Mostrando títulos en Roma

"L'Odissea" è il primo racconto di viaggio della letteratura occidentale. Ma è davvero un racconto di viaggio, quello di Ulisse? È possibile, ha senso cercare di ricostruire una geografia dei luoghi omerici? Il viaggio verso Itaca non è, piuttosto, la metafora di un percorso durante il quale il suo protagonista, per quanto forte sia la sua volontà divina, sente, se vuole, di poter scegliere la sua strada?

Claudius. Often portrayed as an awkward, disfigured, and clumsy man, Claudius was the unlikely ruler of the Roman Empire from 41 CE to 54 CE. His reign would prove to be one of the longest of the time even though his rise to the throne did not come without opposition. Virtually no-one in Claudius’ family wanted to see him become emperor - only when he turned out to be the last surviving man of the Julio-Claudian dynasty did he ascend to the throne.

Nel volgere di pochi anni, alla fine del VI secolo a.C., e attraverso vicende spesso cruente, le istituzioni e la vita politica romane vengono radicalmente trasformate. Protagonista di questa rivoluzione è Servio Tullio, nominato re fuori dalle procedure costituzionali fissate alla morte di Romolo, in seguito all'assassinio del predecessore Tarquinio Prisco e grazie alla complicità di sua moglie Tanaquil. Durante il regno Servio Tullio cambia profondamente la natura del potere, sminuendo il ruolo dell'aristocrazia e accrescendo la sua autorità in rapporto diretto con il popolo.

Before Julius Caesar ruled Rome, his uncle Gaius Marius was the most powerful man in the eternal city. Once a provincial nobody with a ruined family, Marius only had one way to power: the sword. Years later, he writes to his protege Quintus Sertorius, explaining to him how he rose through the ranks of the Roman legion to become the most powerful man in the Republic. He wants to encourage and inspire the young man but gets lost in the retelling of his first experience of war, love, and killing.

Rome is an empire with a bad reputation. From its brutal games to its depraved emperors, its violent mobs to its ruthless wars, its name resounds down the centuries like a scream in an alley. But was it as bad as all that? Join the historian Jerry Toner on a detective's hunt to discover the extent of Rome's crimes. From the sexual peccadilloes of Tiberius and Nero to the chances of getting burgled if you left your apartment unguarded (pretty high, especially if the walls were thin enough to knock through) he leaves no stone unturned in his quest to bring the Eternal City to book.

The history of the ancient incense trade routes often falls victim to the excitement of the stories of important men and women, as well as the conquest and empire building that constantly changed the organization of the ancient world. Yet the importance of these interlocking trade networks and the economies built around them cannot be denied. Ancient sources clearly delineate the immense demand for frankincense and myrrh, and later other spices and exotic products, that spanned for over a millennium, peaking between the fourth century BCE and the second century CE.

The City of God is the usual English translation of the most influential work written in the fifth century. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, wrote it between 413 and 426. Augustine argued that Christianity was not the cause of the Empire’s collapse. He turned the gaze from the city of Rome to the City of God, in the spiritual life of true believers.

This chapter of Lynn Thorndike’s History of Medieval Europe deals mainly with the German tribes of northern Europe, based on the works of Tacitus. There are also sections on those Germans settled within the Roman Empire, Goths, Sarmatians, and the Nomads of Turkestan.

The author describes the Roman Empire as having three sections: the Oriental, the Greek, and the Roman-Barbarian. It deals with Greek influence, Roman law, philosophy, the city state, the army, emperor-worship, economic conditions, commerce, industry, and social life in the Empire.

This chapter of Lynn Thorndike’s History of Medieval Europe deals with the period 378 to 511 AD. Valentinian was the last strong emperor in the west of the Roman Empire. After that, the Huns came in from the east and Goths entered the Empire to escape their advance. In 410 AD, Rome was sacked by Alaric the Visigoth.

In this chapter of Lynn Thorndike’s History of Medieval Europe, the author describes the economic and population decline of the late Empire. There was also the decay of civic religion, civil strife, and the spread of oriental religion. The decline was first seen in Italy and Greece.

The book covers the history of the Byzantine Empire from late antiquity until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. The author provides a comprehensive view of this great empire which was characterized by Orthodox Christianity, Greek culture and language, and Roman traditions.

Destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 CE, the ruins of Pompeii offer the best evidence we have of life in the Roman Empire. But the eruptions are only part of the story. In The Fires of Vesuvius, acclaimed historian Mary Beard makes sense of the remains. She explores what kind of town it was - more like Calcutta or the Costa del Sol? - and what it can tell us about "ordinary" life there. From sex to politics, food to religion, slavery to literacy, Beard offers us the big picture even as she takes us close enough to the past to smell the bad breath....

In The Fall of Rome, eminent historian Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the "peaceful" theory of Rome's "transformation" is badly in error. Indeed, he sees the fall of Rome as a time of horror and dislocation that destroyed a great civilization, throwing the inhabitants of the West back to a standard of living typical of prehistoric times. Attacking contemporary theories with relish and making use of modern archaeological evidence, he looks at both the wider explanations for the disintegration of the Roman world and also the consequences for the lives of everyday Romans.

21 aprile 753 a.C.: il giorno e l'anno di nascita di Roma sono la data di una fantasia, di un mito fondativo, la vicenda suggestiva di un gemello, sfuggito miracolosamente alla morte per annegamento? O invece rimandano a un fatto realmente accaduto, ovvero a quel solco che Romolo avrebbe tracciato intorno al Palatino per definire il perimetro dell'abitato più antico di Roma?

Puntare sulla capitale scortato da un esercito vincitore ma rimasto improvvisamente senza capi; farsi attribuire, a diciannove anni, la massima magistratura imponendo come collega un parente che avrebbe fatto uccidere poche settimane dopo; atterrire, armi in pugno, il Senato e imporgli di avallare una procedura sfacciatamente eversiva; avviare le più feroci proscrizioni che la Repubblica avesse mai visto, creando una inedita magistratura straordinaria - il "triumvirato".

La notte del 18 luglio dell'anno 64 d.C. un incendio comincia a divampare nella parte del Circo Massimo più prossima al Palatino e all'Esquilino. Alimentate dal vento e dall'olio dei magazzini, le fiamme divorarono le "regioni" in cui Augusto aveva diviso la città. Di quattordici ne restano intatte soltanto quattro. È una delle più grandi catastrofi della città di Roma, con migliaia di vittime e cumuli di rovine. Nessuno poteva dire con certezza di chi fosse la colpa di quel disastro, ma i traumi collettivi hanno bisogno di cause certe e colpevoli da punire.

Rome, AD 67. Vespasian is tasked with the impossible: should he quell the revolt in Judaea, as the emperor Nero has instructed? If his conquest succeeds, he risks becoming the sole object of the emperor's jealousy. If he fails, then his punishment will be severe. But Nero has committed suicide. Sabinus, Vespasian's brother, is caught between the warring factions of Aulus Vitellius, a cruel opportunist, and the noble Marcus Salvius Otho, who finds himself severely outnumbered.

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was one of the greatest Romans who ever lived. A man of constant honor, he worked side by side with Augustus and was responsible for the marble masterpieces of architecture ancient Rome is known for today. He was a consul, general, architect, and statesman and lived his life according to a strict code of conduct. If not for his early death, the people of Rome were expecting him to be their next emperor. Explore his life and regal legacy and the incredible impact one person can have on the course of a nation's history.

The 50 years following the assassination of Severus Alexander on March 19, 235 CE has been generally regarded by academics as one of the lowest points in the history of the Roman Empire. In stark contrast to the previous 150 years, which included the reigns of the Five Good Emperors and has been universally praised as one of the high points of the empire. Many historians have debated how the Roman Empire managed to survive in any form at all, let alone remain robust enough to allow Diocletian and his successors to restore it.