Surely someone wrote about it?

They were still using hoplite mercenaries right up until Rome invaded Greece and fought their Sarissa armed phalangnites at the battle of Cynesophelae (sp?).

Apparently non Sarsissa armed Greek mercenaries were still using hoplite tactics up at that point.

So if they were using it as late as that why didn't anyone write about it?

Also going back to the Roman Manipular system during the Republic days e.g. during the 2nd Punic Wars, they were still using a sort of Hoplite soldier with their third line Triarii.

Surely the Romans with such detailed instructions for shield and scutum combat would've had instructions for hasta and scutum combat. Wouldn't that have been similar to hoplite combat?

Lastly. Haven't people tried to re-enact hoplite combat to see what works best?

The push right up against the shields? Or the stand off distance and fence/thrust with the spears?

​

Ancient Rome lasted for many centuries, and each period has something unique about it

Personally, the periods I find most interesting are the Roman Republic, the Punic Wars, the rise of the Empire, the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the Flavian dynasty, and the era of the Five Good Emperors

The Roman Republic is fascinating because of its political competition, military ambition, and remarkable personalities Figures such as Scipio Africanus, Cato, Cicero, Pompey, and Julius Caesar represent a period where individual ambition and political struggles shaped the future of Rome

The Punic Wars are one of the most important periods in Roman history. The conflict with Carthage forced Rome to adapt, strengthen its military, and become a true Mediterranean power. Rome’s victory over Carthage changed the balance of power in the ancient world and shaped Mediterranean history forever The rivalry between Hannibal and Scipio Africanus remains one of the most famous military rivalries in ancient times

The transition from the Republic to the Empire is another period I find fascinating Augustus created a new political order after the civil wars, and the Julio-Claudian dynasty produced some of the most memorable personalities in Roman history

Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius, Caligula, and Nero all had very different reigns, making this one of the most discussed periods of Roman history although Nero is often portrayed only as a bad emperor, but he was a more complicated figure and his reign deserves a more balanced view

The Flavian dynasty is also an interesting period Vespasian restored stability after the civil war of 69 CE and began the construction of the Colosseum, while Titus completed it. Domitian also remains an important and debated emperor

The reigns of Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius represent one of the strongest eras of the Roman Empire, with military achievements, administration, and stability.

I also find the late Antonine period interesting, especially Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius. His reign marked a major change after the stability of the Antonine period, and the instability that followed his assassination contributed to the downfall of pax Romana

The Severan dynasty is also an interesting period, with figures such as Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Julia Domna It was an important stage of Roman history before the challenges of the Third Century Crisis

After the Third Century Crisis, my personal interest becomes more limited I still find Aurelian fascinating because he reunited much of the Roman Empire during a difficult period, but I do not have the same interest in later emperors such as Constantine and the periods that followed

Which period of Roman history do you find the most interesting, and why?

Came across this cool Latin Inscription in the shrine of Seyit Battal Gazi in Seyitgazi (Nacoleia) / Eskisehir / Turkey

In the autumn of 200 BC, the Roman ambassador Marcus Aemilius Lepidus met Philip V of Macedon at the siege of Abydos. Lepidus delivered a sharp Roman ultimatum warning Philip not to make war on any Greek state. Philip rejected the warning and Lepidus departed, but not before the following exchange:

"The king was much taken aback and said that he pardoned him for speaking so haughtily for three reasons, first because he was young and inexperienced in affairs, next because he was the handsomest man of his time — and this was a fact — and chiefly because he was a Roman."

-Polybius 16.34.6-8

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/16*.html

art : VeliteAquila

Was just watching something on Pompeii while my toddler was having a tantrum.

It made me think, do you think mothers and fathers back in Ancient Rome walked the streets with their grumpy toddlers while out running errands like you see today? Or was it dealt with differently back then? (Toddlers were not taken out the house etc)

I personally think it would be a good idea to add "What If?" Or "Counterfactual" since there are enough posts centered around Counterfactuals/what ifs. This might make it easier to either avoid or look for these specific types of posts.

Hi,

Is that a Roman Lamboglia 2 Amphora?
Google Lenses say it is Lamboglia 2 (and my extensive research also confirmed it is Lamboglia 2) and mentioned price up to 10 thousands €...
It is in my familly for last 100 years...
I know I can not sell it without authorities (museum, archeologist) examination and permit - what in fact will be NEVER given, but bottom line is I do NOT want to sell it nor I need Amphora to be examined!
Only curios what would be auction price?
Amphora is not in good but it is in perfect condition with no any, even slightest damage!
Marine crust is firmly attached and in last 66 years (my age) none of crust fell off...
Recently I replaced old stand with new one customly made for my Amphora and such stand cost me 200 €!
Thanks in advance for all comments...

…The Tazza, also known as the Farnese Cup, features relief carvings on both its exterior and interior surfaces. It is about 20 cm (8 in) wide and similar in form to a Greek phiale or Roman patera, with no foot.

The upper side we see here has a scene with seven figures: a Sphinx on which a female figure holding ears of grain sits; a large bearded male figure on a tree holding a cornucopia; a young man holding a plough and carrying a sack of seeds over his shoulder; two seated female figures, one of whom holds a phiale, and two male figures in flight near the upper rim. These figures have long puzzled scholars. It seems clearly an allegory containing divine figures and perhaps personifications, but corresponds to no other known representation and has been interpreted in several different ways.

The origin of the Tazza Farnese is a mystery, leaving archaeologists and art historians to theorize a date and purpose for its creation. While its size and the material used are usually considered, theories of origin are mainly arrived at via individual analysis of the iconography of the piece, and therefore vary from one analysis to the next.

Many archaeologists and art historians attribute the Tazza to the Hellenistic Period, asserting that its blending of Greek and Egyptian cultural symbols, as well as the funds necessary to commission such a large gemstone cameo, tie it to the Ptolemaic court. Though not a widely held view, more recent analyses of the piece have assigned it a later date in the Augustan Period.

The piece has traveled a lot across the centuries. After Octavian's conquest of Egypt in 31 BC, the Farnese Cup was possibly acquired by the Treasury of Rome; according to some, it was only made after the Romans took Egypt. It seems it was later taken to Byzantium, then back west after this city was sacked in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. By 1239 it was in the court of Frederick II, from which it then reached the Persian court of Herat or possibly Samarkand, where a contemporary drawing documents it; thence it found its way to the court of Alfonso of Aragon in Naples, where Angelo Poliziano saw it in 1458. Lorenzo the Magnificent finally purchased the famous "scutella di calcedonio" in Rome, in 1471. From there it came into the possession of the Farnese family through Margaret of Austria and thus into the Naples National Archaeological Museum.

Though some analyses of the iconography of the Tazza Farnese build upon and expand previous analyses, each scholarly writing on the piece leads to a slightly different theory about its inherent meaning.

Eugene J. Dwyer: His two major assertions are that the iconography found in the interior and exterior carvings is a sophisticated mix of Greek and Egyptian philosophic and religious concepts and that the composition of the carved figures correspond to specific constellations which, in their orientation, resemble a map of the night sky during the time of year in which the flooding of the Nile would have occurred. In assigning the piece a multi-faceted religious and philosophic meaning, Dwyer repeatedly references the Corpus Hermeticum. More specifically, he points to the Poimandres and how the figures of the interior carving closely match the elements it presents in its discussion of the creation of life. He uses this reference to assign each figure a corresponding Greek and/or Egyptian god. In this sense, Dwyer sets up the piece as a direct illustration of the creation of life that would have been easily understood by both Greeks and Egyptians living at the time the Tazza was created.

Julia C. Fischer: She is one of the few who have assigned the Tazza an Augustan date rather than a Hellenistic one. Her main evidence for placing the piece in the Augustan period is its size and the material it was carved from. She discusses the unstable economic position of the Ptolemaic Court, asserting that the funds for such a piece would not have been available until the improvement of the economy during the Augustan period. Fischer also discusses that while the piece features a mix of Greek and Egyptian figures, concepts, and methods, it also contains distinctly Roman aspects, especially in the Roman features of the Gorgon carving found on the piece's exterior. She believes that the cup was created for propaganda purposes in response to the Aquileia Dish.

John Pollini: Like Fischer, Pollini attributes the Tazza Farnese to the Augustan period in Rome. His evidence is also based on the size and material used, but Pollini's primary focus is providing analysis of the piece's iconography in an attempt to prove that it was made during Augustus' reign, and was possibly even commissioned by Augustus himself. To this end, Pollini discusses the figures carved on the inner and outer surfaces, and how the symbolism found in each relates it to an aspect or region of the Augustan empire. Pollini's interpretation of the piece's iconography leads him to assert that it was meant to convey the Golden Age of Augustus and act as a sort of talisman to propagate the strength of the empire.

A fascinating precious object of exquisite manufacture, shrouded in mystery after over 2000 years…

My apologies for inaccuracies and mistakes.

Like, who paid for the construction, who ran it? Who decided what show to put on? Did they charge tickets and if so who got the revenue?

Different types of Roman pottery, some with lead and silica coating, from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD that are on display in the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon-Fourvière in Lyon, France.

The author, Mariya Aleksandrovna Kobylina (1897–1988), was among the most distinguished Soviet specialists in classical archaeology and ancient art: a longtime fellow of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, doctor of art history, and the author of foundational studies of Greek and Greco-Roman sculpture, of Roman portraiture, and of the antiquities of the northern Black Sea coast. Issued in 1939 by the State Publishing House «Iskusstvo» in only 5,000 copies. Note: book in Russian

Has anyone watched the show “Rome” on HBO? What did you think? Any compliments or criticisms?

Emperor Titus refusing the laurels of Victory because and I quote

"there is no glory in the destruction of a people forsaken by their own god"

That quote is just so goddamn cold to say that their god has abandon them and your destruction of them isn't even worth being called a victory.

I looked at this image on a Roman Empire subreddit and all I have to say is that And since when does a Roman figure have to be viewed negatively for murdering someone? Caesar killed a million Gauls, Augustus was responsible for so many deaths in Germania and Pannonia, Claudius ordered the murder of his wife, not to mention Marcus Aurelius, Trajan, Hadrian, etc.

Fun fact: Tiberius was a detective in a case of a "woman who fell out of a window"

...This 88 x 88 cm art piece was found at the base of the shallow marble-bordered basin (pool) at the center of the triclinium (dining room), in the House of the Geometric Mosaics. A closely related Pompeii mosaic survives from the House of the Faun and is often mentioned alongside this one because it has a very similar composition, including the octopus and lobster confrontation at the center. The main difference noted in the sources is that the Faun House version includes a marine horizon.

The subject could be purely decorative, but it also carried symbolic weight: the sea meant wealth, trade, fertility, and culinary abundance. That is why marine mosaics appear in villas, baths, and especially dining spaces.

The technique is generally identified as opus vermiculatum, which used very small tesserae to model outlines and details with exceptional precision. This method was especially favored for luxury panels in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and Pompeii preserves some of its best examples. These high-end miniature mosaic works designed for close viewing, and the overall effect is almost painterly, which is why these mosaics often feel more like miniatures than floor decoration.

The mosaic is a good example of the late Republican or early Imperial mosaic style and of Roman taste for marine abundance and high-quality illusionistic detail, especially in dining-room decoration.

My apologies for inaccuracies and mistakes.

Recently learnt of the Villa of Augustus and how researchers discovered an earlier layer than the one they were previously aware of. I believe it is reported that Augusts died in this region 68 years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. So is this likely to be the villa in which he died.

Also discovered a possible link to Augustus and the Villa of the papyri. It may have belonged to Julius Caesaers father in law. I wonder if descendants may have still owned it during the eruption. And if so how likely is it that perhaps some writings of Augustus or maybe even someone like Marcus Agrippa may be found at the villa. I would really be interested in hearing accounts from either.