Sextus Roscius of Ameria: The Parricide Trial That Launched Cicero
Cicero’s defense exposed a scheme built on proscription lists and a freedman’s influence. According to Cicero, in September of 81 BC a wealthy landowner from … Read more
Ancient Italy & The Roman World
Unearthing the strange history of the peninsula, from Neolithic mysteries and Etruscan tombs to the glory of Rome.
Trajan’s Baths Reopen at Colle Oppio, Revealing a Painted City Buried Beneath the Empire
Underground at Trajan’s Baths: The City Painted Before the Empire Built Over It A restoration project on one of Rome’s most layered archaeological sites brings … Read more
A Murder Trial in Ancient Rome: The Poison Ring of 331 BC
How a slave’s testimony uncovered the first criminal inquiry into poisoning in Roman history According to Livy, in the year 331 BC the city of … Read more
A Murder in Ancient Rome: The Case of Pedanius Secundus and the Slaughter of His Household
The praefectus urbi’s murder reopened a debate the empire had avoided for generations According to Tacitus, in the year 61 AD the city of Rome … Read more
An Archaic Necropolis Beneath a Pasta Factory: Gragnano’s Extraordinary Discovery
Pristine Tufa Tombs Reveal Mediterranean Trade Links from 550 BCE On Wednesday, July 15, at the Pastificio Garofalo in Gragnano, in Via dei Pastai, officials … Read more
Two Equids Unearthed in the Bakery of Pompeii’s House of the Chaste Lovers
Pompeii’s House of the Chaste Lovers Gives Up Two Working Animals A fresh round of excavation inside the House of the Chaste Lovers at Pompeii … Read more
Ostia Antica: A Monumental 4th-Century Episcopal Church Discovered
Constantinian Era Architecture at the Port of Rome A few centimeters beneath the topsoil of a former agricultural field near Rome, excavations have uncovered the … Read more
Roman City Found Along the Via Appia in Flumeri via Multispectral Drones
Forum Aemilii: A 2nd Century BCE Planned Town on the Regina Viarum Recent geophysical investigations and multispectral drone surveys have revealed the urban layout of … Read more
From the Circus Maximus to Today’s Streets: The Long and Unceasing History of the Male Gaze
What Ovid’s Seduction Manual Tells Us About Catcalling in 2025 How many times have girls or women found themselves being watched while crossing a street? … Read more
The Stone Giants of Sardinia: The Mysterious Legacy of the Nuragic Civilization
History of the Ancient Megalithic Nuraghes in Sardinia The Nuraghe (plural nuraghi in Italian) is the main type of ancient megalithic stone building found exclusively … Read more
Roman Republican Architecture: How Concrete and Cultural Synthesis Built an Empire
How Roman builders transformed Etruscan pragmatism and Greek aesthetics into a revolutionary architectural system Roman architecture during the Republic (509 BC – 27 BC) was … Read more
The Ancient Rock-cut tombs of Pantalica in Southeastern Sicily
Pantalica Necropolis, rupestrian funerary architecture Pantalica, in the province of Syracuse, Sicily, is situated on a limestone promontory and is renowned for its rock-cut tombs … Read more
The Ancient Pagan Temple of Diana, Nemi
The Temple of Diana in Nemi This Roman sanctuary and the Sacred Wood are situated on the northern shore of Lake Nemi, approximately 30 kilometers … Read more
Posca the Ancient Roman Staple Consumed by Soldiers and Laborers
Vinegar Offered on the Cross and Its Connection to Roman Practices Posca was a drink commonly consumed in ancient Rome. Made by mixing water and … Read more
Pompeii’s Elite Lifestyle Revealed in a Newly Unearthed Bath Complex
Pompeii IX.10: A Large Private Bath Complex Pompeii, a Roman city frozen in time by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., continues to … Read more