Amphorae

"All things good to know are difficult to learn." - Greek Proverb

Constantinople Becomes the Capital of the Roman Empire On May 11th 330A.D. emperor Constantine I officially made the city of Byzantium the capital of the Roman Empire, renaming it Constantinople. He did this to bring the capital of the empire closer to the frontiers, yet within easy defense of her armies. Situated on trade routes between Asia and the west it quickly became a rich and flourishing center, though initially devoid of all of the decorum of the old capital. It would remain as the center of the empire until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks captured the city.

Domina- Female form of the masculine Dominus meaning "Master". This is the term with which a slave or servant would refer to his or her mistress. It is the origin of the word "Dominate". Villa - Upper-class country house. Denarius - A small silver coin first minted in 211 BC which was the most basic coin in circulation, much like the penny or one-pence coin today. It's value was debased through decreases in it's weight over time, and it was eventually replaced by the antoninianus. Forum - Marketplace, much like a city-center today it was a hub of commerce and daily ritual. Via - Road. The Romans built extensive road networks for transporting troops and goods across the empire. Some examples include the Via Latina, Via Labicana, and Via Appia (aka the Appian Way) leading to Rome (as I've heard all roads do).

"Stranger, my message is short. Stop and read it. This is the unlovely tomb of a lovely woman. Her parents gave her the name Claudia. She loved her husband with all her heart. She bore two children, one of whom she left on earth, the other beneath it. She had a pleasing way of talking and walking. She tended the house and worked wool. I have said my piece. Go your way." (Corpus of Latin Inscriptions)

Many people know that the word "Easter" comes from the Anglo-Saxon Lunar goddess Eostre, who was said to mate with the solar god around the vernal equinox hence the references to those prolific bunnies and eggs. What you may not know is that the romans also had a vernal holiday involving a goddess-mother, Cybele, and her mate, Attis (taken from earlier Phrygian beliefs), who died and descended into the underworld to challenge the forces of death. In later years he came to be associated with the god Dionysus as well. Many of these customs were naturally based on the cycle of the seasons and the life-death-life cycle was representative of the crops, and so very dear to the cycle of people's lives. Christians and Pagans would eventually come to celebrate their very similar holidays around the same time of the year, and today much of the world has forgotten just how similar the stories are. Both traditions set the date for their celebrations around the first full moon after t...

A Don's Life , the blog of Professor Mary Beard of Cambridge, is a surprisingly funny and straight-forward look at academia and all things Roman. The latest post is on a documentary of Pompeii  that she is consulting on. As someone who is used to being on the entertainment end of such things, it's really interesting to get the opposite point of view. I think my favorite part is where she talks about being able to try on jewelry that was actually worn by the Pompeiians. Enjoy!

"He is not haggard from Venus' quiver, nor fired by her torch; the dowry it was that kindled his ardour and furnished the arrows. Her freedom is paid for; no need to conceal her notes and glances. A wealthy woman who marries a miser is as good as single..." - Juvenal (The Satires)