botticelli’s Venus in the role of a ‘Virtual Influencer’, and conveyed almost entirely in Italian, the €9 million campaign has…
For months my LinkedIn feed has been inundated with posts about ChatGPT. Some are penned by recognized authorities. But many more are churned out by content marketers and/or tech-dudes-turned-AI experts. Experts I’ve come to know as Chad-GPTs. A recent graduate…
For perhaps the most famous and influential figure in history, Jesus of Nazareth is remarkably (and frustratingly) enigmatic. So shrouded in obscurity many aspects of his life and teachings that many have called into question his very existence. Where does the truth lie? Read on to find out.
It’s little surprise that when the summer heat hit, the ancient Romans were eager to trade the stench and squalor of the capital for the salty sea breeze of their coastal villas. From the picture Juvenal paints, the Eternal City…
Did the Romans spend much time at the sea? Did they have party resorts to rival Ibiza, rife with sex, booze, and late night music? Did provincial towns have any infrastructure to cope with a sudden influx of tourists? The ancients do in fact tell us. Read on to see what they say.
Did the Romans spend much time at the sea? Did they have party resorts to rival Ibiza, rife with sex, booze, and late night music? Did provincial towns have any infrastructure to cope with a sudden influx of tourists? The ancients do in fact tell us. Read on to see what they say.
According to Edward Gibbon, the Roman Empire under the Antonines was the happiest age of humanity; a proto-Schengen Area; a utopian union of non-existent borders, free movement and global cooperation. Is there any truth to this? Or did nostalgia paint over the reality?
