102
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Why didn't Roman emperors have harems?
One key lies in their treatment of illegitimacy, or bastardy. In Roman society, as is typical of the West in general, illegitimate children had no formal link to their fathers. This was true from the ...
- 97.5k
91
votes
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What happened in Rome, when the western empire "fell"?
By 476 the city of Rome had not been the center of the Empire for a long while. Diocletian, picking up the pieces after the crisis of the third century, made a point of snubbing Rome compared to the "...
- 886
87
votes
When did the Roman Empire fall according to contemporaries?
Most people at the time did not think the Roman Empire had fallen -- it's only from five hundred or a thousand years later that we can conclude that it did. Both points of view are reasonable.
What ...
- 7,596
70
votes
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Why was the Council of Nicea held in Nicea rather than Rome or Constantinople?
The First Council of Nicaea was held in 325, five years before Constantinople would be founded. At the time, the capital of the Eastern Empire was Nicomedia, which Constantine conquered in 324. The ...
- 97.5k
52
votes
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Did the Byzantines ever attempt to move their capital to Rome?
No, they did not try to move their capital to Rome, but the Emperor Heraclius at one point--around 620 or so when the war against Persia was going very badly--did consider moving the capital even ...
- 4,244
49
votes
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Why was the Roman Empire considered an empire rather than a kingdom (again)?
This is mainly our modern way to look at it.
In contemporary sources, Octavian/Augustus was just a princeps among the senators of the res publica, who 'by declared intent' had 'restored the republic' ...
- 80.8k
48
votes
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Why did the Romans change Europe's language, but the barbarians didn't?
The short version is "it's complicated!", but I'll try to give a slightly more detailed explanation here.
Rome established a single empire with a single language, currency and laws. This doesn't mean ...
- 77.4k
47
votes
Did the Byzantines ever attempt to move their capital to Rome?
The Early Middle Ages were not kind to Rome, and the long destructive war to recapture it didn't help things. By the time the dust settled, Rome had practically ceased to exist as a major city, with ...
- 118k
42
votes
Why is the late Russian Empire associated with Byzantium while having little in common with it?
I'd say that historically, the ideology in Russia meant it preferred to compare itself to Byzantium, probably similarly to the way you can hear the US is compared to Rome.
This was, and still ...
- 1,180
41
votes
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Did Roman unmarried men have a preferred hand and finger for wearing their seal ring?
Pliny the Elder wrote about wearing finger rings in volume 33 of his Naturalis Historia. He states:
"The worst crime against mankind was committed by him who was the
first to put a ring upon his ...
- 77.4k
32
votes
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Was Hagia Sophia built over a pagan temple?
Going beyond E.B. or Wikipedia:
The official website of the Hagia Sophia Museum (at its former domain, link now dead) stated
The first church [at the H.S. site] was constructed by Emperor Konstantios ...
- 2,466
32
votes
Did Roman unmarried men have a preferred hand and finger for wearing their seal ring?
Pliny the Elder answers the question. The hand part was quoted by @sempaiscuba, here is the finger part:
It was the custom at first to wear rings on a single finger only, the one, namely, that is ...
- 1,537
29
votes
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Did ancient Romans anticipate the fall of Rome?
The literary evidence for Romans anticipating the fall of Rome would seem to be very limited and, at most, indirect. There are, though, references to potential future threats to the empire, but also - ...
- 108k
28
votes
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Why did Roman women have no praenomen?
Short Answer
Although there do not appear to be any ancient sources which specifically address this question, the most likely reason for the disappearance of female praenomen seems to be the absence ...
- 108k
28
votes
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How much did Didius Julianus pay to become emperor of Rome?
Short Answer
Didius Julianus (ruled 28 March to 1 June 193 AD) promised a total of around 200 million sesterces to the Praetorians but apparently did not have sufficient funds to meet this commitment. ...
- 108k
27
votes
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Did the Roman legions wear this type of boots?
These boots are in the calceus style. As such they are quite spot on and accurate for a Roman soldier in colder climates. But not unlike the caligae we stereotypically associate with a legionaire's ...
- 80.8k
27
votes
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How many times did the the sacred fire of Vesta die?
The most (and maybe only) clearly recorded incident was in 206 BC when a novice vestal was whipped for letting the flame go out.
Several historians record an incident that occurred in 206 BCE, in
...
- 108k
25
votes
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Why is the Arch of Titus not considered to be anti-Semitic?
Probably because, unlike many other acts in the ancient eastern Mediterranean (perhaps dating back to the antisemitic attitudes expressed by Manetho in the 3rd century BC), the motivation behind the ...
- 77.4k
25
votes
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Until when was Marseille Greek-speaking?
There is evidence that Greek continued to be used in Massalia (Roman name: Massilia) even during the late empire and the spread of Christianity. To cite one academic source,
...the city preserved its ...
- 108k
24
votes
Was there significant interbreeding between Romans and Native Britons?
The answer to your question is actually to be found in the two articles you have mentioned.
Official figures show that the UK population was 65.6 million in June 2016. A little under 50% of the ...
- 77.4k
24
votes
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What Roman legions were present in London (UK)?
The Roman conquest of Britain was undertaken in 43 CE by four legions:
Legio II Augusta
Legio IX Hispana
Legio XIV Gemina
Legio XX Valeria Victrix
These same legions still comprised the ...
- 72.3k
23
votes
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Did Julius Caesar say: "Africa, I have grabbed you"?
It apparently happened during Caesar's campaign against Scipio and Juba in 47BC, part of the wider Roman Civil War that was fought from 49–45BC. The story was recorded by Suetonius (Life of Julius ...
- 77.4k
23
votes
What is this war machine shown on Trajan's column?
This actually came up in discussion when I was studying the archaeology of Roman Britain.
In fact, as far as I'm aware, nobody knows for certain, but several archaeologists that I have spoken to ...
- 77.4k
22
votes
Accepted
Did the Romans Hold Territory in Ukraine?
The two areas appear to be Olbia and Tyras. They both formed a part of the Roman province of Lower Moesia (or "Moesia Inferior").
It is, perhaps, a little easier to see the detail on this earlier map ...
- 77.4k
22
votes
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Why didn't the Roman Princeps restructure or dismantle the Praetorian Guard?
tl;dr
Why didn't Roman emperors restructure or dismantle the Praetorian Guard?
Several tried. It didn't end well for them. Most paid for the attempt with their lives.
Although most people tend to ...
- 77.4k
22
votes
What Roman legions were present in London (UK)?
Actually, no Roman legions appear to have been based in London.
There was a fort in the north-west of the Roman city, built early in the second century, which could have held a garrison of about ...
- 77.4k
22
votes
Accepted
Seeking floor plan of a classical Roman building with 20 to 30 rooms
There are floor plans both for the House of the Vestals, the House of the Faun in Pompeii, and Fishbourne Palace in England, among others. Unfortunately, many of the floor plans available online do ...
- 108k
20
votes
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What do these terms in Caesar's Gallic Wars mean?
It is, perhaps easier to understand when compared with a map:
image source Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0
Now, Caesar's meaning should be a little more clear. When he says:
"The Belgae rises from the ...
- 77.4k
19
votes
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How long would it take to build 30 miles of Roman road?
Tough to narrow this down, but at least a couple sources make what may be a useful comparison to more recent construction of Scottish military roads in the 1700s.
from The Secret History of the ...
- 38.7k
19
votes
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Why did Pausanias travel to Greece?
Short answer
Pausanias does not clearly outline his aims in his work Periegesis or, if he did, that part of text has been lost. Thus, historians have had to rely on clues in Pausanias' text and what ...
- 108k
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