March 1
Wednesday February 29, 2012
On this day in ancient history - March 1:This day in early ancient Roman history was the start of the new year. The Rogue Classicist says it was probably on ... Read More
Guess What
Wednesday February 29, 2012
No, this is not a Guess Who.
PD Courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen
That would be too easy, and besides, it's a special day, so this Guess What is connected ... Read More
February Round-Up
Wednesday February 29, 2012
In case you missed them the first time round, here are the main new articles added to this site in February 2012:
Who Were the 2 Women Who Led Armies Against ... Read More
Imperial Adoptions
Sunday February 26, 2012
On This Day in Ancient History - February 26:
Hadrian © Clipart.com
February 26 is the day when two Roman emperors created successors. Neither of the successors was the son of the ... Read More
When 2 Emperors Were Adopted
Sunday February 26, 2012
On This Day in Ancient History (February 26): On this day in ancient Roman history two future emperors, Nero and Antoninus Pius, were adopted -- albeit a century apart in ... Read More
Great Persecution
Friday February 24, 2012
On This Day in Ancient History - February 24
Galerius Public Domain
On February 24, A.D. 303 the Great Persecution began with the posting of an edict, probably promoted by ... Read More
Year's End
Thursday February 23, 2012
On This Day in Ancient History - February 23
According to the Rogue Classicist, today was the traditional end of the Roman year and in A.D. 303 it was the day ... Read More
What Would the Romans Call Leap Day?
Thursday February 23, 2012
Before Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, there wasn't a single leap day. Periodically, if irregularly, multiple days were added to the calendar just before March 1, the Kalends of March. ... Read More
Guess Who
Wednesday February 22, 2012
© Francois Mandeville
Hints: She died at age 26, in A.D. 91. See Roman History Timeline.
The great Roman satirist Juvenal wrote about her.
Answer
What Are Livy's Stages in the History of Roman Theater?
Wednesday February 22, 2012
Although Greece is credited with creating drama, and Greek customs heavily influenced the Romans, Rome has a separate history of drama. Livy describes the stages as roughly: ... Read More
How Did the Ancient Persians Intercalate?
Monday February 20, 2012
At the end of this month, we insert a day to make the Gregorian calendar line up with the sun. This insertion of a Leap Day is also known as ... Read More
What Do You Know About the Trojan War?
Saturday February 18, 2012
© Clipart.com
True or False?
Homer describes the Trojan Horse in the final book of The Iliad.
Achilles was one of the leading warriors inside the Trojan Horse.
Odysseus was a draft dodger.
Find ... Read More
What Do Dido and Aeneas Have in Common?
Friday February 17, 2012
Digital ID: 1621539. New York Public Library
Can you think of similarities between the ill-fated lovers Dido and Aeneas? Here are ones I came up with.
Comparison of Dido ... Read More
Learn About the Greek Gods
Thursday February 16, 2012
Assembly of the Gods with Leto, Artemis, Apollo, Athena, Zeus, and Hera on marble from the sanctuary of Eshmun in 350 B.C. CC Flickr User stevendamron
In Greek mythology, ... Read More
Guess Who
Wednesday February 15, 2012
© NYPL Digital Gallery
Obscure hint (because this is an easy one):This week's Guess Who is about as far a cry from last week's as possible, but there's still a ... Read More
Love and Marriage in the Bible
Tuesday February 14, 2012
Biblical History Contributing Writer Cynthia Astle says that love and marriage in the Bible were quite different from what most people experience today. Here are some frequently asked questions about ... Read More
Meroe, in Ancient Africa
Monday February 13, 2012
Meroe was the second capital of the Kushite kingdom (750 BC - AD 350), located in what is now the Sudan, Africa. It is gaining fame for its matrilinear ruling ... Read More
Apuleius' Story of Cupid and Psyche
Monday February 13, 2012
A lovely Valentine's Day type romance, the story of Cupid and Psyche comes from the Metamorphoses better known as the Golden Ass of Apuleius. The title refers to a golden ... Read More
Roman Valentine's Day
Monday February 13, 2012
Professor Judith Hallett says that March 1 was the date on which Romans had love celebrations, according to Newswise's article Ancient Rome Waited Until March 1 to say "I Love ... Read More
Who Said It?
Sunday February 12, 2012
One of these philosophers is known for having said something like "you can't step twice into the same stream." Which one was it? The picture is a hint and if ... Read More
Lupercalia
Sunday February 12, 2012
Lupercalia is one of the most ancient of the Roman holidays (one of the feriae listed on ancient calendars from even before the time Julius Caesar reformed the calendar) and ... Read More
Read A Familiar Ancient Love Story
Saturday February 11, 2012
Putting a story within a story or the play within the play is a familiar, sometimes filibustering technique used skillfully by Scheherazade in 1001 Arabian Nights and for other ... Read More
Nero's Step-Brother's Birthday
Saturday February 11, 2012
On This Day in Ancient History - February 11
CC Flickr User HowardLake
On this day in ancient history, Emperor Claudius' son Britannicus was born in 41 A.D. Although Britannicus was ... Read More
Which Roman (Leader) Was the Worst?
Friday February 10, 2012
The Tarpeian Rock was an ancient Roman place of execution. Those so executed were hurled from the cliff to their death. This is not a serious, right or wrong ... Read More
About the Myth of Cupid and Psyche
Wednesday February 8, 2012
Picture: Wall Fragment with Cupids and Psyche making Perfume Roman 50-75 CE Fresco, by mharrsch.
Photographed at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California.
About the Myth of Cupid and Psyche
... Read More
Important People in Ancient African History
Wednesday February 8, 2012
February in the U.S. is African-American History Month, which isn't entirely relevant to this topic, but close. Although the men may not be American, now is as ... Read More
Guess What
Wednesday February 8, 2012
© Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Hints:
The man being dragged will soon be dead.
He was known to drink excessively.
He was considered very moral.
Answer
Marcian, Successor of Theodosius, Died
Tuesday February 7, 2012
on This Day in Ancient History - February 7In A.D. 457 the Roman Emperor Marcian died. Marcian had been born in 392, probably in Illyria, and began a career ... Read More
Augustus Was Honored With a Title
Sunday February 5, 2012
On this Day in Ancient History - February 5
Augustus. St Petersburg - Hermitage.CC Flickr User thisisbossi.
In 2 B.C., the first Roman emperor, whom we call ... Read More
Who Said It?
Friday February 3, 2012
According to Diogenes Laertius, who compared
©Clipart.com
the educated and uneducated by saying the former
were superior to the latter 'as much ... as the living are to the ... Read More
iPodius Agora
Thursday February 2, 2012
Latin teacher and prolific writer Rose Williams [for her bio, scroll down on her Pliny's Haunted House] wrote to tell me about the teacher-created material available for purchase on ... Read More
She Was A Clever Naval Commander
Thursday February 2, 2012
© Clipart
In his The Battle of Salamis, Barry Strauss explains the special attributes of the only female naval commander in Persian king Xerxes' army. Among other points, Strauss says ... Read More
Guess Who (& What)
Wednesday February 1, 2012
PD courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen at Wikipedia.
Guess who the female figure is.Hints:
Her aged father and a brother are to the left. Another brother is to the right leaning on ... Read More
When February Came Before the New Year
Wednesday February 1, 2012
February was not part of the original Roman calendar, but was added (with a variable number of days), as the month preceding the beginning of the year. Read more ... Read More