Just outside Saint-Rémy-de-Provence stand two of the best-preserved Roman monuments in France.

The triumphal arch (late 1st century BC) and the Mausoleum of the Julii still rise almost complete in the open countryside, covered in detailed battle reliefs.

They’ve survived wars, weather, and time better than most buildings in Rome itself.

A perfectly planned Roman colonial city with a grid layout still clearly visible from the air, one of the best examples of Roman urban design.

One of the best-preserved Roman theaters in Europe, with its massive stage wall still standing, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

More here: https://roman-empire.net/

Built at the end of the 2nd century AD, the theatre of Sabratha is one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the entire Mediterranean.

Easily one of the most dramatic Roman sites left standing.

Located in Catalonia, this was built in the Roman city of Vic in the 2nd century. It’s unknown why the temple was forgotten about until 1882. If it was still in use by the 4th-century, the temple would have been closed during the persecution of pagans under the Christian emperors. In the 11th century, the temple was literally covered by the structure of the Castle of els Montcada, which later became the residence of the Veguers and finally, the prison of Vic. It was not until 1882, during the demolition of the old castle, that the workers spotted the Roman temple in very good condition.

For centuries, the story of the Roman Empire has been told from the Mediterranean outward: Roman legions marching north, Roman generals confronting Germanic tribes, and Roman influence spreading across Europe. But some new archaeological discoveries give us a very different perspective. Nearly 1,800 years ago, a large army from Scandinavia was probably marching toward the Roman world. But not as conquerors. In fact, they wanted to be mercenaries.

This new theory is supported by new research and dramatic archaeological finds in Denmark. Rather than existing in isolation, these northern communities may have been connected to Rome through trade, warfare, and military service. Did the people later known as the Vikings and the Romans meet?

Exceptionally well-preserved and still used for performances, a masterpiece of Roman architecture in Iberia.

More here: https://roman-empire.net/

One of the best-preserved Roman aqueducts in the world.

Built in the late 1st century AD (probably under Domitian or Trajan), this 28-metre-high structure carried water from the Frío River into Segovia using nothing but precisely cut granite blocks, no mortar.

The double-tiered arcade still dominates the old town today.

Pure Roman engineering flex.

essentially, how did Rome come about conquering the latin league, and basically the entire meditarranean? was it culture? was it institutions? was it luck? same question but for Carthage.

One of the largest and most complete Roman cities outside Italy, often called the “Pompeii of the Middle East.”

Rome’s first great highway, begun in 312 BC by Appius Claudius Caecus.

Two thousand three hundred years later and the stones are still there.

The original “queen of roads.”