Jewish Wars

August 30, 2005

Jewish Wars

At the end of the ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ in which Vespasian ultimately seized final authority, Titus was left with the obligation of completing his father’s prior task. Originally authorized by Nero to subdue the Jews several years of internal political strife and civil war limited Vespasian’s attention to that cause. With his rise and subsequent cessation of civil hostilities, the Roman armies in the east were free to focus on their goal...

Remus : A Roman Myth

August 27, 2005

Remus : A Roman Myth by T. P. Wiseman

Book Reviewed by Forum member Ursus

Romulus, meaning “little Rome” is the eponymous ancestor of the Roman people. But who or what was his twin Remus? How did he come about and fit in the picture?

The general gist of the story is that a female descendant of Aeneas copulates with the god Mars and twins are born as a result. Due to unfavorable political situations, the twins are sent away from home on a box that floats down the Tiber. The twins are rescued and nursed by a she-wolf, an animal sacred to Mars. The twins are then raised by a pastoral demi-god. When they mature they return home and reclaim their birthright by overthrowing a corrupt king...

Titus

August 24, 2005

Titus

Following up on the success of Vespasian would be no easy task, and while ancient accounts of Titus are somewhat mixed, he for the most part was remembered with the highest praise. Perhaps his short yet continuing stable reign after his father, followed by the terrifying reign of Domitian, left people with a certain feeling of regret and nostalgia for the ‘better’ son...

HBO 'Rome' Theme for Mozilla Firefox

August 18, 2005

A Mozilla Firefox theme based on the HBO drama Rome (launches 28.August) is available as of today. The theme will be distributed from the HBO Rome website as part of the marketing campaign for the historical drama, which is a co-production of HBO (the US cable and satellite channel responsible for Six Feet Under and The Sopranos) and the BBC (the UK's national publicly-funded broadcaster).

Imperial Stability

August 15, 2005

Imperial Stability

Immediately upon his senatorial confirmation as ‘Emperor’ (December of AD 69) Vespasian moved with extreme purpose on several fronts, but perhaps none more so than to legitimize his reign. With nearly 2 years of civil war having come to an end, certainly the people and the legions were tired of it, but proving himself where his several ‘Year of the Four Emperor’ predecessors had failed, was a necessity...

Flavian Dynasty

August 08, 2005

Flavian Dynasty

As Galba struggled to secure order and support in the west, the governors in the east, including Vespasian, at first offered loyalty to the successive Neronian replacements, but soon began to formulate their own imperial dreams. As Galba fell to Otho, and then Otho to Vitellius, over a period of little more than a year, it became readily apparent that there was a unique opportunity for an enterprising and ambitious politician/general...

Vespasian

August 01, 2005

Vespasian

Born in AD 9, near the end of the reign of Augustus, Titus Flavius Vespasianus was raised an equestrian in the turbulent political environment of Tiberius’ reign. Perhaps his youthful exposure to the Senatorial purgings of both Sejanus and Tiberius would help make Vespasian into the great stabilizer that he would become....

UNRV Ancient Roman Empire History