Roman Empire

Fallen Idols

In the ancient world, statues were not symbols of virtue and could take revenge on those who attacked them.

Pandemics: Now and Then

As human populations expand and their exploitation of the globe increases, so does their vulnerability to certain diseases.

‘The Brothel of Pompeii’ by Sarah Levin-Richardson review

The Brothel of Pompeii: Sex, Class, and Gender at the Margins of Roman Society by Sarah Levin-Richardson lays bare the largest of Pompeii's legalised Lupanars.

Building the Roman Republic

The little-known republic was a short-lived experiment in constitutional democracy.

Theft is Property

Antiquities were high stakes and high profit in 16th-century Rome, and no one was above breaking the law for loot.

What Have the Romans Done for Us?

Not content with bringing aqueducts, sanitation and roads, the Romans transformed Britain’s flora and fauna.

The Death of Caesar

A vivid portrait of one of history’s most momentous conspiracies.

When the Romans met the Christians

What was it like for a Roman to encounter a Christian for the first time? As the Empire reached its greatest extent, Pliny the Younger found himself face-to-face with members of the new religious group.

Carthaginian soldiers on elephants fighting with Romans in the Third Punic War, 1760. Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.

Mamertines: The Sons of Mars

The struggle to control the straits dividing Sicily from southern Italy brought Carthage and Rome head to head. It was a world in which ruthless mercenaries called Mamertines prospered.