1. Introduction In 63 BCE, a trial took place in Ancient Rome which is still shrouded in mystery. Even in its own time it was extraordinary and controversial, not least because of the strange charges brought against the accused, the prosecutor’s motives, the alleged bias of the judges and the…
The San Pietro in Vincoli is a church on the edge of the Esquiline Hill, just to the north of the famous Colosseum. It does not look much like a church. In fact, if you walk by, you would probably mistake it for some sort of early Renaissance palazzo. The…
The San Luigi dei Francesi is located slightly east of the Piazza Navona and can be found right next to the Palazzo Madama, currently the seat of Italy’s senate, the Senato della Repubblica. The church was built in the sixteenth century and is the national church of France, its primary…
Ik moet bekennen dat ik tot ongeveer een jaar geleden nog nooit van Neutraal Moresnet had gehoord. En ik zal zeker niet de enige zijn. De geschiedenis van dit ministaatje – als het dat al was – behoort bepaald niet tot de Nederlandse canon. Te klein, te onbeduidend, te lang…
By Laurens Dragstra and Taco Groenewegen 1. Introduction If people call Dutch politician Geert Wilders a ‘people’s tribune’, this is unlikely to be meant as a compliment. The word is often used to describe agitators, demagogues and populists, people who are driven by resentment and claim that they – and…
The Santa Maria del Popolo is located on the edge of Rome’s historical city centre (centro storico) and only just within the third century Aurelian Walls. It is right next to the Porta del Popolo, the former Porta Flaminia. The present church was built in the fifteenth century, replacing a…
After discussing three dozen churches in Rome, it is now time to discuss a museum again. The Palazzo Barberini was a pleasant surprise during my visit to the Eternal City back in January of 2017. It is one of two locations of the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, the National Gallery…
The San Bartolomeo has perhaps the best location of all the churches in Rome: it is located on the edge of the Tiber Island. The church is opposite a hospital, the Ospedale Fatebenefratelli[1], and the island has been associated with disease and healing for over 2.300 years, ever since the…
Deze literaire thriller van antropoloog Jeroen Windmeijer (1969) zou je in feite kunnen omschrijven als ‘De Da Vinci Code in Leiden’. De overeenkomsten met het bekende (en beruchte) boek van Dan Brown uit 2003 zijn groot. Een wat sullige geleerde (Peter de Haan) en een sterke vrouw aan zijn zijde…
Summary Carthage fights for survival against rebellious mercenaries and North Africans in the Mercenary War (241-238 BCE); Rome refuses to help the rebels and sends aid to Carthage instead; Hamilcar Barcas defeats the rebels at the Battle of “The Saw” and goes on the quell the entire rebellion (238 BCE);…
Summary Conflicts with Celts and Ligurians; Rebellions on Sardinia and Corsica; The gates of the Temple of Janus are closed for the first time in Roman history (235 BCE); Quintus Fabius Maximus celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Ligurians (233 BCE); The popular assembly adopts a bill tabled…
Summary Illyrians under Queen Teuta start raiding Greek coastal areas. Roman and Italian ships are attacked as well, prompting a Roman intervention (230 BCE); The Romans win an easy victory over the Illyrians during the First Illyrian War (229-228 BCE). The Illyrians were a loose coalition of tribes, who usually…
Summary Hamilcar Barcas is killed in battle in Spain. He is succeeded by his son-in-law Hasdrubal (229 BCE); Hasdrubal founds the city of Carthago Nova (ca. 228 BCE); The number of praetors is increased from two to four (227 BCE); Hasdrubal and Rome sign a treaty, making the river Ebro…
Summary A large army of Boii, Insubres and Gaesatae invades Roman territory and pillages its way to Clusium; The Celtic army defeats a praetor near Faesulae or – more likely – Clusium; The consuls Lucius Aemilius Papus and Gaius Atilius Regulus win a decisive victory over the Celts at Telamon,…
Summary The consuls Quintus Fulvius Flaccus and Titus Manlius Torquatus subjugate the Boii, but the remainder of their campaign is unsuccessful (224 BCE); The consuls Gaius Flaminius and Publius Furius Philus win a decisive victory over the Insubres and are both awarded a triumph (223 BCE); The consul Gnaeus Cornelius…
Summary Gaius Flaminius is elected censor and has the Circus Flaminius and the Via Flaminia built (220 BCE); Rome’s former ally Demetrios of Faros resumes his piratical activities, prompting a Roman campaign against the Illyrians (219 BCE); The Second Illyrian War ends in a decisive Roman victory. The consul Lucius…
The Santa Maria della Vittoria is just a small church, but it is also one of the most lavishly decorated Baroque churches in all of Rome. It is best known for a sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) called the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa. The church and statue play an…
Up until fairly recently I had a love-hate relationship with the church of San Clemente. It is easily one of the most fascinating churches in Rome, a twelfth century basilica built on top of a fourth century basilica that was itself constructed over Ancient Roman buildings dating back to the…
The Santa Costanza is a little gem. Located on the Via Nomentana, just a stone’s throw away from the Sant’Agnese fuori le Mura, it is not frequented much by tourists and I was in fact the only visitor when I first visited the church in January of 2017. The edifice…
There are two churches in Rome dedicated to Saint Agnes, a very popular early fourth-century martyr. The best-known of the two, the Sant’Agnese in Agone, can be found on the Piazza Navona in the historical centre of Rome. This is the site of the ancient Stadium of Domitianus, where according…