Explore the captivating history of Ancient Rome and its vast empire through our curated articles. Delve into archaeological discoveries, trace the journey from Republic to Empire, and uncover fascinating aspects of daily life, culture, and society in this influential civilization.
Table of contents
Exploring Ancient Rome Through Archaeology
Vindolanda: uncovering the secrets of a Roman fort
Just south of Hadrian’s wall, in Northumberland, the remains of a Roman fort are being uncovered. Vindolanda’s story is ever-evolving: each summer a team of archaeologists and volunteers uncover more of the fort, discovering buried structures and artefacts that continue to enrich our knowledge of this amazing site. Roman Empire history.
Caroline, Flickering Lamps 2016
Piecing Together a Plan of Ancient Rome
For the past several hundred years, historians and archaeologists have been doggedly working to solve one of the world’s largest jigsaw puzzles: the Forma Urbis Romae. Sometimes known as the Severan Marble Plan, the Forma was an enormous marble map of ancient Rome created between the years A.D. 203 and 211.
Jason Urbanus, Archaeology 2016
Rome’s Subway Expansion Reveals Artifacts From The Ancient Past
The presence of ancient artifacts underground is a daunting challenge for urban developers. For archaeologists, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
Christopher Livesay, NPR 2018
How to Decode an Ancient Roman’s Handwriting
Between 2010 and 2014, archeologists digging in London’s financial district, made an astonishing discovery—a collection of more than four hundred wooden tablets, preserved in the muck of an underground river. Eighty of them carried legible texts—legible, that is, to Roger Tomlin, one of the world’s foremost experts in very old handwriting.
Charlotte Higgins, The New Yorker 2017
Lost cities #4: Pompeii was preserved by disaster. Now it risks ruin all over again
Of all the lost cities in the world, ancient Pompeii is the most “found”. The volcanic eruption that destroyed the Roman city also froze it in time – but now, 2,000 years later, it is alive with people who threaten its existence all over again
Emily Mann, The Guardian, 2016
The Discovery of a Roman Gladiator School Brings the Famed Fighters Back to Life
Located in Austria, the archaeological site is providing rich new details about the lives and deaths of the arena combatants.
Franz Lidz, Smithsonian Magazine, 2016
Roman History: Republic to Empire
A Victim of Its Own Success: Mary Beard Discusses the Collapse of the Roman Republic. Ancient Rome articles.
Don Franzen interviews classical scholar Mary Beard
Mary Beard, LA Review of Books 2016
Five myths about the decline and fall of Rome
Roman Empire history.
Nathan Pilkington, Washington Post 2016
Before the Fall of the Roman Republic, Income Inequality and Xenophobia Threatened Its Foundations
In a new book, history podcaster Mike Duncan describes what preceded Caesar’s rise to Emperor.
Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian.com, 2017
Daily Life and Culture in Ancient Rome
Underground Rome
A good way to study ancient Rome is to explore the cellars — and subcellars — of modern Rome. Ancient Rome articles.
Tom Mueller, The Atlantic 1997
Rome Reconstructed – YouTube video
10-min video simulation of the ancient history of Rome.
MyMax Edutainment 2008
Story of cities #2: Rome wasn’t planned in a day … in fact it wasn’t planned at all
The grid system which the Roman republic exported all over Europe was never employed in the capital itself. The city has always lacked a coherent plan – save for the monumental temple that once towered over it.
Adrian Mourby, The Guardian 2106
The Ancient Roman Cult That Continues to Vex Scholars
The Mithraic Mysteries worshipped a pagan god from subterranean temples buried throughout the Roman empire.
Kerry Wolfe, Atlas Obscura 2017
How an Obscure Oriental Cult Converted a Vast, Pagan Roman Empire
Michael Kulikowski is professor of history and classics at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of Late Roman Spain and Its Cities (2004) and Rome’s Gothic Wars from the Third Century to Alaric (2007). His latest book is The Triumph of Empire: The Roman World From Hadrian to Constantine (2016).
Michael Kulikowski, Aeon
Did the Romans Invent Christmas?
Did the first Christian Roman emperor appropriate the pagan festival of Saturnalia to celebrate the birth of Christ? Matt Salusbury weighs the evidence.
Matt Salusbury, History Today, 2009
The Evolution Of Roman Battle Tactics
This fascinating graphical video concocted by YouTuber Historia Civilis aptly showcases the ‘reactionary’ evolution of Roman battle tactics. And while the content treads a simplistic (though nifty) overview, we can get the core idea behind the Roman military system and how its adaptability set it apart from most of the ‘stagnant’ armies of the ancient world.
Dattatreya Mandal, Realm of History, 2018
The Health Risks of Living in Ancient Rome
From parasites to malaria, the health risks facing ancient Rome were numerous.
James MacDonald, JSTOR Daily, 2016
The Vatican just digitized this 1,600-year-old epic
Virgil wrote his classic poem, “The Aeneid”, more than 2,000 years ago. Thanks to the Vatican, you can now read one of the the world’s oldest versions of the ancient Latin text online.
Steven Overly, Washington Post, 2016
Explore More Free Online Resources
Discover further collections of free online books and other free online materials on these Century Past pages.