Next up on the docket in my series of “rulers who died horribly and the authors who recorded their deaths with delight” is the Ancient Roman Emperor Galerius (d. 311). Galerius lived in a particularly turbulent era of the Roman Empire, when both civil and foreign wars had become an endemic part of life. But […]
The Maladies of Ancient Roman Emperor Galerius Read More »
In this last post for the week to focus on great moments in immunology, I feature a rare time when biologists actually got their naming system right.Featured here is an Ancient Roman copy of a Greek statue featuring Artemis. Although usually known as the Goddess of the Hunt and wilderness, the moon, and female chastity,
Scientists Despina Moshous and the Artemis Protein Read More »
Since it’s Christmastime, I’m taking up related topics for my theme this week. The being featured here is of course not Saint Nick, but the Greco-Roman God Asclepius — whose birth, life, and death stories were extremely popular during Jesus’ lifetime. Turns out, the two deities had a lot in common.The story of the Virgin
Similarities of Greco-Roman God God Asclepius and Jesus Read More »
Tonight on December 21 we have a conflation of two celestial events: the winter solstice and the much-rarer conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Although the fact that these events are both happening at the same time is super awesome, they are not causally related. Hundreds of years ago in the fourth century during
Relationship of Sol Invictus and the Christian Birth of Jesus Read More »
“What’s myrrh, anyway?,” declares the mother of Brian in the classic Monty Python sketch (see second image). Turns out, gold, frankincense and myrrh had a lot of meanings that modern readers might not recognize.The story of the “wise” men that visit the babe Jesus only appears in the Gospel of Matthew. The author does not
The Magi (Wise Men) of Christmas Tradition Read More »
It is easy to dramatize the callousness of Ancient Roman fathers who controlled whether their infants were to be killed through exposure. As the tenderness of the gaze from adult to child carved on this marble statue shows, Roman fathers certainly could have loving affection for their children.The purification rituals surrounding Ancient Roman births were
Ancient Roman “Lustratio” Birthing Ceremonies Read More »
If you haven’t seen the photos of the recently excavated “fast-food” counter from the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii, buried wholesale from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, here’s your chance.Located in what archaeologists call the “Regio V” section of the city, this is the first completely intact “thermapolium” or “hot snacks”
Excavation of the “Fast Food Counter” in Pompeii Read More »
Osteotome, anyone? You are looking at a reproduction of medical tools used in Ancient Roman surgery during the first century to cut into human bones. Many Ancient Roman medical instruments were made out of copper or copper alloys like brass (copper and zinc) or bronze (copper and tin). Educated physicians in Ancient Rome believed that
Ancient Roman Copper Medical Tools Read More »
What does it take to change a mind? Often the transition between one set of beliefs to another doesn’t happen radically — even if it seems so. The place of Christianity in the mind of the Emperor Constantine (d. 337) is a case in point. He and his contemporary biographers might have imagined a swift
The Religious Conversion of Emperor Constantine Read More »
This exquisite reverse of a Late Roman (c 400 CE) mirror is the closest object I could find that relates to one of the premier minds of antiquity, that of Anathemius of Tralles, who lived in the late 5th- mid 6th- centuries. He lived in the bustling capital city of Constantinople when it was at
Anathemius of Tralles the Comedian of Constantinople Read More »
This February 27, 2021, the discovery of the first Ancient Roman ceremonial chariot found in Italy was announced. Even though ruins from the city of Pompeii were found way back in 1748 (after the volcanic eruption had buried it in 79 CE), archaeologists are still unearthing amazing treasures around the area. This chariot survived with
Finding the First Ancient Roman Ceremonial Chariot Read More »
In the Eastern Roman Empire of Byzantium, disputes over proper religious beliefs polarized the state for centuries, giving fodder to the fourth-century pagan chronicler Ammianus Marcellinus’ claim that “no wild beasts are as ferocious as Christians are to each other”.To us the disputes seem ridiculous: should holy images/icons be allowed? Does Jesus have one or
Byzantine Empire Battles Over Religious Beliefs Read More »
You are looking at a coin of Julian “the Apostate,” the last pagan emperor of Rome (r. 361-363). It’s easy to gloss over the features because so many appear similar to others of the ancient world, but indulge me a moment. The side profile of Julian shows him with a beard. The flip side of
Ancient Roman Pagan Coin of Emperor Julian Read More »
Oh, Biblical archaeologists: you had me at the name the “Cave of Horror”.Last week (March, 2021) Israel announced new findings from a series of archaeolologial digs conducted around a series of caves in the Dead Sea area. In a race against the potential looters also excavating the region, a number of fantastic discoveries were made:
Israel’s “Cave of Horror” Read More »
My four-year old nephew has learned about swear words. Coaching her son about the importance of context, she tells him “words have power, don’t they?” (My sister is very smart).Some words, of course, have more combustibility than others, but readers here no doubt can agree that their power lies in the mind of the person
The Magical Meaning Behind Abracadabra Read More »
This marble plaque from the Ancient Roman port city Ostia Antiqua shows a birthing scene, and you will no doubt notice that no men are present. Although the medical profession in Ancient Greece and Rome required extensive training and usually eliminated women from being doctors, enormous exceptions were made when it came to the treatment
Ancient Roman Women in Medicine Read More »
*SOME* folks think the Italian Renaissance was the *only* Renaissance. But we Medievalists realize that there were several times when the culture of the Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations was self-consciously re-created, to form phenomenal artistic movements.And if you’re not a Medieval historian who knew this already, no worries — I am here to fix
The Macedonian Renaissance’s “The Paris Psalter” Artwork Read More »
The Ancient Romans were definitely not prudish about sex, but their ideas about when the act was healthy and when it wasn’t are certainly foreign to moderns. The first-century encyclopedist Pliny the Elder wrote that “sexual intercourse is good for lower back pain, for weakness of the eyes, for derangement, and for depression”. On the
Ancient Romans Fondness of Sex Read More »
The Ancient Romans loved their baths — this is a circular pool from the baths in the eponymously named town of Bath in England. Although the custom of public bathing had come from Ancient Greece, by the early 400s CE Rome had 856 bathouses throughout the Empire.These were places of beauty and comfort — heating
Ancient Romans and Their Bath-Houses Read More »
Until my student @pookastanley did a research project on the role of the Evil Eye in the Ancient Greek tradition, I had not realized how enduring and powerful this idea has been. Its history extends at least as far back as the 6th century BCE when Greek “eye cups” appear in the archaeological record, as shown in
The Evil Eye in Ancient History Read More »
