Primary History - Romans Secrets of Lost Empires | Roman Bath | Construct an Aqueduct by Dennis Gaffney Aqueducts are one of the wonders of the Roman Empire. These graceful structures are not only majestic, but are engineering marvels that survive to this day. In "Construct an Aqueduct," you are hired as Chief Water Engineer by the Roman Emperor. Your job: to build an aqueduct that will supply the Roman city of Aqueductis with clean water to private homes, public baths and glorious fountains. Succeed, and citizens of Aqueductis will drink clean water and bathe happily. NOVA's Roman Aqueduct Manual Helpful hints for building your aqueduct Construct an Aqueduct Java applet (120k) To play the Java version of this game, you need a Java 1.1-enabled browser. Special thanks to Peter Aicher for his invaluable help creating "Construct an Aqueduct." A Day at the Baths | Construct an Aqueduct | Watering Ancient Rome NOVA Builds a Bath | Real Roman Recipes | Resources | Transcript Medieval Siege | Pharaoh's Obelisk | Easter Island | Roman Bath | China Bridge | Site Map
Gracchi Brothers The social and political landscape of the Roman world was about to undergo an abrupt transformation in the Late Republic. The emergence, and eventual assassination of the Gracchus brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, is often considered the first major step towards the fall of the Roman Republic. While Roman class and social affairs had for centuries consisted of machinations by various individuals to get their way (such as the Plebs withdrawal from Rome in the early Republic), the activities of the Gracchi completely altered the state of Roman politics. The careers of these two men were marked by riots, murder, and ultimately, outright manipulation of the common population to achieve their goals. This political behavior would become increasingly more prominent in the 100 years from their time, through to Caesar and the eventual rise of Augustus. From 137 to 121 BC, Tiberius, and then Gaius Gracchus, stood at the center of this turmoil.
These Photos of Pompeii Show Slice of Ancient Roman Life that Was Buried Under 20 Feet of Ash - History Daily Sep 172016 On August 24, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius, a 4,000-foot volcano near the Bay of Naples in Italy, erupted, burrying the city of Pompeii under an almost 20-foot blanket of volcanic ash and killing 2,000 people. It was one of the world’s most famous and deadly volcanic eruptions. The ancient Roman city was left untouched until explorers rediscovered it in 1748, finding that Pompeii was virtually intact underneath the dust and dirt. As a resort for Rome’s rich, elegant villas lined wide, paved streets. Some of these villas have been restored and are open to visitors, like the Casa del Fauno and Casa del Menandro. Pompeii was a bustling city with cafés, snack bars (the Thermopolium), and restaurants (Caupona Pherusa tavern), and even a 20,000-seat amphitheater. Approximately 2.5 million tourists visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site every year. Pompeii had a complex water system and port, and two bath houses. The volcanic eruption lasted 18 hours.
Roman Houses and Villas The Roman House An Elementary Conspectus Handbooks tend to distinguish among three basic types of late Republic/early imperial houses, as follows. The images below are taken from E. 1. A. B. 2. A. B. 3. B. Make a Roman Fibula Brooch - Without a Torch! This Instructable will show you how to make a simple pin suitable for hanging whatever you like on it, with just a few tools and some wire. My instructions assume you have some basic experience with jewelry making, but even if you don't, this is still pretty simple. Practice on some thin, cheap craft wire if this is your first project, and if you have any questions, just ask. But why do you call it a "fibula"? Simple. While this pin is appropriate for light to medium fabrics, I made it specifically for my SCA and Rennie friends to hang favors, bits of largesse, or even small tools on.
Ancient Luxury and the Roman Silver Treasure from Berthouville | Legion of Honor In 1830, a French farmer plowing his field near the village of Berthouville, in rural Normandy, accidentally discovered a hoard of spectacular silver-gilt objects that were deliberately buried during antiquity. The items, all dated to the first or second century AD, were dedicated to the Roman god Mercury and collectively became known as the Berthouville Treasure. After four years of meticulous conservation at the Getty Villa this splendid collection of Roman silver comes to San Francisco in Ancient Luxury and the Roman Silver Treasure from Berthouville. The exhibition features more than 160 pieces, including selections from this find as well as precious gems, jewelry, and other Roman luxury objects from the royal collections of the Cabinet des médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. The most impressive items bear Latin inscriptions stating that they were dedicated to Mercury by a Roman citizen named Quintus Domitius Tutus.
theconversation After gorging on a feast of sausages, blood pudding, young sow’s udder, sea bream, lobster, mullet, Attic honey, and Syrian dates, all washed down with a few glasses Falernian wine, it is little wonder that a Roman diner might begin to feel quite full. It was once thought that a diner could, at this point in the meal, make a quick visit to the vomitorium – a room adjacent to the dining room replete with a basin and feathers to tickle the throat – in order to make room for the next course. There is a delightful array of Latin words associated with the act of throwing up, from the verbs vomo (“I vomit”) and vomito (“I keep on vomiting”) to the nouns vomitor (“one who vomits”) and vomitus and vomitio, both of which can either refer to the actual business of chundering or the yucky stuff itself. The vomitorium is clearly part of this group, but no ancient source actually employs the word to describe a place for post-prandial puking. A vomitous history Gluttonous Emperors
Virtual reality helps visitors transport back in time to ancient Roman sites Cutting-edge technology is helping bring ancient Rome back to life. Visitors at historic sites thousands of years old can now use virtual reality headsets to see what they once looked like. Digital artists used Renaissance-era artists’ depictions to help re-envision the relics. The cavernous space was once above ground, the grand home of Emperor Nero, and considered one of the most magnificent palaces ever built. Two thousand years ago, this labyrinth, now underneath the city of Rome, was the sprawling home of Emperor Nero, stretching the size of three football fields. “You always try to imagine in your mind what it must’ve been like, and this helps tremendously,” said Tom Papa, a tourist from New York. Virtual reality brings to life this important piece of history. “In the ancient historiography, he was depicted as a monster,” D’Alessio said. The emperor’s massive compound was covered over. “Painters during Renaissance times would come through that hole?” “Yes,” D’Alessio said.
The curious tale of Roman emperors as judges | OUPblog The first dynasty of Roman emperors, collectively known as the Julio-Claudians, knew how to make headlines. From the frequent accounts by contemporary and later writers of their use of torture, rape, and murder to the more recherché ways of humiliation and abuse such as seeking to appoint a horse as consul (as the historian Cassius Dio says of Caligula), there is little to suggest that the administration of justice was very high on their agenda. Even if we make allowance for the motives of the authors who reported these salacious events, it remains puzzling that at the same time these very same emperors began to undertake extensive judicial tasks such as acting dutifully as legislators, judges, and legal administrators. How did that happen? One of the greatest enigmas surrounding this issue is that there is no information concerning the way in which this came about. This is not to say that there was no precedent for it. The trouble is that the Roman emperors were not sovereign kings.