Tag Archives: Roman Empire

Old Roman Specularis Mines

Posted on February 10, 2014 by 100swallows

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

Early Christians and a Conscientious Roman Governor

Posted on March 15, 2011 by 100swallows

Pliny the Younger didn’t know what to do with the Christians. Bust of Trajan (reign 98–117 ), in the Glyptothek, Munich (public domain photo by User:Bibi Saint-Pol) The Emperor Trajan had appointed him governor and sent him to Bithynia in … Continue reading →

Posted in books, history, literature, religion, Romans | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Cicero You Never Knew 2

Posted on May 9, 2010 by 100swallows

Educated Romans knew Greek. It was the language of culture. You needed it to talk about art, literature, philosophy. The greatest ancient poet: Homer, quoted for a thousand years.  Roman copy of a lost Hellenistic original of the 2nd c. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Caesar, Romans | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments