Ancient Rome
The First Punic War’s Mortal Enemies: The Romans Versus Carthage
By Ludwig H. DyckThe huge gangplank dangled in the air, suspended by a rope and pulley from a massive pole standing upright in the bow of the Roman galley. Read more
Ancient Rome
The Roman Empire, which at times included much of the known world, came into being following the five centuries of the Republican period in the history of Rome. The Roman Empire was founded in 27 B.C. and existed as a unified entity until approximately A.D. 480. During this period, the Roman Empire extended from the Middle East to the British Isles. The Roman Empire is remembered for its influence of language, law, military operations, and culture. The Roman Empire was ruled by a succession of emperors, and a 200-year period of peace that began with the reign of Caesar Augustus is known today as the “Pax Romana.”
Ancient Rome
Roman General Sulla
By Peter L. BoornWhen Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix was governor of Cilicia in 95 bc, he received an embassy from the Parthians. Read more
Ancient Rome
Slaughter at the Battle of Cannae
By Christopher MiskimonLong ranks of Carthaginian infantry stood on a dusty plain a few miles east of the ruined town of Cannae on August 2, 216 bc. Read more
Ancient Rome
Roman Army Pluck at the Battle of Pydna
By Tim MillerWhat began as a polite truce between armies that allowed each to draw water from the same river turned into the battle that would give Greece to Rome. Read more
Ancient Rome
Bloody Clash on the Tiber
By Tim MillerOn October 28, ad 312, a Roman emperor was drowning. The sight must have amazed his soldiers. All summer Rome had been filled with rumors of the western emperor, Constantine, and the ease with which he and his army had crossed the Alps and, once on Italian soil, strung together a handful of victories in the north. Read more
Ancient Rome
The Fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE: A Story of Roman Revenge
By Tim MillerAfter a summer of starvation and siege had been imposed on the city’s people during the fall of Jerusalem, the great Second Temple was finally on fire. Read more
Ancient Rome
The Roman Gladius
By Gabriele EspositoFew weapons in world history have had such great tactical importance as the Roman gladius. To understand the importance this short sword had on the battlefields of antiquity, it is best to start with the Roman historian Livy. Read more
Ancient Rome
Rome Avenged: Hannibal in Italy
By Eric NiderostTwo Generals met in the Fall of 202 BC in a last-ditch attempt to secure a mutually agreeable peace between their respective nations. Read more
Ancient Rome
Havoc in the Teutoburger Forest
By Michael D. GreaneyOne of the most devastating events to shake the early Roman Empire was the defeat of Legate Publius Quinctilius Varus and his army at the hands of Arminius in the Battle of Teutoburgerwald in 9 ad. Read more
Ancient Rome
Roman Disaster at Adrianople
By Alex ZakrzewskiAfter five hours of continuous slaughter, an eerie calm descended on the blood-soaked plain near the Roman city of Adrianople. Read more
Ancient Rome
The Quinquereme in the Carthaginian & Roman Navy
by Marc G. De SantisThe third century BC saw fierce naval competition arise all across the Mediterranean. In the west, the Romans and Carthaginians struggled for control of the sea. Read more
Ancient Rome
Types of Weapons Used by Ancient Greece
by Mike MarkowitzWhen we think “catapult,” we imagine the types of weapons used for hurling rocks, dead plague victims, or unlucky cows against a castle. Read more
Ancient Rome
The Goth Sack of Rome: Barbarians at the Gate in 410 AD
By Ludwig Heinrich DyckThe tattered banners of Hercules fluttered in the howling wind along the Frigidus River in western Italy, hard athwart the Adriatic Sea, on the afternoon of September 6, 394 ad. Read more
Ancient Rome
What Makes Great Commanders Great?
By Richard A. GabrielOf the thousands of commanders who have served in history’s armies, why is it that only a few are remembered as great leaders of men in battle? Read more
Ancient Rome
Scipio and the Spanish Campaign
By Marc G. DesantisThe early years of Rome’s second war with Carthage were some of the darkest the Republic had ever known. Read more
Ancient Rome
Roman Legion: The Reforms of Marius
By Lindsay PowellThe basic unit of the Roman army of the late Republic was the legion, derived from the Latin word legio, meaning “military levy.” Read more
Ancient Rome
The History of War Elephants: From Ancient India to Vietnam
By David IsonImagine a time when human knowledge of elephants was not widespread. Just think how threatening these large animals would be coming over a hillside or out of a mist during battle. Read more
Ancient Rome
Germanicus Cæsar
By Michael D. GreaneyIn ancient Rome, politics and family were inextricably linked. The incestuous nature of the ruling Julio-Claudian dynasty was well embodied by the brief but notable career of Germanicus, who rose to the heights of power, only to be cast down by his own blood kin. Read more
Ancient Rome
How Arminius Deceived the Holy Roman Empire
By William E. WelshWith their proclivity for feats of engineering, the Romans methodically advanced their frontiers. The glory-seeking Roman generals saw a wide river, mountain chain, or expansive swath of desert as a challenge. Read more
Ancient Rome
Roman Generals: Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
By Harold E. Raugh, Jr.Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo was probably born between 4 bc and ad 1. His younger half-sister was first the mistress and then the consort of Gaius Caesar Germanicus, better known as the Emperor Caligula. Read more
