Senator and historian, Tacitus, wrote two major works, Annals and the Histories. He was an author writing in the latter part of the Silver Age of Latin literature. Portions of these works survived dating back to the Roman Empire. The works examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius and Nero and others who reigned in the Year of the four Emperors. Tacitus also had a successful political course, becoming senator, consul and eventually governor of the Roman province of Asia.
Submitted by Ray Laurence on Mon, 01/18/2010 - 16:14
By the time of the emperors, the Romans had created the world’s first global empire stretching from Morocco in the west to Iraq in the east, and from Scotland in the north to Egypt in the south. Around this empire flowed a treasure trove of goods from far flung lands: slaves, spices, precious stones, and coloured marble, as well as an exotic array of foods and wine. From this bounty, the Romans created a culture of pleasure and a passion for sensations that stimulated all the human senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch and so on. A global world of pleasure had arrived.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 16:43
UNESCO describes Leptis Magna as “one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire”. The ruins of the city, about 70 miles east of Tripoli on Libya's Mediterranean coast, were declared a World Heritage Site in 1982. In the past decade more discoveries have been made at the site – including some of the most impressive artistic Roman mosaics to have been found anywhere in the empire.
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I have examined hundreds of mosaics across the Roman Empire, but I have never seen such a vibrantly realistic depiction of a human.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 18:47
Amid all the excitement over the return of HBO's Rome to our cinemas in 2011, as well as ongoing whispers about a remake of I, Claudius, it is only natural that our thoughts turn to those Roman emperors immortalised in a way they would never have dreamed possible. In Rome, Pullo and Vorenus stole the limelight but Ciarán Hinds was a dark and charismatic Julius Caesar. So how does he compare to other screen versions of the character? Rex Harrison was overshadowed in the role in 1963 by Richard Burton's Mark Anthony in Cleopatra, and who could out-beef John Gavin's Caesar in the 1960 film Spartacus?
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Tue, 09/22/2009 - 08:53
Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered an amphitheatre in Tiberias, overlooking the sea of Galilee. It has taken 19 years of research and excavation work to enable the site to be made public by the team of experts, led by the late Professor Izhar Hirshfeld from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Yossi Stefanski.
Today Tiberias is a thriving town of 30,000 people and a popular destination for tourists. It was founded in 20 AD by Herod Antipas – one of the three sons of Herod the Great – and is built at the site of a natural spa. These 17 natural mineral hot springs go more than 200m below sea level and attract many visitors. The city was named after the Roman ruler at that time – Tiberius.
The history of Tiberias is closely linked with Biblical and Jewish scriptures, although Jews did not settle there until 145 AD, when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is believed to have ritually cleansed the city. During the period of the Second Temple, the Jewish High Court, the Sanhedrin, was relocated to Tiberias from Sepphoris. In the Mishnaic and Talmudic period, Tiberias was an important spiritual centre. The Mishna was completed in Tiberias in 200 AD. During the middle of the fourth century AD, a Samaritan centre existed in Tiberias. It became a major centre of Jewish culture after 135 AD, when Jews were expelled from Jerusalem. Thirteen synagogues served the growing Jewish population. Today one of the town's most well known archaeological monuments is the Severan synagogue.
Aficionados of the trials, tribulations, big personalities and exploits of ancient Rome will look hard to find a more definitive but accessible reference guide to this compelling time in global history. This glossy, hard-covered coffee-table book explores in exhaustive detail Rome’s imperial dynasties in a thoroughly compelling but easily digestible style.
The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome covers not only background history, but also the politics of the time, as well as military and economic strategies, and their social impact. It is an exhaustive coverage of the world’s most powerful and influential empire, and would be at home on the book shelf of anyone studying – or simply interested in – ancient Rome.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Tue, 06/02/2009 - 15:31
Girl Power in The Early Empire
By the time Rome became an empire in 27 BC, women's standing in society was improving. They were considerably better off than Athenian women, who were confined to their homes and were rarely allowed to socialize with men – not even their husbands.
By the time of the emperors, the Romans had created the world’s first global empire stretching from Morocco in the west to Iraq in the east, and from Scotland in the north to Egypt in the south. Around this empire flowed a treasure trove of goods from far flung lands: slaves, spices, precious stones, and coloured marble, as well as an exotic array of foods and wine. From this bounty, the Romans created a culture of pleasure and a passion for sensations that stimulated all the human senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch and so on. A global world of pleasure had arrived.
By the time Rome became an empire in 27 BC, women's standing in society was improving. They were considerably better off than Athenian women, who were confined to their homes and were rarely allowed to socialize with men – not even their husbands.
