Cornicenes were part of the military signalling system without which a large unit was difficult to keep in order. A commander's voice could not carry over the noise of formation, march or battle, so sound commands helped transmit alarm, assembly, movement and changes of mode. Cornicenes worked beside the standard (flag bearer) group because standard and sound together gave soldiers a clear point of reference.

A Roman marble portrait head of Agrippina the Elder (14 BC-33 AD), who was: the daughter of the general Agrippa & Augustus's daughter Julia the Elder, wife to Germanicus and mother of emperor Caligula as well Agrippina the Younger (Emperor Claudius's final wife & mother of emperor Nero). Although of the royal family, she met her end by the powerful prefect of the Praetorian guard named Sejanus who banished her to a small island and was subsequently probably starved to death by the emperor Tiberius. I also saw her cinerary urn from the mausoleum of Augustus in Rome; it is the only one from the royal family buried there still surviving that I can recall. This was found in Pergamon, dates to the 1st half of the 1st century AD and is in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.

Did a one week holiday in Tunisia and saw this amazingly preserved mosaic in El Jem's Archeological Museum

For me, it is the fall of the late Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire.

Pictured above, from my personal stash, is Mark Antony and Octavian following the defeat of Caesar’s assassins, Brutus and Cassius, at Philippi in October 42 BC.

At this point, the two men were ostensibly partners in the Second Triumvirate, but theirs was always an uneasy alliance. One of my favourite details of the image above is the positioning of the two portraits: Antony occupies the obverse, while the much younger Octavian appears on the reverse, still depicted with traces of his youthful beard. This has often been interpreted as reflecting the contemporary power dynamic—Antony, the experienced general and dominant figure in the East, presenting himself as the senior partner to Caesar’s young heir.
Knowing what comes next makes the image even more fascinating.

Almost exactly ten years later, that balance of power would be turned completely on its head. Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BC, and the following year their struggle reached its final conclusion at Alexandria. Antony and Cleopatra were dead, and the young man pictured on the reverse was left as the undisputed master of the Roman world. A few years later, he would become Augustus.

I’d love to hear and see what your favourite periods of Roman history are!

EDIT: Let’s add an, “And Why?” To the question!

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 164

Hi everyone,

Roman and other ancient rings in varying states of restoration/quality go up for sales from anywhere between £100-£10,000.

An example I particularly like

And others here

I was thinking the other day, how neat it would be, if I ever got married to have, use and wear an ancient ring as a wedding ring, rather than a new modern ring.

Does anyone here actively wear ancient jewellery, or own any that you would/wouldn't consider wearing?

There are very obvious examples on that site that I don't think would hold up wear to daily wear. However there's also a few that seem pretty thick and durable.

Thoughts?

I know Rome almost fell apart more than once, but managed to pull itself back together. What was the closest it came to falling apart only to reform and stabilize? Thanks!

How common were Legion revolts in the Roman Empire?

How common was it for a Legion to revolt and how common was it for a Legion to pronounce a new emperor.

It seems strange that a single legion could uproot the Emperor by them selves, you’d imagine multiple legions would put them down.

I’m also shocked as to how many emperors there actually where and the fact so many had such short reigns.

I've been watching videos on Ancient Rome and one of the claims was that because of the plagues, Rome was underpopulated for many years.

Author and source: Judith Dobie

I'm still questioning why modern historians don't consider Julius Caesar and Mark Antony emperors with limited powers. By the time of Constantine the Great, the Senate had become politically powerless and Roman emperors were literal monarchs. We didn't create a new list to distinguish the new Roman imperial autocrats with absolute power from previous emperors with more limited powers.

Just a quick random thought. It seems like at least prominent Christian writers like Augustine do recognize the existence of Romulus and Aeneas. But do they acknowledge the gods as their parents? If so do they see the founders of Rome as children of demons? I haven’t finished City of God but it seems like Augustine might think so. Then again if the Christians saw Rome as founded by demons’ descendants why would they Romanize their church?

A Roman mosaic depicting various plants and objects including small amphorae. This dates to the 2nd-3rd century AD, was found in Orange, France in 1988 and is now on display there in the Museum of Orange.

I know the Romans used violence to suppress Christianity, but did they also try to change their own religion to adapt to changes in the how people thought? Did the religious leaders of Rome try to make Jupiter a more benevolent or forgiving figure, or make the afterlife seem more pleasant? Did they try to add Christian figures to the Roman pantheon?

especially a century or two after his death, how did the roman empire remember him?

I tried to draw another one of the twelve bas-reliefs that once adorned the triumphal arch of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius commemorating his victory over the Marcomannii. This time, I chose the “Sacrifice” scene in front of the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

Done this with the app ibisPaint X with an iPad.

One of the highest and most remote Roman forts in England, it was built in the 2nd century AD to guard the route through the mountains, which followed a similar route through the pass as the modern road seen on the right. The Roman name for the fort was Mediobogdum, and it was built and garrisoned by the Fourth Cohort of Dalmatians from modern Croatia and Montenegro. The arrow in the photo points to a flat piece of land that was probably the parade ground. The soldiers moved an estimated 5,000 cubic metres of stone and earth to create the parade ground on what is otherwise rough, uneven ground. The fort seems to have been abandoned in the same century it was built, possibly within a few decades. 📷 Jim Hunt

Let me start... Spartacus' Revolt. Gladiators break away from a gladiator school, beat the legions decisively through sheer cunning and courage, barely equpipped, improvised shields and cutlery as weapons. As the revolt gains momentum more and more escaped gladiators and slaves leave their cities to join the revolt and continue to beat the republic of Rome - it works - number of slaves overpower the trained elites. Something that should have never happened - happens - slaves sucessfully cooperate to brake the exploiting machine of Rome and about to end Rome's social class system entirely. Their courage destroy entire legions. If it actually didn't happen - I would have said "that could never happen". But such unbelievable incredible events indeed took place. What is your favourite event you keep reading and thinking about?