Archive for October, 2010
Basilicas Posted by kunthra on Oct 28, 2010
There are a few basilicas that remain from Ancient Roman times. In Ancient Rome, a basilica was used to define a public building placed in a forum. Nowadays a basilica has come to mean that the building is a church. The Basilica Aemilia was built in 179 B.C. Today, only remains of the Basilica remain…
The Hilltops of Rome Posted by kunthra on Oct 25, 2010
Although much has changed since Ancient Rome, there are still the traces of some important hill sites that served an important purpose in Ancient Rome. In Ancient Roman legend, Aventine Hill or Collis Aventinus was the mythical location where Romulus founded Rome. In actuality, Aventine Hill was annexed by the Ancient Romans in the time…
Ancient Roman Walls Posted by kunthra on Oct 22, 2010
Rome was a mighty nation that conquered other nations, but that didn’t mean that Rome wasn’t vulnerable to outside attack. One of the tactics that the Ancient Romans used was to build large walls around the city. One such wall was the Aurelian Wall. The Aurelian Wall was built in response to several attacks from…
Ancient Roman Aqueducts Posted by kunthra on Oct 19, 2010
The Ancient Romans built many aqueducts around the Empire. Aqueducts were an important engineering invention by the Ancient Romans because these aqueducts were used for numerous functions like heating baths. The Aqua Alexandrina was one of the last aqueducts built in Ancient Roman times. Like other aqueducts part of it was built underground and connected…
Latin Mottos Posted by kunthra on Oct 16, 2010
Universities and other organizations of higher learning often have a school motto in Latin. Here are some of my favorite Latin mottos : Dominus illuminatio mea is the motto of Oxford University. It means, “The Lord is my Light”. This motto was phrased in the 1200s, and at the time it was a religious era…
Powerful Women Who Met Tragic Ends Posted by kunthra on Oct 13, 2010
Being a powerful woman in Ancient Rome did have its perks, but it also had its perils. Here are some of the harrowing stories of women in positions of power that have met a terrible end : Julia Soaemias Bassiana was the mother of Emperor Elagabalus. Although Elagabalus was the emperor, he was still a…
Ancient Roman Helmets Posted by kunthra on Oct 10, 2010
You may have heard the recent news about the Crosby Garrett Helmet. The Crosby Garrett Helmet is a first to third A.D. century helmet sold for a total of 3.6 million dollars at an auction. You may be asking yourself, why would anyone want this old bronze helmet? Well the answer to that is that…