Category: Roman history
Bibracte (Mont-Beuvray)

Ancient Bibracte was an important fortified settlement (oppidum) of the Gallic tribe of the Aedui. According to the Roman general Gaius Julius Caesar it was their largest and most prosperous city.[1] This city was situated on a mountain called Mont-Beuvray, which reaches a height of over eight hundred metres. People…
Pergola: Museo dei Bronzi Dorati
The Early Republic: Southern Italy in Roman hands (274-264 BCE)
The Early Republic: The war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (part 3; 278-275 BCE)

Before King Pyrrhus of Epirus crossed over to Sicily he reportedly narrowly escaped an attempt on his life. According to his biographer Plutarchus the king’s personal physician had offered the Romans to poison his master in return for a royal reward. The new consul for 278 BCE, Gaius Fabricius Luscinus,…
The Early Republic: The war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (part 2; 280-279 BCE)
The Early Republic: The war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (part 1; 281-280 BCE)
The Early Republic: Prelude to the war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (289-281 BCE)
Constantine the Great: The Years 335-337

In July of the year 335 Constantine celebrated his Tricennalia, i.e. his thirtieth year on the throne. The festivities in honour of this anniversary were obviously held in his new capital, Constantinople. Constantine was the Roman emperor with the longest reign since the great Augustus. It was not until the…
Constantine the Great: The Years 327-335
Constantine the Great: The Years 326-327
Constantine the Great: The Years 324-325

In the spring of 324 Constantine and Licinius were both ready for war. According to Zosimus, Constantine had gathered an army of almost 120,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry, while Licinius commanded almost 150,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry.[1] These numbers may remind us of the battle of Lugdunum, fought in the…
Constantine the Great: The Years 316-323
Constantine the Great: The Years 313-315

In February of the year 313 Constantine and Licinius met in Mediolanum (Milan) in Northern Italy. There the two men formalised the alliance that had already been in effect since 311. Licinius married Constantia, Constantine’s Christian half-sister. The emperors furthermore agreed that Constantine would rule over the western half of…
Constantine the Great: The Years 311-312
Constantine the Great: The Years 306-310

On paper, the Tetrarchy had been an excellent idea: two senior emperors (augusti) and two junior emperors (caesares) would rule over the vast Roman Empire in perfect harmony. When Diocletianus, who had designed the system, and his co-emperor Maximianus abdicated in 305, the system of succession seemed to be working…
Trieste: traces of Antiquity
Diocletianus: The Years 304-305
Diocletianus: The Years 301-303
Diocletianus: The Years 296-300

In the period discussed here, the Crisis of the Third Century seemed like a thing of the distant past. The Tetrarchy functioned well and the four emperors of the Roman Empire won important victories on all fronts. Rebellions were crushed, rebel leaders were eliminated, and after a few initial setbacks…