Ancient Romans Archive
-
Wine and Wealth in Ancient Italy
Posted on May 3, 2012 | No CommentsThis account of viticulture in Italy during the period from the Punic Wars to the crisis of the third century AD is written in the conviction that the 'economic' history of the ancient world will remain unacceptably impoverished if it is written in isolation from the social and cultural history of the same period. -
Potestās Marci Aurelii: Cursus Philosophus (The Ruling Power of Marcus Aurelius: a Philosophical Journey)
Posted on April 29, 2012 | No CommentsWhat is it that makes a man who he is? What causes him to make certain decisions - to take certain actions over others? -
Cicero’s Pro Caelio and the Leges de VI of Rome in the Late Republic
Posted on April 29, 2012 | No CommentsAfter about 2000 years of investigation, much of the legal machinery of the Roman Late Republic remains poorly understood. The following work brings this issue into focus through the lens of the Pro Caelio, a defense speech that Cicero delivered (and later revised for publication) for the trial of Marcus Caelius Rufus in April of 56 B.C. -
Climate Change and the Fall of the Roman Empire
Posted on April 26, 2012 | No CommentsMcCormick explores what bio-molecular evidence and climate change data suggest about the impact of volcanic events on the collapse of the Roman Empire and the rise of Carolingian Europe. -
Mistaken Identities: How to Identify a Roman Emperor
Posted on April 25, 2012 | No CommentsWhat did the Roman emperor look like? Among the thousands of surviving Roman imperial marble heads, how do we put a name to a face, or a face to a name? -
Competition Between Public and Private Revenues in Roman Social and Political History (200-49 B.C.)
Posted on April 25, 2012 | No CommentsI argue that the creation of a profitable empire allowed the ruling elite to end their reliance on domestic taxation to fund state activity, and that Rome's untaxed citizens were effectively disenfranchised as a result. -
When the Old World Was the New World: Roman Acculturation of Indigenous Customs in Western Europe
Posted on April 24, 2012 | No CommentsThis paper explores the acculturation of customs native to the people of Western Europe by Roman soldiers and citizens living on the frontier. -
Antonia and Sejanus
Posted on April 22, 2012 | No CommentsThe fall of Sejanus in A.D. 31 aroused considerable controversy in the ancient sources and has also continued to do so in modern research. -
Roman Slavery: A Study of Roman Society and Its Dependence on Slaves
Posted on April 21, 2012 | No CommentsIt’s no fun being a slave. And it’s not just the work But knowing that you’re a slave, and that nothing can change it. -
More than a Maniple is too Much: The Manipular formation used by Republican Roman Armies (circa 218 -168 BCE)
Posted on April 18, 2012 | No CommentsThe Battle of Cannae, and the lessons learned therein, provided a catalyst for more rapid evolution of Roman battle tactics.