Romans were notorious for their sandals (and for anyone who ever visited Italy, still are). Felix has been known to talk about how private investigators wear out their shoes only slightly less legionaries, pounding pavement day in and day out. The whole series, in a homage to swords-and-sorcery, have been called ‘swords and sandals.’ When […]
Ancient Rome
Eclectic Musings (and Murderous Muses)
Salvete! Gratam hac nocte scriptor collectio… Err, nope. My Latin is still horrible. Welcome to tonight’s collection of random musings — mostly murderous muses 🙂
Book Review: A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome, by Emma Southon
A book about murders in Ancient Rome? Gimme! This is a non-fiction work, covering not just the notable murders — but the Roman people’s attitudes towards killing. A great piece to understanding both the ancient world and ourselves, as we take our modern viewpoints to evaluate historical accounts. What to expect Southon does a credible […]
Book Review: The King’s Gambit (SPQR #1), by John Maddox Roberts
I’ve long had Maddox Roberts’ SPQR series on my TBR list (ever since I started reading Roman whodunits — Lindsey Davis, Steven Saylor, et al), but it took some time to get to this series. What to Expect A political mystery set in 70 BCE, as a young official is looking into the murders of […]
Book Review: Dead Men’s Sandals, by David Wishart
I love the Corvinus mysteries, so was excited to see a new one out. What to Expect Straight off the boat on his return from the last case in Carthage, Corvinus’ is summoned by a gangster boss (a favourite recurring character) and a favour he owes is called. Now he finds himself going to Brundisium, […]
Wolves, Coins, and Wine — Buried Treasures
A few interesting finds today, from prehistory through Roman and Byzantine times, up to modern recreations which are always fun — especially when alcohol is involved!
Cemented Curses: Roman Remains
Back to our usual programming, here’s a selection of a few notable finds I came across pertaining to ancient Roman life. From the futuristic relevance of microscopic analysis of ancient cement, to virtual tours in the places where it was put to use, to — of course — the obligatory hilarious ending. If you want […]
Book Review: Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World, by Philip Matyszak
Matyszak is one of my favourite historians (because archaeologists and historians are much more deserving of celebrity culture than actual celebrities 😜), and I loved previous books of his. This books offers a review of people and nations you’ve probably heard of in passing, and promises to give you a deeper understanding of those forgotten […]
Smells Like Classical Latin
A collection of Ancient Roman curios — including the most exciting and hilarious bit EVAR!! All of the items for today are actually around how life in Ancient Rome still survives today. We shall start with a few of the more mundane finds, and finish with grand finale that you must absolutely watch to believe […]
Naughty Roman Mice
Let’s start this week with toys, though we have much larger things in store for you. Over at Vindolanda, while closed to the public their curators have been going over some of the existing collections. They have been slowly releasing information, like this article on combs and articles and videos about broaches in the collection, […]
