In the southeastern area of the city of Rome, archaeologists excavating inside the Triton Baths, built in the 2nd century A.D. within the monumental complex of the Villa di Sette Bassi, discovered that during Late Antiquity the baths were converted into a Christian church. This change in use, documented directly in the course of the […]
Rome
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Pope Who Bore the Name of a Roman God and Changed It Upon Election, Beginning a Tradition
Rome, year 533 AD. The Eternal City, once the capital of the Empire, now under Ostrogothic rule, prepares to receive a new pontiff. But this will not be just any pope—he will go down in history as the first bishop of Rome to change his name upon ascending the throne of Saint Peter. His election […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Roman Sculpture Head Found at the Tombe di Via Latina, Reused in the Foundations of a Christian Basilica
A spectacular stone head, possibly representing a bearded male deity, has been discovered in the archaeological area of the Tombe di Via Latina in Rome, during excavations at the Basilica of Santo Stefano. The Istituto Centrale per il Restauro (ICR) in Matera will now be in charge of its study and restoration. The stone-carved head […]
Posted inAncient Rome
The Tarquinian Conspiracy: The Failed Attempt to Restore the Monarchy in Rome After the Republic Was Proclaimed
Ancient Rome transitioned from a monarchy to a republic in 509 B.C., after its seventh king, Tarquin the Proud, was overthrown in a palace coup triggered by his son, Sextus Tarquinius, who violated a young patrician woman named Lucretia, driving her to take her own life and unleashing widespread indignation. However, the monarchists did not […]
Posted inAntiquity, Science
Asclepiades of Bithynia, the Greek physician who was the first to believe in the existence of “microbes”
Cito tuto jucunde, a phrase that can be translated as “Quickly, safely, and pleasantly,” was the motto of one of the fathers of medicine—a Greek who refuted the Hippocratic doctrine of the four humors in favor of a proto-microbial theory based on Democritus’ atomic theory. He was a man who recommended not confining the mentally […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Exceptional Discovery in Nero’s Domus Aurea in Rome: Pigments and a Massive Ingot of Egyptian Blue
The monumental Domus Aurea, the palatial residence built by Emperor Nero in the heart of Rome, continues to unveil fascinating secrets. Recent archaeological research has brought to light a unique find that provides crucial insights into the techniques and materials used to decorate its lavish rooms. Two jars used during the palace’s construction have been […]
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 inAncient Rome
Stoic Opposition: The Philosophers Who Defied Roman Emperors
Opposing an established government is part of the political game, and democratic systems consider it normal. However, where power is absolute, things become much more difficult, and the problem is that, throughout history, this has been the general trend. That is why it is surprising to discover that in a regime as autocratic as the […]
Posted inAncient Greece
The Revolution of Time in the Hellenistic World: How Clock Time Spread in the 3rd Century BCE
At a time when the passage of time was dictated by the movement of the sun and the seasons, the introduction of “clock time” in Hellenistic Greece, around the 3rd century BCE, marked a radical shift in people’s daily lives. Historian Sofie Remijsen, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, has delved into this phenomenon, […]
Posted inAncient Rome
The Debated Historicity of the Overthrow of the Roman Monarchy and the Birth of the Republic
Traditionally, the history of Rome begins with its founding by Romulus, a descendant of the exiled Trojan Aeneas, and the establishment of a monarchy under which seven kings succeeded one another. The last of these was Tarquinius Superbus the Proud, who was overthrown in the 6th century BCE after his son assaulted a patrician woman […]
