Lupercalia was a festival observed annually on the 15th of February (the Roman month of purification) in the Roman Kingdom. It was conducted under the corporation of priests called Luperci (Brothers of the Wolf) to promote health and fertility. The Lupercis were young men between the ages of 20 and 40. It is believed that …
The toilet is one of the most useful innovations in history. Its history goes back to the 18th century when Alexander Cumming received the first patent for the flush toilet, an exciting innovation at the time. But the history of the toilet isn’t tied to only Cumming; Sir John Harrington and Ismail al-Jazari are also …
In Rome, citizens had multiple rights, but that did not mean there were no challenges for the ruling class. The plebeians (commoners) were part of the general body of free Roman citizens, but they were not patricians. Both classes of citizens in Rome were hereditary, and thanks to these commoners, Rome’s government ended up creating …
Human civilization has been around for a long time, and we’ve invented some wonderful things throughout history. But unfortunately, there are lots of ancient technologies that have been lost to time. In some societies, the method was so commonplace that nobody ever thought to write it down, and as those empires fell, we lost the …
11 Ancient Inventions That We Still Don’t Understand Read More »
If you could travel back to ancient Rome, what kind of jobs would be available to you? Ancient Rome had many jobs, from farmers and merchants to gladiators and senators. If you had the chance to go back, could you find something like your current day job? Let’s take a closer look at some of …
What Kinds of Jobs Could You Have in Ancient Rome? Read More »
The 2000 film directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator, almost single-handedly resurrected the epic historical drama film genre, one which had been highly popular in the 1950s and 1960s but which had declined after that. As one would expect, the story is about a gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius, who ends up fighting in the Colosseum in the …
In the late 1780s, after the United States had formally concluded peace with Britain and secured its independence, the lawmakers who formed the Second Continental Congress and issued the Declaration of Independence in 1776 faced new problems. The United States was now free of foreign oppression but needed a constitution and ancillary laws. The constitution …
On 1 November 82 BC, a battle took place virtually within the city of Rome itself. It was a climactic end to a civil war that began the previous between the supporters of the Roman general, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, and an alliance of Marians. The Marians were supporters of the recently deceased military commander, Gaius …
A visitor today to the ruins of the town of Pompeii, which was buried under volcanic ash and rock following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, will be confronted by many frescoes, mosaics, and wall paintings showing people and mythological figures playing musical instruments. These scenes in places such as the Villa of …
What Were Music and Instruments Like in Ancient Rome? Read More »
The toys that children play with can tell a person a lot about the society involved. In Victorian Britain, the doll house became one of the most ubiquitous forms of play as the manufacture of detailed objects such as these was made possible on a large scale by the Industrial Revolution and the advent of …
What Kinds of Toys Did Roman Children Play With? Read More »
