Tag: Italy
Tiny House Found in Ancient Pompeii Has Erotica All Over the Walls
Pompeii, famously destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, is treasure trove due to its extraordinary state of preservation. One would be forgiven for thinking that everything had been found…
The Cadaver Synod, when a Dead Pope Stood Trial
The office of Pope has historically always been a highly important one. Such a role was and is intensely political, with the Pope uniquely being able to influence foreign powers through their…
Sulla: The Man Who Showed Caesar the Way
There is no question that the fate of Rome, her empire, Europe and by extension the western world was changed by one man. In the space of a single human lifetime this…
The Wild Life and the Ridiculous Death of Pythagoras
You all know about Pythagoras, the triangle guy? His brilliant theorem to calculate the lengths of the sides of a right-angled triangle is elegant, and unlike almost every other idea the ancient…
Marcus Aurelius: A Timeless Guide to Life from the Philosopher King
Roman emperors are perhaps remembered for their notoriety more than anything else. We remember Julius Caesar, after whom all the subsequent rulers took their name, as a brilliant commander (and because he…
Silphium: Can We Rediscover the Roman Wonder Drug?
Cure-alls are, generally speaking, never what they claim. Most medical wonder drugs are nothing of the sort, and snake oil salesmen have existed throughout history, prospering as long as there are people…