UNRV Ancient Roman Empire History

As a continuation of the Roman Daily Life section, today’s update is a chapter on Ancient Roman Clothing. Roman clothing, including the toga, performed an additional function beyond the obvious. Roman clothes were worn specifically according to social class or title, and there were many limitations on who could wear what garment, where and when.

Many units of Roman Weights and Measures in the modern western world (UK and USA), have a direct relationship dating back to the Romans. The modern mile, pound (lb for libra) and ounce (uncia) are all directly traceable. Some other similarities, such as the width of rail road rails, is said to correspond directly to [...]

When Julius Caesar consolidated Roman power in the mid 1st century BC, he had an opportunity to correct the long neglected Roman Calendar. Consulting Egyptian astronomers, Caesar altered the Republican calendar by basing it on a solar, rather than lunar, cycle. Adding 10 days to the permanent calendar and a couple of months at the [...]

A feature on Roman Houses has been added to our Architecture section. “The private houses of the Romans were relatively modest and simple building prior to the conquest of the East, when vast wealth began to pour into the city. Many houses of immense size were then erected, adorned with columns, paintings, statues, and costly [...]

As part of the Roman Calendar section, we’ve added a chart describing the Roman Months of the year. In the 2 to 3 millenia since the foundation of the Roman Calendar little has changed in our modern system. Aside from the renaming of July and Augustus, the modern western months are the same today as [...]

Coming out of the social turmoil with the Gracchi Brothers, an old ally in Numidia sought to take advantage of Rome’s internal troubles. Initially Roman complacency in the War with Jugurtha led to success for the Numidian King. The entry of Gaius Marius would not only put an end to Jugurtha, but continue the changes [...]

Several days of the week in the modern calendar still refer back their original names in Latin. Roman Days of the Week explains the names of the days used by the ancient Romans, their modern equivalent and the source history.

The younger of the Brothers Gracchi, Gaius Gracchus was an even more influential reformer than his older brother. He played a prominent role in the Late Republic, and was a key figure in the political turmoil that would eventually lead to the fall of the Republic, and establishment of empire.

The first of several pages relating to the Roman Calendar has been added. Prior to the reforms of Caesar, while the calendar was functional, it was commonly off by months at a time. In addition to this review of the the Republican calendar, we will be adding pages on the Julian Calendar, days of the [...]

The priestesses of the goddess Vesta were among the few women in ancient Rome who could play a pivotal role in the Religion of state. The Vestal Virgins, among other important duties, were responsible for the important assignment of keeping the sacred fire, in the Temple of Vesta, always alight.

The head of the state religion of the Roman Empire was the Pontifex Maximus. The pax deorum, or the ‘peace with the gods’ was his responsibility along with interpreting omens, controlling and keeping the official calendar, and the oversight of funerals. One of the oldest still existing official offices in the world, the Roman Catholic [...]

Tiberius Gracchus was a champion of Plebeian rights in the Late Roman Republic. A member of the populares party, Tiberius’ political tactics are considered one of the first major steps towards the fall of the Republic. Social discord led to his rise and his eventual assassination at the hands of the Senate.

Emerging from wars in the east and with Carthage, the fledgling Roman Empire entered a new stage of its history in the Late Republic. Social strife and corruption led to an abrupt change in the Roman political system. The Gracchi Brothers were among the first to step onto this new stage of political transformation and [...]