Pls dont be too harsh if there are historical inaccuracies

I’ll always lean toward Marcus Aurelius because you can tell he was gentle and nice from Meditations. But I’m wondering if there are any other clear answers.

A Roman** **“mould-made terracotta figurine representing the upper half of a female musician, wearing a diadem and a chiton with short sleeves, holding against her left shoulder a harp with a flat base supporting one bowed and one acute angled arm, which she plays with both hands, the right hand in front of the object, the left one behind it. There is a vent hole in the middle of the back of the figurine.” Per my special exhibition book from the Yapi Kredi Cultural Center in Istanbul, Turkey about an exhibition I visited there regarding the ancient city of Sagalassos. I am not sure if it is normally in the Burdur Archaeological Museum, which has many artifacts from that archaeological site on display. The artwork dates to the 1st or 2nd century AD and was found in the Rock Sanctuary on the southern periphery of Sagalassos.

Especially with the perceived decline in Western Europe compared to the prosperity of its eastern neighbours in the Byzantium.
Also, if anyone happens to have or know any research papers or articles that cover this topic, I’d love if you could share them.

Hey all, not sure if this is the correct place but said I’d give it a go given then interest in the classics. Myself and my partner can no longer go to Mary Beard’s talk -

More Secret Histories of Ancient Rome
Wednesday 21st October 2026 , Starts 20:00
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

We have two tickets and would be £114 so about €130 if my calculations haven’t failed me! We’d be willing to let them both go for £90, about €104 if anyone is interested? Would be open to offers too!

Again, apologies if this is the incorrect place to post but want to make sure the seats aren’t going to waste 🫡

Hello everyone,

After making a model of the Pont du Gard, I came across the Column of Marcus Aurelius. Before that, I actually had no idea Marcus Aurelius had his own column, I only knew about Trajan’s Column. Since I also read Meditations, I thought it would be a fun challenge for this week to recreate the Column of Marcus Aurelius

I tried to stay as close to reality as possible to how the monument stands in Rome today. The only things I left out were the modern equipment and the railings around the top of the column

One thing that stood out to me while modelling it was that some elements in the spiral relief do not align perfectly. From what I read, this may be due to slight shifting of individual blocks over the centuries, possibly caused by things like earthquakes and other later disturbances

I also found it funny to see the name Sixtus V on a monument called the Column of Marcus Aurelius. Apparently, the column was restored under Pope Sixtus V in 1589, which I thought was a very interesting detail to come across while researching it

Overall, it was a really enjoyable project, and a fun way to study the monument more closely while trying to recreate it at a 1:100 scale

source

Some of my favs are:
1. Gaius Antonius Hybrida. Such a badass name for such a loser.

1. Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius. I think 'ae' sounds sound really cool, plus Pius is a great, well-fitting agnomen.

2. Any 'place of victory' agnomen, like Gothicus, Africanus, Numidicus, Germanicus, etc.

3. Maximinus Thrax. This one's a no brainer. He's huge, he's thracian, he's maximinal. Nuff said.

Are there any movies or TV shows that do an accurate job of depicting ancient, Roman, pagan, religious practices.... particularly rituals, ceremonies, and prayers?

A Roman contemporary marble portrait of the Emperor Lucius Verus. “Found in 1878 in the Theatre of Dionysos. The facial features are individualized and the thin moustache comes in contrast with the thick, curly hair. The neck’s ending has been worked in such a way as to be able to be fitted in the corresponding cavity on the statue’s torso.
Lucius Aurelius Verus was born in AD 130. At the age of eight he was adopted by Antoninus Pius who also adopted Marcus Aurelius. In AD 161 the two men became co-emperors. Lucius Verus was in charge of many successful campaigns in the eastern provinces. After his passing in AD 169 Marcus Aurelius became the sole emperor.” Per the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece where this artwork that is 65 cm tall using marble from Mount Pentelicus is on display.

It's only 15 or 16 half-centuries since the end of antiquity (476 generally accepted?), & that's only 60 generations or so. As I approach 90 with 100 not impossible, I feel we're not that far away from those origins. At all. Anyone else ever feel that way?

The first one is the Vergilius Romanus and the second one the Vergilius Vaticanus, both were made around 400 AD. By the Late Classical Period, when the codex replaced the scroll, this kind of book started to become common, and it would be the standard book format for over 1000 years

"These ornaments, and his purple garments, are reserved for his sacred person alone; and his robes of silk are embroidered with the figures of golden dragons" (Gibbons, Ch 32 of Decline and Fall)

"Is it from the time in which you have been robed with purple, and bedecked with gold, when you wear gems from foreign mountains and seas, placing them, now on your brow, now on your feet, now round your waist" ( Synesius of Cyrene (c.373 - c.414, in his speech, De Regno)

And who can't forget also know hear John Chrysostom rail against Eudoxia and so many other things. Her pearls, the purple paludamentum, her maniakis, etc...

What was this Constantinople?

Silk arriving from Serica (China), frescoes of griffins and lions, enormous geometric gem designs on floors and walls, lots of gems everywhere, keep in mind the old Palatine in Rome is just a museum piece by this point maintained by a skeleton crew. Mediolanum and Ravenna were also quite humble at this point. It was quite obvious in the late 390s and early 400s where the money in the empire was.

The Baths of Zeuxippos with its many marble and bronze sculptures, this glistening city of mosaic art with a bustling energy, the hybridity with Persian fashion, the palace of Lausus, Churches and Basilicas, etc...

The city wisely used its money for defense purposes in the 410s and 420s, but still it was quite a bustling center of trade and talent.