This is the third of our planned five part series (I, II) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries. Last time we discussed Rome's popular assemblies, which at least notionally expressed the will of the people. One of the key tasks those assemblies had, we noted, was the election…
This week we're going to take a look at the process by which the Romans raised legions in the Middle Republic (c. 290-100 BC, think the age of Pyrrhus, Hannibal and the various well-known Scipios; this is also the period of Rome's initial overseas expansion and its great power wars), what the Romans called the…
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Ever since the 17th century discovery of the Roman city of Pompeii, preserved under layers of volcanic deposits after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the excavated site located between Rome and Naples has been a magnet for fascinated visitors, no less so for its erotic frescoes.
The layers of volcanic material that shrouded the ancient Italian coastal town of Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 have miraculously preserved extensive evidence of the ancient Italians and their lifestyles, offering a tantalising glimpse into the sexual mores of those times.
In ancient Roman religion, the fascinus or fascinum was the embodiment of the divine Phallus. It was used to ward off the evil eye. This specimen found in Pompeii. pic.twitter.com/r7Y8W0MjAq