Portugal: Santarém

Santarém is de hoofdstad van het gelijknamige district in de provincie Ribatejo in centraal Portugal. Een grote stad is het niet: er wonen ongeveer 30.000 mensen. Niettemin heeft Santarém veel interessante monumenten en is de stad daarom beslist een bezoek waard. U moet er alleen niet op maandagen of dinsdagen…

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Filibuster in Antiquity

‘Filibustering’ refers to politicians holding endless speeches in parliament, touching upon all sorts of issues that are more or less off topic. The sole intention is to prevent the debate from being closed so that a vote can be called. As far as I know, we find the oldest known…

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Portugal: Santarém

Santarém is the capital of the Santarém District in the Ribatejo region in central Portugal. It is by no means a large city, with a population of about 30.000. Yet it has many interesting monuments and is definitely worth a visit. Just do not go there on a Monday or…

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Book review: Antony and Cleopatra

Adrian Goldsworthy (1969) is primarily known for his authoritative publications on the Roman army. A few years ago, he switched to Roman history in general, with a special interest in political history. Since then, Goldsworthy has written a superb biography of Gaius Julius Caesar, Caesar: The Life of a Colossus…

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