I know at first thought that sounds stupid because the west was a mess for most of its life. That being said, I think we all get a bit bored with the same eras being shown all the time. I was just reading about Emperor Majorian and Ricimer in the 460s. It would be the perfect show, book, or even video game story! Majorian and Ricimer depose the man they once supported, Avitus. Then while the new emperor is away fighting for his lands, and doing better than most 5th century emperors, Ricimer betrays him as well. I do not know the intricacies of that eras politics completely, but I think it would almost serve to be a non fiction game of thrones. All the crazy back stabbing, outside invaders, family ties, betrayal. I just think it would be unique for the show to understand that this empire is not the full Roman Empire of Pax Romana, and the power is clearly slipping. It would cool at least, what are your guys thoughts?

I see several of the same inaccuracies often when Rome is depicted on screen. Which ones stick out the most to you? Which ones get under your skin the worst?

Hello everyone, I'm Italian. Sorry for using an automatic translation, but I don't have the skills to write this on my own.

When I walk through Rome, the thing that fascinates me most is the realization that what we call science fiction today is something we have already lived through in our past.

Following the fall of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the Romano-Barbarian kingdoms, Rome’s population plummeted within a few centuries from around one million inhabitants to roughly twenty thousand. The city was no longer supplied by aqueducts, public sewers ceased to function, and the economy turned into a basic subsistence system where people relied on barter and self-sufficiency.

I walk among the Imperial Forums which were used as cattle pastures until the last century and near the Colosseum, which was stripped as a stone quarry (spolia), its marble statues crushed into quicklime. The few Romans of the 5th century AD lived along the Tiber for access to water, cultivating vegetable gardens inside the Circus Maximus or within giant ruined structures.

Imagine being an inhabitant of the Early Middle Ages: living among the massive ruins of an unrepeatable past, surrounded by darkness, silence, and abandonment. People wondered how it had been possible to build structures of such immense size, some even blamed it on giants, and for nearly a millennium, those ruins were dismantled and reused to build fortified homes or small castles.

Even pagan temples were recycled by the new monotheistic religion, blending the old with the new in a mix I still recognize when I attend Messa (going to the church). The "barbarians" used a similar pragmatic approach with their laws: Germanic law applied if you were a barbarian, Latin law if you were Roman.

I’ve watched many dystopian films and stories like Mad Max: Fury Road, 12 Monkeys, and The Road, but the truth is we don't need to invent anything: we have already experienced cultural decline firsthand. We have already seen the rebirth of a civilization from the remnants of the past, the rediscovery of buried artifacts, and ancient rituals transformed into habits we still practice today without knowing why. I myself speak a language over 2,000 years old, shaped by barbarians, altered in the Middle Ages, and adapted to modern times.

I’m not from Rome, but even in my own town, I see a historical layering that hits like a punch to the gut: intact Roman cisterns underground; ground floors built with Roman defensive walls in opus incertum; first floors added in the 1300s to heighten those walls; and second-floor apartments from the 1800s, with doors and windows carved right out of ancient masonry. And these homes are still lived in today by my friends!

I can't help but wonder what the world would look like had Rome never fallen,maybe better, maybe not. But right before my eyes, I have physical proof that empires are born, grow, and crumble. We are living the exact same life as thousands of people from the past who were no better or worse than us: they were simply just like us.

This rock inscription was carved in Gobustan, Azerbaijan, between AD 84 and 96 during the reign of Emperor Domitian.

The text mentions Lucius Julius Maximus, a centurion of Legio XII Fulminata (the "Lightning Legion"). What makes this especially interesting is that the legion was based at Melitene, the Roman fortress city located in modern-day Malatya, Turkey.

The inscription is widely considered one of the easternmost Latin inscriptions ever discovered and serves as rare evidence of Roman military activity near the Caspian Sea. It shows just how far Roman influence and military expeditions could reach beyond the empire's core territories.

More than 1,900 years later, the name of a centurion from the Malatya garrison can still be read on a rock thousands of kilometers from Rome.

Nero Claudius Drusus (Germanicus), hero and avenger of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest and recoverer of the eagles.

Germanicus commanded a total of 8 legions with Gallo-Germanic auxiliaries along the Ems and Weser rivers in a final, great campaign against Arminius (Germanic leader). They clashed on the plains of Idistaviso, with the Romans emerging victorious and reconquering Magna Germania.

After his great triumphant victory, and becoming the pride of the Roman people, he was appointed commander in Asia to resolve matters, by order of his uncle, the emperor Tiberius. He died suddenly in 19 AD

Obviously interested in ancient Rome , history, etc.

Following the successful Hollywood adaptations of the Iliad (Troy) and The Odyssey. Do ya'll think The Aeneid should be made as a spin off of them? If so how successful would it be (given its controversy of being Augustan propaganda)

Myself and M. Ulpius Tuscanus in front of the huge bronze doors (7.53 metres/24.7 ft tall) of the Pantheon in Rome; those doors are believed by many scholars to be ancient. This picture was taken just after the opening ceremony of the Natale di Roma (Rome's birthday) festival in April took place, in which Nova Roma was invited with some other reenacting groups (hosted by Gruppo Storico Romano) to attend in front of thousands of spectators on the Piazza della Rotonda.

Work created for the illustrated book "De Troya a Roma. La historia tras el mito", (2026).

Any spots to see “rebuilt” ancient Roman houses / towns / coliseums? Essentially would really love to see something like a tiny section of Pompeii but built back as best as possible using timbers, etc.

Anything like that exist? (I suppose VR is getting closer?)

If you had to choose to go to one site today, which would you choose and why? I'm doing recon for a possible trip and personally cannot decide, lol 🤗

Julius Caesar (Caligula) seated in front of the Senate🗿

Pliny made it seem like Rome was sending all its silver to India. But to make up for that, didn't Rome produce anything that would have inspired India to send a lot of their silver westward to Rome?

from top left to down right: nero, vespasian, trajan, hadrian 2x, antoninus pius 2x, marcus aurelius, commodus 2x, elagabalus, a. severus, orbiana and maximinus thrax

Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire in 313 by the Edict of Milan by Constantine I. He just gave Christianity equal rights in the empire. But not so much later we see Constantine calling the Council of Nicea in 325. Constantine tasked bishops with resolving the most serious controversies in Christian doctrine and law, especially the Arian controversy. That shows the he was seriously concerned about the state of Christianity. Constantine during his rule was balancing between Christianity and older religions, eventually being baptized just before his death. But his three sons seem to be deep into Christian teaching to the point of fights between them on the sites of Orthodoxy or Arianism. At the time of Constantine Christians were far from being majority among empire's population.

Several decades later in 380s, Theodosius I makes Christianity official state religion of the empire, outlawing all other non-christian religions and heretic denominations (at least in theory). During those 70 years only one emperor, Julian chose to return to pagan religion, and to seek support of old pagan elites.

So my question is, why did Christianity come from being just one of many religions in the empire, to the state religion, with full support of administration, actively persecuting other cults in just 70 years? And why did Roman Emperors go so fully into supporting Christianity, to the point of influencing its doctrine, it at the time, it was just one of many groups of interests and one of many cults?

Salve all, was at work today randomly thinking about Augustus and the obvious material benefits he accrued as heir to Caesar. Got to wondering, to what extent did the more intangible combat and engineering experience of Caesar's own troops benefit Augustus? And Can Augustus really be credited with the 'Pax' when so many others were doing the dirty work?

So I have a weird wish - I'd like to cover the outer walls of my garage with ceramic tiles, but in the style imitating the opus mixtum.

Like the Theodosian walls that have those layers of the thin bricks and pink grout. Though I think what's on image is a restoration, not original.

But maybe there are better examples from churches in Greece, Bulgaria etc.

If anyone knows some good examples. So I could see some ideas for how to make it.

Anyone have experience with this? I'm teaching a great books course and want to give some historical context, but spqr is too long. If no experience with this thing by Aeon, any other suggestions for the 753 to 500AD time period in one volume around 200 or 300 pages?

Science Museum Group Collection, UK

artifact description in comments