It’s an attractively neat idea. But when it came to paying Roman soldiers, coins did the job admirably.
Articles on Mythbusting ancient Rome
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Nero, Rome’s emperor from 54 to 68 C.E., rose to power at a young age and remained focused on himself, letting the needs of citizens fall to the wayside.
We can probably safely assume Rome, in many areas, was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. That said, there’s evidence of perfumes, incense and even deodorants.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the walls of Pompeii’s brothel were a particular hot-spot for sexual graffiti.
Politicians like Cicero saw gladiators as vain and self-indulgent, while the true warriors engaged in wars of words.
This doomed romance ended abruptly in 44 BCE when Caesar was quite literally stabbed in the back (and from all sides) by his enemies in Rome. She pretty soon hooked up with one of his closest allies.
Hannibal remains a towering figure in military history, not only for his tactical brilliance but also for the profound impact he had on Rome. He continues to inspire military leaders today.
We must be careful not to misgender or misidentify people of the past – especially if our only evidence for how they might have identified comes from hostile writers.
Death was always a possibility, but gladiator combat was controlled by referees.
Sexuality in Ancient Rome was more preoccupied with power dynamics than it was with gender – as an expert in visual cultures of sexuality explains.
A major exhibition of treasures from ancient Rome presents a distinctly old-fashioned tale of the empire’s rise and expansion, which is out of step with contemporary scholarly thinking.
The idea that the athletic contests – held in honour of the Greek god Zeus for over a thousand years – were shut down by a puritanical Christian emperor makes for a good story. But is it true?
From being thrown off a cliff to being sewn into a sack with animals, ancient Rome is notorious for its cruel and unusual punishments. But we must be careful what we take as historical fact.
Today the phrase ‘all roads leads to Rome’ means that there’s more than one way to reach the same goal. But in Ancient Rome, all roads really did lead to the eternal city, which was at the centre of a vast road network.
The emperor Caligula lavished attention on his favourite horse Incitatus, holding parties for friends in the steed’s grand stables. But did he make his horse a consul?
Roman decadence reached its peak with the vomitorium: a room where feasting elites threw up to make room for more food. Or so the story goes …
The image of cowering Christians being thrown to the lions by Roman emperors is a grisly staple of popular culture. But how accurate is it?
The image of a crazed and capricious Emperor Nero is immortalised in popular culture: from fiddling while Rome burns to having a sexual relationship with his mother. The historical evidence, however, is rather different.
Top contributors
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Professor of Classics and Head of the Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University
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Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Cambridge
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Visiting Research Fellow, School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, University of East Anglia
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Professor of Gender Studies, Chair in Sex Media and Sex Cultures, Linköping University
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Emeritus Professor of Sport, University of Stirling
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Professor of History, Australian Catholic University
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Lecturer in Classics, University of Tasmania
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Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of Tasmania
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Associate Professor of Classics, Wake Forest University
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Associate Professor Classics and Ancient History, University of Exeter
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Gale Research Fellow in Ancient Glass and Material Culture, Macquarie University
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Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Classics, Yale University
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Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University
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Senior Lecturer in History, Australian National University