Tag Archives: Rome

The Cicero You Never Knew

Posted on December 10, 2015 by 100swallows

Name me a great Roman. Julius Caesar. Good.  Name me another one. Um.  Some gladiator—no, I know: Pontius Pilate. And Cicero?  Do you know what one scholar says about him? “The influence of Cicero upon the history of European literature … Continue reading →

Posted in 1, books, Caesar, history, Romans, toga | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

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