Viggen

fascinating article! In hindsight, Constantine’s victory does look like a watershed. One year later, 313 A.D., with a Christian now living in Caesar’s palace, Christianity would be granted legal status (the so-called Edict of Milan). According to the standard interpretation, Constantine’s vocal support for his new faith virtually ensured pagan Rome would morph into a Christian empire. Over the next half century, sacrifice would be outlawed, temples locked. Christian demographics would swell, as Romans — perhaps more than 50% of the empire by the mid 4th century, according to Rodney Stark — abandoned their tired traditions. (For context, the number of Christians during Constantine’s day is estimated at 10 percent). Unfortunately, there is a lot missing from this picture. Christian visibility did increase everywhere after Constantine’s victory, from Jerusalem to Spain. The fourth century A.D. was also a time of church councils, at Arles, Nicaea, and Serdica, meetings attended by opinionated bishops. Indeed, because of the sheer amount of this surviving Christian evidence, it really can look — for scholars interested in early Christianity — as if the whole Roman world had changed with one man’s conversion. Yet new evidence suggests Romans did not leave their traditions behind as quickly as once thought. The archaeological record from some of the most well-documented cities, like Ostia outside Rome, shows that traditional religion remained a vibrant part of urban and domestic life during this time. The most recent study of the religious identity of Roman senators also suggests that, when it came to embracing Christianity, the majority of that august body remained committed to “paganism” for most of the fourth century. Even with Constantine’s conversion — and the remarkable fact that a Christian was now serving openly as the head of state — Christians remained a minority religion for much longer than people suspected. full article at Medium.com

Death in Ancient Rome by Catharine Edwards Review by Thomas A. Timmes Death in Ancient Rome is not a casual weekend beach read! This is a scholarly book written for academics and serious students of Roman history. I doubt it would hold much appeal to the general public. I found the 18 page Introduction with its multiple compound sentences, qualifying statements, parenthetical phrases, and sheer wordiness to be profoundly challenging. By comparison, the remaining 201 pages were enjoyable, informative, and easy to read. Catharine Edwards is certainly qualified to undertake the daunting task of sifting through the writings of ancient authors to discover Roman attitudes towards death and dying. As a professor of classics and ancient history at Birkbeck College, University of London, she specializes in Roman cultural history and Latin prose literature... ...continue to the full review of Death in Ancient Rome by Catharine Edwards

...fascinating stuff, thaks for sharing! I found a video from him on Youtube regarding rubbish in Pompeii

Hello everyone! Please see below the new releases of November 2015. The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta by Paul Anthony Rahe Damasus of Rome: The Epigraphic Poetry by Dennis Trout The Restoration of the Roman Forum in Late Antiquity by Gregor Kalas Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World by Tim Whitmarsh Arminius the Liberator: Myth and Ideology by Martin M. Winkler Roman Reflections: Studies in Latin Philosophy by Gareth D. Williams Peasant-Citizen and Slave: The Foundations of Athenian Democracy by Ellen Meiksins Wood The Making of the Ancient Greek Economy by Alain Bresson The Union of Isis and Thoth: Magic and Initiatory Practices of Ancient Egypt by Normandi Ellis The Gods, the State, and the Individual: Reflections on Civic Religion in Rome by John Scheid Rome: The First Book of Foundations by Michel Serres The Anglo-Saxon Age: The Birth of England by Martin Wall Roman Military Architecture on the Frontiers by Rob Collins Trajan's Column by Frank Leppard From Pompeii: The Afterlife of a Roman Town by Ingrid D. Rowland Religious Architecture in Latium and Etruria, c. 900-500 BC by Charlotte R. Potts

...not sure about Germany but in Austria it might be Bregenz. The first settlements date from 1500 BC. Celtic tribe named Brigantii is mentioned by Strabo as a sub-tribe in these region of the Alps. In the 5th century BC, the Celts settled at Brigantion, which was one of their most heavily fortified locations. After battles in 15 BC, the Romans conquered Brigantion and the city became a Roman camp. It was conferred the status of a municipality (Brigantium) around 50 AD and was the seat of the Roman admiralty for Lake Constance. Bregenz is still around today and even the capital of the Austrian province "Vorarlberg", classic music and theater lovers might now it from the Bregenz Festival p.s. and even though Bregenz is quite far south it still is east of the Rhine here a link to google maps so people know where it is https://www.google.at/maps/place/Bregenz/@46.8084641,11.4771852,6z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x479b0d620e6982ef:0xbf6aa7993530ff24 intersting fact; in that region people speak allemanic German unlike the rest of Austria that speaks bavarian German

...our latest article in the Roman Emperor series focus on Caracallas brother Geta, enjoy... The defining moment of Geta's life happened eleven months before he was born. This was when his brother Lucius Bassianus (the future emperor Caracalla) was born to Geta's parents, Domna Julia and Septimius Severus. During the period when both brothers were born, Septimius Severus was an imperial functionary in the court of the emperor Commodus, the last of Rome's Antonine dynasty. Due to the demands of the imperial service, Lucius Bassianus was born while his father was serving in Gaul, and on 7 March 189, Geta was born in Milan, Italy. (This birthplace is recorded in the 'Life of Geta' in the notoriously unreliable Historia Augusta, which proves its unreliability by saying in the 'Life of Septimius Severus' that Geta was born in Rome.) ...continue to the full article of Roman Emperor Geta - Publius Septimius Geta Augustus

Question i received via mail, maybe you guys can help... Good Morning I would like to have your opinion on the following question : This intaglio (attached below) is said to me to be an intaglio's roman legionary ring : What do you think about that? Which Legion ? Is This intaglio a replica, a copy ? Thank you for your opinion Best regards François M.

A vast underground passageway that allowed Rome’s emperors to pass unseen from their hilltop palaces to the Forum will open to the public for the first time on Wednesday. The 2,000-year-old “imperial ramp” descended from the top of the Palatine Hill to the temples, market places and courts of the Forum below, from where the Roman Empire was governed. Lit by torches and protected by guards, the passageway, with 11-metre-high ceilings, was so vast that emperors could have comfortably passed through it on horseback... ...via National Post

The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes Review by Nick Brown Authors, publishers and readers are always on the lookout for new concepts and surely no one could deny the appeal of Natalie Haynes’ book from 2010. It sets out to draw parallels between the modern and ancient worlds and does so in a lively, thoughtful manner. In eight chapters, the author – a classics scholar and stand up comedian no less - examines politics, law, philosophy, religion, women, town and country, entertainment and money. The introduction outlines Haynes’ ‘obsession’ with the ancient world and her knowledge and passion are evident throughout the ensuing two hundred and sixty pages... ...continue to the review of The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes

...as far as i know there is no english version...

File Name: Public Lands And Agrarian Laws File Submitter: Viggen File Submitted: 18 Oct 2015 File Category: Free Classic Works in PDF In the following pages it has been my object to trace the history of the domain lands of Rome from the earliest times to the establishment of the Empire. The plan of the work has been to sketch the origin and growth of the idea of private property in land, the expansion of the ager publicus by the conquest of neighboring territories, and its absorption by means of sale, by gift to the people, and by the establishment of colonies, until wholly merged in private property. This necessarily involves a history of the agrarian laws, as land distributions were made and colonies established only in accordance with laws previously enacted. My reason for undertaking such a work as the present is found in the fact that agrarian movements have borne more or less upon every point in Roman constitutional history, and a proper knowledge of the former is necessary to a just interpretation of the latter. This whole question presents numerous obscurities before which it has been necessary more than once to hesitate; it offers, both in its entirety and in detail, difficulties which I have at least earnestly endeavored to lessen. These obscurities and difficulties, arising in part from insufficiency of historical evidence and in part from the conflicting statements of the old historians, have been recognized by all writers and call forth on my part no claim for indulgence. This monograph is intended as a chapter merely of a history of the public lands and agrarian laws of Rome, written for the purpose of a future comparison with the more recent agrarian movements in England and America. ANDREW STEPHENSON. MlDDLETOWN, CONN. May 8, 1891 Click here to download this file

Hello Merlin and welcome to the board, glad to have you

...interesting article... The West rightly condemns Isis' vandalism of ancient sites – but not Saudi Arabia's Saudi Arabia's grotesque destruction of Muslim history is directly linked to Isis’s own purgation of the past http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-west-rightly-condemns-isis-vandalism-of-ancient-sites-but-not-when-the-saudis-do-it-a6689931.html

Today we are going to do a quick word rap with Steven Saylor, bestselling author and best-known for his Roma Sub Rosa historical mystery series, set in ancient Rome. UNRV: Hello Steven, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got interested in ancient history... ...continue to thehttp://www.unrv.com/book-review/interview-steven-saylor.php interview with Steven Saylor

Life in the Roman Empire wasn’t all banquets and festivals as, for the men at least, there were long periods of military conscription. Although by no means common in the early Empire, some men attempted to escape service by cutting off their thumbs so they couldn’t wield a sword. Draft-dodging, however, was dealt with severely. Emperor Augustus once punished an aristocrat who removed the thumbs of his two sons, by selling him into slavery and auctioning off his property. via History Extra

The long reach of the Roman Empire was felt in southern Turkey, where in the town of Anazarbus the Romans erected a triumphal arch after defeating a Parthian force in the first century BC and where gladiators fought wild beasts in a well-preserved stadium. Excavations at the ancient city have been under way since mid-2014. The most recent discovery is the arena or gladiators’ ring. The archaeologists, with a $335,000 grant from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, also intend to excavate a nearby amphitheater in the 4-million-square-meter (988-acre) city. via Ancient Origins

Steven Saylor has built his authorial reputation on modern historical history, particularly in the genre of historical mysteries. His “Roma Sub Rosa” series has seen 14 books published beginning in 1991 and continuing through 2015 with his 15th entrant in the series, “Wrath of the Furies: A Novel of the Ancient World”. This story is written primarily from the perspective of a young Gordianus, who grows up to become Gordianus the Finder, the Roman sleuth whose mysteries are set across the Roman Empire in Saylor’s Roma series. "Wrath of the Furies" is the third book of a trio of prequels to the Roma Sub Rosa series, this one set in Alexandria and Ephesus... ...continue to the full review of Wrath of the Furies: A Novel of the Ancient World by Steven Saylor

...Contributer list is now up to date again.... many many thanks http://www.unrv.com/contributors.php

Hello everyone! Please see below the new releases of October 2015. Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar by Tom Holland SPQR: A history of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard Soldier of Rome: Rise of the Flavians: The Year of the Four Emperors - Part II by James Mace Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) by David Potter Byzantium: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Saris Art of Empire: The Roman Frescoes and Imperial Cult Chamber in Luxor Temple by Michael Jones Ceramics, Cuisine and Culture: The archaeology and science of kitchen pottery in the mediterranean world by Michela Spataro Staying Roman: Conquest and Identity in Africa and the Mediterranean by Jonathan Conant Politics and Tradition Between Rome, Ravenna and Constantinople by M. Shane Bjornlie Divine Honours for the Caesars: The First Christians' Responses by Bruce W. Winter