As much as Julius Nepos refused to recognize his legitimacy and continued to hold the title in parallel until his death in 475 AD, history considers the last Western Roman emperor to be Romulus Augustulus, who was deposed ten months later by the Herulian chieftain Odoacer. Odoacer allowed him to retire to a fortress located […]
Architecture
Posted inAncient Rome
The Tower of the Scipios, the Best-Preserved Roman Funerary Monument in Hispania
Six kilometers from Tarragona (roman Tarraco in Catalonia, Spain), next to the ancient Via Augusta, stands a stone monument that was misinterpreted for a long time: the Tower of the Scipios. The tower’s name comes from the mistaken belief that the Scipios, famous for their campaigns in the Second Punic War, had been buried here […]
Posted inAntiquity, Prehistory
The Imposing Rock-Cut Tombs and the Anaktoron Palace of Pantalica: The Mycenaean Connection of Sicily
In the heart of the island of Sicily, surrounded by the natural majesty of the Anapo Valley, lies one of the most significant archaeological sites of prehistoric Europe: the Pantalica necropolis. From its origins in the Bronze Age to its abandonment during the Greek domination, Pantalica preserves in its rocky walls, its excavated tombs, and […]
Posted inAncient Rome
The Syriac Sanctuary of the Janiculum: An Enigma of Lost Cults and Deities in Trastevere, Rome
Nestled in the heart of the Trastevere district, at the foot of Villa Sciarra and on the historic Janiculan hill, lies one of Rome’s most enigmatic archaeological discoveries: the Syriac Sanctuary. This 4th-century AD structure, built over remnants of earlier buildings dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, reveals a microcosm of religious […]
Posted inArt, Modern Era
Bismarck Towers: A Monumental Phenomenon Spanning Four Continents
The construction of 184 monuments in honor of Otto von Bismarck between 1869 and 1934 in Germany seems logical. After all, the “Iron Chancellor” was the architect of German unification, culminating in the creation of the German Empire in 1871. However, during the same period, similar monuments were erected in countries such as Poland (40 […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
A Monumental Byzantine Basilica Built by Justinian, Found in the Ancient Roman City of Aquileia
Aquileia, a small town in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy, is now a modest place with barely 3,000 inhabitants. However, its past is among the richest and most significant in ancient history. Founded in 181 B.C. as a Roman military colony, Aquileia became an important economic center of the Roman Empire. Its strategic […]
Posted inFirst World War, Second World War
The Spectacular Fort Built by the Italians Atop Mount Chaberton in the Alps is the Highest in Europe
Located at 3,130 meters above sea level at the summit of Mount Chaberton in the Cerces Massif of the French Alps, the fortified complex known as the Chaberton Battery is the highest military fort in Europe. Built between 1898 and 1910 by the Kingdom of Italy, it played a relevant, though brief, role during World […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
An Aqueduct in the Ancient Ionian City of Lebedos Reveals Advanced Pre-Roman Water Management Systems in Anatolia
A group of Turkish and Spanish scientists has revealed the results of an archaeological study in western Turkey that challenges the accepted historical dates of an aqueduct near the ancient city of Lebedos, one of the twelve Ionian cities of Anatolia. The research, recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, used uranium-thorium (U-Th) […]
Posted inModern Era
Porto Flavia, the Seaport Hanging from a Cliff
In the municipality of Iglesias, in the southwest of the island of Sardinia, and near the town of Nebida, lies one of the world’s most remarkable feats of engineering: a seaport literally hanging from a cliff. It’s called Porto Flavia and was built between 1923 and 1924 to facilitate the export of the region’s rich […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Travel
Dunluce, the Spectacular Irish Castle Entirely Surrounded by Cliffs
Perched on a basalt cliff on the rugged coast of Northern Ireland, Dunluce Castle is an imposing ruin that dominates the horizon of County Antrim. Isolated by its steep cliffs and surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic, Dunluce has been, over the centuries, a symbol of power, a strategic refuge, a home to influential […]
