Archive for December, 2016
6 Ways to Celebrate the Winter Solstice like an Ancient Roman Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Dec 21, 2016
The week surrounding the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice, marked the beginning of Winter for the Ancient Romans and so, like any other important time of the year, was brought in by revelry and extravagance. The is the week-long celebration of Saturnalia. Today, let’s look at some of the traditions that we…
You in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Dec 15, 2016
Historians and Classics enthusiasts often pay close attention to the history surrounding the great and legendary figures of Ancient Roman politics, philosophy, and mythology. However, today, let us take a look at the people who made up what was one of the greatest and largest cities in human existence. After all, such a city was…
“Roman Fever”: Did Malaria Bring Down the Roman Empire? Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Dec 7, 2016
A newly published study has just provided compelling genomic evidence in 2,000 year old human bones to show that malaria was, as many have guessed and speculated, present in Rome. For Latin-learners you could see the Medieval Latin roots behind the infamous disease: Malaria = mal + aria = “bad” + “air”. Although the disease…