Category Archives: archaeology

Scipio Takes Command

Posted on February 16, 2017 by

Scipio was the man who finally beat Hannibal on the battlefield. Bronze bust of Scipio Africanus in the the Naples National Archaeological Museum (Inv. No. 5634), dated mid 1st century BC, from the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, modern … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, books, Hannibal, history, Romans, Scipio Africanus, Spain, warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Caesar’s Greatest Battle

Posted on September 24, 2014 by

The most exciting thing in Caesar’s Commentaries? Commentarii de Bello Gallico, an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul (public domain photo) The battle of Alesia. What is so exciting about it? Caesar was … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, Caesar, history, Romans, war, warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Great Roman Engineering

Posted on August 11, 2014 by

One of the most impressive Roman constructions you will ever see is the aqueduct of Segovia, Spain. Aqueduct of Segovia (file photo) It still brings good water down from the mountains fifteen kilometers away. For most of that distance the … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, engineering, history, Romans, Spain | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Una carta auténtica de un soldado romano

Posted on July 30, 2014 by

Escrita en el siglo II por un joven llamado Apión, natural de un pueblo de Egipto. Se alistó en el ejército romano en Alejandría y se subió a un gran buque-transporte de tropas, que zarpó rumbo a Italia. El barco … Continue reading →

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Numantia–or Don’t Mess with Rome

Posted on July 25, 2014 by

The Roman Empire was a nice package of countries and peoples. But what happened if you didn’t want to become part of it? The native Spaniards of a little town called Numantia decided that they were damned if they would … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeology, books, Numancia, Romans, Spain, travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Old Roman Specularis Mines

Posted on February 10, 2014 by

Spain used to be a kind of Eldorado. It was fabulously rich in minerals. Rome and Carthage both financied their wars with Spanish gold and silver. Roman gold mine of Las Medulas, Leon, Spain    GNFD photo by Rafael Ibez … Continue reading →

Posted in 1, archaeology, engineering, mines, mining, Romans, Spain | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Spanish Pompeii?

Posted on August 17, 2013 by

Sort of. At least it was a real Roman city with all the fixings and it was buried and lost to history for a thousand years. The difference is that Pompeii was covered up all at once by volcanic dust … Continue reading →

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