The Roman Empire was a vast empire, centred around the city of Rome, that lasted from 27 BC to 476 AD (West); 1453 AD (East).
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Why did the Western Roman Empire collapse but not the Eastern Roman Empire?
There were several crises in the “late” Roman Empire.
For once, the crisis of the Republic, which resulted in the creation of Principat and later Dominat. This crisis may be related to the fact that ...
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5answers
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Did the communication lag become a problem for the ever expanding Roman Empire?
There is a dispute among historians over whether the Roman Empire collapsed because of its increasing size and system-imminent flaws which were not suited for this size. The bigger the territory, the ...
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Why the Romans were unable to conquer Germania?
Emperor Augustus ordered his army to subdue the Germanic tribes in what is modern Germany. This was promptly achieved and by 6 AD the Romans controlled Germany up to the river Elba.
The Romans were ...
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Where did the Romans store their cash?
In the era before banking was invented, where did wealthy Romans store their cash? The emperor probably could store it somewhere in the imperial palace thanks to the Praetorian guard, but what about ...
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Did the Romans have winter uniforms?
Standard ancient Roman uniform consisted of a tunic, a cloak and sandal-type boots, resulting in a look like this. Now, this is all very well for Mediterranean climates but I really cannot fathom how ...
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3answers
436 views
What form of home address did Romans use?
Were the buildings in an ancient Roman city numbered, named or something else? How would they tell each other where they lived? Were the numbers painted on the walls? Did they have apartment numbers? ...
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1answer
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Did the Romans pour wine down wells for health purposes?
I've heard some kind of story that after the Romans would conquer a new village or city, they would pour wine (or other alcohol?) down the wells to kill the bacteria and make it safe for future ...
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4answers
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Was the Roman Empire based on a 'plunder economy'?
It has been stated by Arnold J. Toynbee and James Burke that:
The economy of the Empire was a Raubwirtschaft or plunder economy
based on looting existing resources rather than producing anything
...
12
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2answers
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How much tax did Romans pay?
According to this guy
The Jewish rebellion in A.D. 66 that ignited the war with Rome was by no means inevitable. Judaism was a legal religion in the Roman Empire, and Nero's own empress, Poppaea, ...
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What was the life expectancy of an ancient roman child and adult?
I'm assuming the average life expectancy of a Roman did not change very much between 500 BC - 500 AD (?), as there was probably no significant progress in medical knowledge or nutrition. Do historians ...
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2answers
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Who were the Huns and/or Xiongnu?
Who were the Hun people who made several appearances in Eurasian history?
Were they Finno-Ugric, Paleo-Siberean, Mongolic or Turkic?
Were the Hun who attacked Roman Empire extensions of the Xiongu, ...
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Nero and the Great Fire of Rome 64AD
I have always been fascinated by the history of ancient Rome and this is one of the topics, I always wanted to know a little bit more about.
The rumor about Nero himself giving the order to burn down ...
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1answer
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How accurate and detailed were geographical maps created and updated by the Romans?
Knowledge is power, and having superior geographical knowledge vs. your imperialistic enemies and competitors was probably a big advantage in the middle ages. Some specific examples would be knowledge ...
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How Was Roman Military Equipment Created and Distributed
When discussing the logistics of Roman armies, I usually see consumables and seigework discussed the most. However, I've been wondering about how the arms, armor, and tools were created and ...
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1answer
206 views
Short or long Roman numerals?
TL;DR: Is 1995 correctly written as MVM, or as something more like MCMLVL? MCMVC? MCMLXLV? MCMLXXXXV?
From what I recall from my Latin classes (European highschool...), you are not supposed to write ...
10
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1answer
156 views
State budget spending of Roman Empire
What can be said about the state budget (aerarium + fiscus + a.militare + etc) spending of the Roman Empire at the time of Augustus, say 14 A.D.? Can it be estimated in sesterces?
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4answers
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Are there ancient historical sources which have been permanently lost?
I'm in a Yr 11 Ancient history class studying Rome, and whenever I look over ancient sources on wikipedia there is always a list of lost works and occasionally a sentence describing how unfortunate it ...
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1answer
241 views
In what language did Caractacus deliver his speech to the emperor Claudius?
In The Annals, the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus wrote about the British chieftain Caractacus and how he was captured by the Romans. According to him, Caractacus was taken to Rome along with his ...
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1answer
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Internal customs in the Roman Empire
Did Romans pay customs on goods transported within the Empire? Is there any information available about the rates and the rules? For instance, what would a Roman citizen arriving in Alexandria have to ...
8
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1answer
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Could senators visit Roman Egypt?
I recall reading that there was an unwritten rule to the effect that Roman Senators under the Empire were forbidden to visit Egypt without an express permission from the Emperor, on pain of death.
...
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1answer
223 views
Where did the money come from to build the Colosseum?
Where did the money come from to finance the building of the Colosseum?
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1answer
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Did the Romans melt down looted golden objects or did they keep them intact?
The most famous such object is, of course, the Menorah which is reported to have surfaced up later in Constantinople via Carthage, so it seems to have been kept intact.
But I am wondering if there ...
7
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2answers
247 views
How would a large kingdom be ruled?
Genghis Khan, Alexander etc. are rulers who had kingdoms which were larger than most of the countries now. How would they have ruled their countries efficiently when it would take weeks for ...
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5answers
277 views
Languages spoken by Josephus?
What languages did Josephus speak? He lived in the land of Israel during the first century CE. He wrote in Greek (so he obviously knew that), but did he know Hebrew, Aramaic, or Latin?
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3answers
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Did the Huns contribute to the Great Migration of Germanic Peoples into the Western Empire?
I just listed to this episode of the British History Podcast (which is excellent I might add). During the podcast, the podcaster states that climate change was a major contributor to the Anglo Saxons ...
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2answers
193 views
Were Roman emperors officially considered kings of Egypt?
On this statue of Augustus (image is from Wikipedia), he is depicted wearing the traditional dress of Egyptian pharaohs:
I wonder whether Roman emperors were officially declared kings of Egypt or ...
6
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2answers
280 views
Who proposed the motion that gave Gaius Julius Caesar the title Augustus?
In 27 BC, the Senate gave Gaius Julius Caesar the title Augustus. I am assuming that as the senate gave him that title, the motion must have been proposed by someone at the senate floor. Do we know, ...
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0answers
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What is the origin of Gladiatorial Games?
There are several accounts of Gladiatorial Games being organized during the Roman period, but are there any indications that they existed before the Romans? Please include references.
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What Was the Political Condition of the Region that Encompasses the Modern Russian State in the time of the Roman empire?
What was the political system of the peoples living in what is presently the Russian state during the time of the Roman empire? Also, was there any communication between these peoples and the Roman ...
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1answer
61 views
Was the Byzantine follis larger than the Roman (and why, if yes)?
Today I saw in a museum a row of coins minted by Roman emperors. The last four coins were of the follis kind, belonging to Constantine the Great, Constantius II, Anastasius and Justinian I. .
The ...
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3answers
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Pedophilia in ancient Greek and Roman culture
This question is inspired by an answer to: When did homosexuality become unacceptable in Europe?
I have heard from many people that pedophilia was widely practiced in ancient Greek or Roman cultures. ...
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3answers
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Did the roman conquerors have directives/guidelines to either integrate or assimilate foreign tribes/folks?
It is likely that Romans made no distinction between today's terms integration and assimilation. They did everything that was necessary for the expansion of the Roman empire and worked from ...
4
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1answer
56 views
Were Roman emperors in the first century AD shown as holding stars in their hands?
The New Testament Book of Revelation starts with an image of the exalted Jesus holding several stars in his hand.
I read in a commentary that there were coins at that time which showed Roman emperors ...
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1answer
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What is the origin of the myth of St. Valentine?
There seems to be a story floating around about St. Valentine being martyred for performing weddings. Here's a representative version:
Valentine became famous for marrying couples who were in love ...
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1answer
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What uncertainties and questions surround the death of Attila?
Merriam-Webester's Concise Encyclopedia says
Attila died on his wedding night, possibly murdered by his bride.
What uncertainty does the word possibly imply there about the death of Attila?
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