THEDAILYEAGLE

“For who could keep his hands off Libya, or Carthage, when that city got within his reach, a city which Agathocles, slipping stealthily out of Syracuse and crossing the sea with a few ships, narrowly missed taking?” Plutarch

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2026-04-03 23:47:08 UTC

🔘 THE BELOVED CLAUDIUS
“But in adding to his own dignity he was modest and unassuming, refraining from taking the forename Imperator, refusing excessive honours, and passing over the betrothal of his daughter and the birthday of a grandson in silence and with merely private ceremonies. He recalled no one from exile except with the approval of the senate. He obtained from the members as a favour the privilege of bringing into the House with him the prefect of the praetorian guard and the tribunes of the soldiers, and the ratification of the judicial acts of his agents in the provinces. He asked the consuls for permission to hold fairs on his private estates. He often appeared as one of the advisers at cases tried before the magistrates; and when they gave games, he also arose with the rest of the audience and showed his respect by acclamations and applause. When the tribunes of the commons appeared before him as he sat upon the tribunal, he apologised to them because for lack of room he could not hear them unless they stood up.”
“By such conduct he won so much love and devotion in a short time, that when it was reported that he had been waylaid and killed on a journey to Ostia, the people were horror stricken and with dreadful execrations continued to assail the soldiers as traitors, and the senate as murderers, until finally one or two men, and later several, were brought forward upon the rostra by the magistrates and assured the people that Claudius was safe and on his way to the city.”
Suetonius
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2026-04-03 23:43:02 UTC

🔵 TWIN RULE
“And now, after they had assumed the imperial power, the two emperors acted in so democratic a manner that no one missed the lenient ways of Pius; for though Marullus, a writer of farces of the time, irritated them by his jests, he yet went unpunished. They gave funeral games for their father. And Marcus abandoned himself to philosophy, at the same time cultivating the good-will of the citizens. But now to interrupt the emperor's happiness and repose, there came the first flood of the Tiber — the severest one of their time — which ruined many houses in the city, drowned a great number of animals, and caused a most severe famine; all these disasters Marcus and Verus relieved by their own personal care and aid. At this time, moreover, came the Parthian war, which Vologaesus planned under Pius and declared under Marcus and Verus, after the rout of Attidius Cornelianus, than governor of Syria. And besides this, war was threatening in Britain, and the Chatti had burst into Germany and Raetia. Against the Britons Calpurnius Agricola was sent; against the Chatti, Aufidius Victorinus. But to the Parthian war, with the consent of the senate, Marcus despatched his brother Verus, while he himself remained at Rome, where conditions demanded the presence of an emperor. Nevertheless, he accompanied Verus as far as Capua, honouring him with a retinue of friends from the senate and appointing also all his chiefs-of‑staff.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/59b8df56bccd148d3fdcf99cbec9f690857f575c9292e75185cebdfa4a5250e0.jpg

2026-04-01 20:35:52 UTC

🟣 SLINGERS OF IBIZA
“And it is on account of the fertility of these regions that the inhabitants are peaceable, as is also the case with the people on the island of Ebusus. But merely because a few criminals among them had formed partnerships with the pirates of the high seas, they were all cast into disrepute, and an over-seaexpedition was made against them by Metellus, surnamed Balearicus, who is the man that founded their cities. On account of the same fertility of their islands, however, the inhabitants are ever the object of plots, albeit they are peaceable; still they are spoken of as the best of slingers.”
“And their training in the use of slings used to be such, from childhood up, that they would not so much as give bread to their children unless they first hit it with the sling. This is why Metellus, when he was approaching the islands from the sea, stretched hides above the decks as a protection against the slings. And he brought thither as colonists three thousand of the Romans who were in Iberia.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/efb9523879b31069a99867886f8c81517e5eebaaff383bd83c2093a9a35cd30e.jpg

2026-03-31 22:10:23 UTC

⚪️ HORRIBLE VIEW
“The soul of man partakes of the divine nature; sometimes it can predict the future, and by using natural images it can foresee what is going to occur. This is what happened to women of Pinna, who lamented their misfortune before it happened to them. The Italians led the children of the people of Pinna to the foot of the walls of the city, and threatened to kill them if they did not abandon their alliance with Rome. But the people of Pinna were prepared to suffer terribly, and replied : "If you deprive us of our children, we will produce some more easily, as long as we remain faithful to the Romans." These Italians, despairing of taking the city by persuasion, performed an act of great cruelty. They brought the children up to the walls, and ordered those who were about to die to implore the mercy of their fathers, and to raise their hands to heaven, begging the sun, which oversees the life of all men, to save their innocent lives. The inhabitants of the city of Pinna fell into most dreadful calamities on account of their constant fidelity to the Romans; for, being obstinately resolved not to desert the Romans, they were forced to put aside any sense of natural affection, and watch their children being slaughtered before their eyes.”
Diodorus Siculus
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2026-03-31 22:09:25 UTC

🟢 INCENTIVES
“The same Pyrrhus, among many other precepts on the art of war, recommended never to press relentlessly on the heels of an enemy in flight — not merely in order to prevent the enemy from resisting too furiously in consequence of necessity, but also to make him more inclined to withdraw another time, knowing that the victor would not strive to destroy him when in flight.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
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2026-03-30 01:02:17 UTC

⚫️ EVENTS IN MESOPOTAMIA
“Trajan learned of this at Babylon; for he had gone there both because of its fame — though he saw nothing but mounds and stones and ruins to justify this — and because of Alexander, to whose spirit he offered sacrifice in the room where he had died. When he learned of the revolt, he sent Lusius and Maximus against the rebels. The latter was defeated in battle and perished; but Lusius, in addition to many other successes, recovered Nisibis, and besieged and captured Edessa, which he sacked and burned. Seleucia was also captured by Erucius Clarus and Julius Alexander, lieutenants, and was burned. Trajan, fearing that the Parthians, too, might begin a revolt, desired to give them a king of their own. Accordingly, when he came to Ctesiphon, he called together in a great plain all the Romans and likewise all the Parthians that were there at the time; then he mounted a lofty platform, and after describing in grandiloquent language what he had accomplished, he appointed Parthamaspates king over the Parthians and set the diadem upon his head.”
Cassius Dio
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2026-03-28 19:33:57 UTC

🟡 POENA CULLEI
"Poena cullei" was a Roman form of capital punishment, specifically reserved for those convicted of parricide. It involved sewing the condemned person into a leather sack, along with live animals such as a dog, rooster, snake, and monkey, and then throwing the sack into water, causing them to drown. This punishment was considered exceptionally dishonorable and severe, reflecting the Roman abhorrence of killing close relatives. The practice is documented in Roman legal history, though its usage varied over time, and similar practices appeared in later periods, such as medieval Germany.
https://blossom.primal.net/d33f08682f76c27998e89cc7a40e17c76df6dac11552344f947345bf93c68516.jpg

2026-03-28 16:26:03 UTC

About time.
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2026-03-28 16:23:13 UTC

🟤 PLINY THE ELDER ON CHINESE SILK
supplied through the Parthians in the 1st century BC, the Romans thought silk was obtained from trees:
“The Seres (Chinese), are famous for the woolen substance obtained from their forests; after a soaking in water they comb off the white down of the leaves... So manifold is the labor employed, and so distant is the region of the globe drawn upon, to enable the Roman maiden to flaunt transparent clothing in public.”
-(Pliny the Elder (23- 79, The Natural History)
https://blossom.primal.net/3c6ea33fc2d58a1f41c623217579572657d489a2edb0467766d2da2744beb6be.jpg

2026-03-26 21:39:53 UTC

🔶 ATHENIAN VS ROMAN GLORY
“The acts of the Athenians, in my judgment, were indeed great and glorious enough, but nevertheless somewhat less important than fame represents them. But because Athens produced writers of exceptional talent,⁠ the exploits of the men of Athens are heralded throughout the world as unsurpassed. Thus the merit of those who did the deeds is rated as high as brilliant minds have been able to exalt the deeds themselves by words of praise. But the Roman people never had that advantage, since their ablest men were always most engaged with affairs; their minds were never employed apart from their bodies; the best citizen preferred action to words, and thought that his own brave deeds should be lauded by others rather than that theirs should be recounted by him.”
Sallust
https://blossom.primal.net/108545f8e3c7f8c79c5e9d75058b4b2cc6b410ca21a5ac9a17eb19b0dff7dfeb.jpg

2026-03-26 11:57:22 UTC

🔺REVISIONS
“At first the Romans used the large round shield called the clipeus, afterwards, when the soldiers received pay, the smaller oblong shield called the scutum was adopted. The phalanx formation, similar to the Macedonian of the earlier days, was abandoned in favour of the distribution into companies (manipuli).”
“When the battle formation of the army was completed, the hastati were the first to engage. If they failed to repulse the enemy, they slowly retired through the intervals between the companies of the principes who then took up the fight, the hastati following in their rear. The triarii, meantime, were resting on one knee under their standards, their shields over their shoulders and their spears planted on the ground with the points upwards, giving them the appearance of a bristling palisade. If the principes were also unsuccessful, they slowly retired to the triarii, which has given rise to the proverbial saying, when people are in great difficulty "matters have come down to the triarii." When the triarii had admitted the hastati and principes through the intervals separating their companies they rose from their kneeling posture and instantly closing their companies up they blocked all passage through them and in one compact mass fell on the enemy as the last hope of the army. The enemy who had followed up the others as though they had defeated them, saw with dread a now and larger army rising apparently out of the earth.”
Livy
Interesting video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OWAkNNWo920&t=
https://blossom.primal.net/89d5f318e46a39ce8f5027a09954492408509db787a5f9754dd4fee8da551136.jpg

2026-03-25 12:47:51 UTC

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2026-03-24 22:42:18 UTC

- reply

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2026-03-24 21:57:20 UTC

🔘 CLAUDIUS BEFORE BEING EMPEROR
“But all this did not save him from constant insults; for if he came to dinner a little after the appointed time, he took his place with difficulty and only after making the round of the dining-room. Whenever he went to sleep after dinner, which was a habit of his, he was pelted with the stones of olives and dates, and sometimes he was awakened by the jesters with a whip or cane, in pretended sport. They used also to put slippers on his hands as he lay snoring, so that when he was suddenly aroused he might rub his face with them.”
Suetonius
https://blossom.primal.net/56f026f74cc8c17d964b667ce0a77cd36c32fee32ffda6868c486c4044736bba.jpg

2026-03-24 21:56:27 UTC

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2026-03-24 21:37:25 UTC

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you
who once laid low the nations!”
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2026-03-24 21:29:27 UTC

🔵 THE STOIC EMPEROR
“He studied philosophy with ardour, even as a youth. For when he was twelve years old he adopted the dress and, a little later, the hardiness of a philosopher, pursuing his studies clad in a rough Greek cloak and sleeping on the ground; at his mother's solicitation, however, he reluctantly consented to sleep on a couch strewn with skins. He received instruction, furthermore, from the teacher of that Commodus who was destined later to be a kinsman of his, namely Apollonius of Chalcedon, the Stoic;
and such was his ardour for this school of philosophy, that even after he became a member of the imperial family, he still went to Apollonius' residence for instruction. In addition, he attended the lectures of Sextus of Chaeronea, the nephew of Plutarch, and of Junius Rusticus, Claudius Maximus, and Cinna Catulus, all Stoics. He also attended the lectures of Claudius Severus, an adherent of the Peripatetic school, but he received most instruction from Junius Rusticus, whom he ever revered and whose disciple he became, a man esteemed in both private and public life, and exceedingly well acquainted with the Stoic system, with whom Marcus shared all his counsels both public and private, whom he greeted with a kiss prior to the prefects of the guard, whom he even appointed consul for a second term, and whom after his death he asked the senate to honour with statues. On his teachers in general, moreover, he conferred great honours, for he even kept golden statues of them in his chapel, and made it a custom to show respect for their tombs by personal visits and by offerings of sacrifices and flowers. He studied jurisprudence as well, in which he heard Lucius Volusius Maecianus, and so much work and labour did he devote to his studies that he impaired his health — the only fault to be found with his entire childhood. He attended also the public schools of rhetoricians. Of his fellow-pupils he was particularly fond of Seius Fuscianus and Aufidius Victorinus, of the senatorial order, and Baebius Longus and Calenus, of the equestrian. He was very generous to these men, so generous, in fact, that on those whom he could not advance to public office on account of their station in life, he bestowed riches.”
Historia Augusta
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2026-03-24 21:28:20 UTC

Of all the sins I have struggled with, I found rage and sexual sin to be the most distructive.
Thank you for all the blessings in my life, Lord Jesus Christ.

2026-03-24 21:25:59 UTC

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2026-03-24 21:24:39 UTC

Breaking: I have been told that in the end, Jesus wins! ✝️

2026-03-24 21:23:29 UTC

🟣 NASTY CUSTOMS
“there is also that custom, barbarous and exotic, which attends most of the northern tribes — I mean the fact that when they depart from the battle they hang the heads of their enemies from the necks of their horses, and, when they have brought them home, nail the spectacle to the entrances of their homes. At any rate, Poseidonius says that he himself saw this spectacle in many places, and that, although at first he loathed it, afterwards, through his familiarity with it, he could bear it calmly. The heads of enemies of high repute, however, they used to embalm in cedar-oil and exhibit to strangers, and they would not deign to give them back even for a ransom of an equal weight of gold. But the Romans put a stop to these customs, as well as to all those connected with the sacrifices and divinations that are opposed to our usages. They used to strike a human being, whom they had devoted to death, in the back with a sabre, and then divine from his death-struggle. But they would not sacrifice without the Druids. We are told of still other kinds of human sacrifices; for example, they would shoot victims to death with arrows, or impale them in the temples, or, having devised a colossus of straw and wood, throw into the colossus cattle and wild animals of all sorts and human beings, and then make a burnt-offering of the whole thing.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/62efd0e907ac5c8264256bf30faf848126b05630f98c41e339dbf1dc7587f4cb.jpg

2026-03-23 20:00:44 UTC

⚪️ YES
“Marius led his army into the plain of the Samnites, and encamped in front of the enemy. Pompaedius, who had been invested with the chief command of the Marsi, also advanced with his troops. As the two armies approached one another, their warlike attitude changed into a peaceful mood. When they came into sight, the soldiers of each army recognized many of their hosts, their comrades, and finally many of those with whom they were bound by family ties. Natural sympathy therefore drove them to exchange kind words; they called each other by their names, and exhorted them not to defile themselves with the murder of their kinsmen. Putting aside their panoplies, which they held ready to fight, they stretched out their right hands, and cordially embraced. Marius, when he saw this happening, also left the ranks; Pompaedius did the same, and the two leaders talked amicably. While these leaders were talking at length about peace and citizenship, both sides were filled with joy and hope, and instead of a battle, there was the appearance of a festival. By appropriate words the (?) commanders encouraged a peaceful conclusion, and they all gladly abstained from bloodshed and fighting.”
Diodorus Siculus
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2026-03-23 19:59:52 UTC

🟢 TRASIMENE
“At Trasimenus, when the Romans had been enveloped and were fighting with the greatest fury, Hannibal opened up his ranks and gave them an opportunity of escape, whereupon, as they fled, he overwhelmed them without loss of his own troops.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
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2026-03-20 09:17:02 UTC

2026-03-20 09:16:50 UTC

⚫️ REASSAMBLING BOATS IN MESOPOTAMIA
“And since the region near the Tigris is bare of timber suitable for building ships, he brought his boats, which had been constructed in the forests around Nisibis, to the river on waggons; for they had been built in such a way that they could be taken apart and put together again. He had great difficulty in bridging the stream opposite the Gordyaean mountains, as the barbarians had taken their stand on the opposite bank and tried to hinder him. But Trajan had a great abundance of both ships and soldiers, and so some vessels were fastened together with great speed while others lay moored in front of them having heavy infantry and archers board, and still others kept making dashes this way and that, as if they intended to cross. In consequence of these tactics and because of their very consternation at seeing so many ships appear all at once out of a land destitute of trees, the barbarians gave way. And the Romans crossed over and gained possession of the whole of Adiabene. This is a district of Assyria in the vicinity of Ninus; and Arbela and Gaugamela, near which places Alexander conquered Darius, are also in this same country. Adiabene, accordingly, has also been called Atyria in the language of the barbarians, the double S being changed to T.”
Cassius Dio
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2026-03-20 09:15:44 UTC

🟡 “THE MAGNITUDE OF THE STRUGGLE”
“Now it was the purpose of the Romans to sail across to Libya and transfer the war there, in order that the Carthaginians might find the danger affecting themselves and their own country rather than Sicily. But the Carthaginians were determined to prevent this. They knew that Libya was easily invaded, and that the invaders if they once effected a landing would meet with little resistance from the inhabitants; and they therefore made up their minds not to allow it, and were eager rather to bring the matter to a decisive issue by a battle at sea. The one side was determined to cross, the other to prevent their crossing; and their enthusiastic rivalry gave promise of a desperate struggle. The preparations of the Romans were made to suit either contingency, an engagement at sea or a disembarkation on the enemy's soil. Accordingly they picked out the best hands from the land army and divided the whole force which they meant to take on board into four divisions. Each division had alternative titles; the first was called the "First Legion" or the "First Squadron,"—and so on with the others. The fourth had a third title besides. They were called "Triarii," on the analogy of land armies. The total number of men thus making up the naval force amounted to nearly one hundred and forty thousand, reckoning each ship as carrying three hundred rowers and one hundred and twenty soldiers. The Carthaginans, on the other hand, made their preparations almost exclusively with a view to a naval engagement. Their numbers, if we reckon by the number of their ships, were over one hundred and fifty thousand men. The mere recital of these figures must, I should imagine, strike any one with astonishment at the magnitude of the struggle, and the vast resources of the contending states. An actual view of them itself could hardly be more impressive than the bare statement of the number of men and ships.”
Polybius, histories
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2026-03-16 20:59:05 UTC

🟤 GAN YING’S JOURNEY
Gan Ying was a Chinese diplomat and explorer who lived during the Han Dynasty. He is best known for his attempted journey to the Roman Empire in 97 CE.
Gan Ying's mission was initiated by the Chinese general Ban Chao, who sought to establish diplomatic relations with the Roman Empire. Ban Chao believed that such a relationship would benefit both empires, particularly in trade and cultural exchange.
Gan Ying embarked on his journey westward, traveling along the Silk Road. He reached Parthia, an empire that controlled much of the trade routes between China and the West. In Parthia, he was discouraged from continuing his journey to Rome.
The Parthians, fearing that closer ties between China and Rome would disrupt their own trade dominance, misled Gan Ying, telling him that the sea voyage to Rome was long and perilous.
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2026-03-15 13:36:31 UTC

🔶 MARKING BREAD
The Romans used bread stamps to mark their loaves. In Roman cities, many people didn't have their own ovens and would take their prepared dough to communal or commercial bakeries to be baked. To ensure they got their own bread back, or to identify the baker in case of issues (like a short loaf or poor quality), they would press a stamp into the dough before it went into the oven.
These stamps could bear the baker's name, a family mark, or even symbols.
The importance of bread in Roman society, particularly with the state distribution of grain (later bread) to citizens, meant that quality and accountability were significant.
Photo: Carbonized bread from the city of Pompeii or Herculaneum.
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2026-03-13 22:25:23 UTC

🔺 THE SUB-CENTURION
“A force of equal size used to be supplied by the Latins, now, however, they were hostile to Rome. The two armies were drawn up in the same formation, and they knew that if the maniples kept their order they would have to fight, not only vexilla with vexilla, hastati with hastati, principes with principes, but even centurion with centurion. There were amongst the triarii two centurions, one in each army - the Roman, possessing but little bodily strength but an energetic and experienced soldier, the Latin, a man of enormous strength and a splendid fighter - very well known to each other because they had always served in the same company. The Roman, distrusting his own strength, had obtained the consuls' permission before leaving Rome to choose his own sub-centurion to protect him from the man who was destined to be his enemy. This youth, finding himself face to face with the Latin centurion, gained a victory over him.”
Livy
The Latin War (340-338 BC) was fought between the Roman Republic and its former allies in the Latin League who desired independence from Roman dominance. Rome won, dissolving the League and solidifying its control over Latium.
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2026-03-13 20:24:28 UTC

🔘 THE FORTUNATE PRINCEPS
“What then? Caesar's son, who was the first to be styled Augustus, and who ruled for fifty-four years, when he was sending forth his grandson to war, did he not pray to the goddess to bestow upon the young man the courage of Scipio, the popularity of Pompey, and his own Fortune, thus recording Fortune as the creator of himself, quite as though he were inscribing the artist's name on a great monument? For it was Fortune that imposed him upon Cicero, Lepidus, Pansa, Hirtius, and Mark Antony, and by their displays of valour, their deeds, victories, fleets, wars, armies, raised him on high to be the first of Roman citizens; and she cast down these men, through whom he had mounted, and left him to rule alone.
It was, in fact, for him that Cicero governed the State, that Lepidus commanded armies, that Pansa conquered, that Hirtius fell, that Antony played the wanton.
For I reckon even Cleopatra as a part of Caesar's Fortune, on whom, as on a reef, even so great a commander as Antony was wrecked and crushed that Caesar might rule alone. The tale is told of Caesar and Antony that, when there was much familiarity and intimacy between them, they often devoted their leisure to a game of ball or dice or even to fights of pet birds, such as quails or cocks; and Antony always retired from the field defeated. It is further related that one of his friends, who prided himself on his knowledge of divination, was often wont to speak freely to him and admonish him,
"Sir, what business have you with this youth? Avoid him! Your repute is greater, you are older, you govern more men, you have fought in wars, you excel in experience; but your Guardian Spirit fears this man's Spirit. Your Fortune is mighty by herself, but abases herself before his. Unless you keep far away from him, your Fortune will depart and go over to him!”
Plutarch
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2026-03-13 19:11:14 UTC

🔵 PESCENNIUS NIGER
“Pescennius Niger, then, was born of humble parentage, according to some, of noble, according to others. His father was Annius Fuscus, his mother Lampridia. His grandfather was the supervisor of Aquinum, the town to which the family sought to trace its origin, though the fact is even now considered doubtful. As for Pescennius himself, he was passably well versed in literature, thrifty in his habits, and unbridled in indulgence in every manner of passion. For a long time he commanded in the ranks, and finally, after holding many generalships, he reached the point where Commodus named him to command the armies in Syria, chiefly on the recommendation of the athlete who afterward strangled Commodus; for so, at that time, were all appointments made.
And now, after he learned that Commodus had been murdered, that Julianus had been declared emperor, and then, by order of Severus and the senate, put to death, and that Albinus, furthermore, had assumed in Gaul the name and power of emperor, Pescennius was hailed imperatorby the armies he commanded in Syria;— though more out of aversion to Julianus, some say, than in rivalry of Severus.
Even before this, during the first days of Julianus' reign, because of the dislike felt for the Emperor, Pescennius was so favoured at Rome, that even the senators, who hated Severus also, prayed for his success, while with showers of stones and general execrations the commons shouted "May the gods preserve him as Emperor, and him as Augustus". For the mob hated Julianus because the soldiers had slain Pertinax and declared Julianus emperor contrary to their wishes; and there was violent rioting on this account.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/2f26315d2604d978fea088ac63811b53971585b1e8515338ef6e9f3306b823c3.jpg

2026-03-13 19:10:15 UTC

🟣 THREE SETS OF MEN
Among all the Gallic peoples, generally speaking, there are three sets of men who are held in exceptional honour; the Bards, the Vates and the Druids. The Bards are singers and poets; the Vates, diviners and natural philosophers; while the Druids, in addition to natural philosophy, study also moral philosophy. The Druids are considered the most just of men, and on this account they are entrusted with the decision, not only of the private disputes, but of the public disputes as well; so that, in former times, they even arbitrated cases of war and made the opponents stop when they were about to line up for battle, and the murder cases, in particular, had been turned over to them for decision. Further, when there is a big yield from these cases, there is forthcoming a big yield from the land too, as they think. However, not only the Druids, but others as well, say that men's souls, and also the universe, are indestructible, although both fire and water will at some time or other prevail over them.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/f99ea7544537a0cacaba238970388d2649824ed3be0b9634ba2c0a5d6c381bc5.jpg

2026-03-11 13:47:21 UTC

⚪️ THE VIRTUE OF THE PROCONSUL OF ASIA
“Quintus Scaevola used his utmost endeavour to reform other men's corrupt manners by his own virtuous example. For when he was sent as proconsul to Asia, he chose Quintus Rutilius, the worthiest of his friends, to be his legate, and always took his advice in the government of his province, and in making of laws. All the costs and expenses both of himself and his retinue he ordered to be defrayed out of his own purse; and by his moderation and frugality, together with his just and upright dealings, he freed the province from its former miseries and oppressions. For the proconsuls of Asia before him had conspired with the publicans (tax collectors), who at that time controlled the administration of justice at Rome, and they oppressed the whole province with their illegal exactions.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/a3f29a7f54da4a88aa7110722d048f2c63b3fd203d39e5549ca1c18e21424024.png

2026-03-11 13:46:06 UTC

🟢 NEW TESTAMENT CENSUS
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
Luke 2. 1-5 NKJV
https://blossom.primal.net/5a2d63f20cfff7a04a6871052b386008caf2a7d2e1c2586f78257b0af5789675.jpg

2026-03-10 14:39:58 UTC

⚫️ FRIENDSHIP
“When Licinius Sura died, Trajan bestowed upon him a public funeral and a statue. This man had attained to such a degree of wealth and pride that he had built a gymnasium for the Romans; yet so great was the friendship and confidence which he showed toward Trajan and Trajan toward him, that, although he was often slandered, — as naturally happens in the case of all those who possess any influence with the emperors, — Trajan never felt any suspicion or hatred toward him. On the contrary, when those who envied Sura became very insistent, the emperor went uninvited to his house to dinner, and having dismissed his whole body-guard, he first called Sura's physician and caused him to anoint his eyes, and then his barber, whom he caused to shave his chin (for the emperors themselves as well as all the rest used to follow this ancient practice; it was Hadrian who first set the fashion of wearing a beard); and after doing all this, he next took a bath and had dinner. Then on the following day he said to his friends who were constantly in the habit of making disparaging remarks about Sura: "If Sura had desired to kill me, he would have killed me yesterday."
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/3c664adb9772e4b61082c437d7d5fce624feed6ab120437b58d933259826c145.png

2026-03-10 14:36:34 UTC

🟡 DON’T CELEBRATE TO EARLY
“As for Gaius Duilius, he no sooner heard of the disaster which had befallen the commander of the navy than handing over his legions to the military Tribunes he transferred himself to the fleet. There he learnt that the enemy was plundering the territory of Mylae, and at once sailed to attack him with the whole fleet. No sooner did the Carthaginians sight him than with joy and alacrity they put to sea with a hundred and thirty sail, feeling supreme contempt for the Roman ignorance of seamanship. Accordingly they all sailed with their prows directed straight at their enemy: they did not think the engagement worth even the trouble of ranging their ships in any order, but advanced as though to seize a booty exposed for their acceptance. Their commander was that same Hannibal who had withdrawn his forces from Agrigentum by a secret night movement, and he was on board a galley with seven banks of oars which had once belonged to King Pyrrhus. When they neared the enemy, and saw the "crows" raised aloft on the prows of the several ships, the Carthaginians were for a time in a state of perplexity; for they were quite strangers to such contrivances as these engines. Feeling, however, a complete contempt for their opponents, those on board the ships that were in the van of the squadron charged without flinching. But as soon as they came to close quarters their ships were invariably tightly grappled by these machines; the enemy boarded by means of the "crows," and engaged them on their decks; and in the end some of the Carthaginians were cut down, while others surrendered in bewildered terror at the battle in which they found themselves engaged, which eventually became exactly like a land fight.”
Polybius, histories
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2026-03-09 14:19:55 UTC

“and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”
https://blossom.primal.net/cd9308c358cd16c770c52b58b466547432111f8a07e952a13ef5ad743965f9cb.jpg

2026-03-09 12:25:42 UTC

“and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”
https://blossom.primal.net/cd9308c358cd16c770c52b58b466547432111f8a07e952a13ef5ad743965f9cb.jpg

2026-03-08 16:41:32 UTC

🔶 THE JUGURTHINE WAR ENDS, THE CIMBRIAN WAR CONTINUES
105 BC?
“When day came and he was told that Jugurtha was not far off, he proceeded with a few friends and the Roman quaestor⁠ to a mound in full sight of those who were in ambush, as if he were honouring Jugurtha by going to meet him. Jugurtha came to the same place unarmed and with only a few followers, as had been agreed, and immediately on a given signal those who were in concealment rushed upon him from all sides at once. His companions were killed; the king himself was bound and delivered to Sulla, who took him to Marius.”
“At this same time our generals Quintus Caepio and Gnaeus Manlius were defeated by the Gauls⁠ and terror at this had made all Italy tremble. The Romans of that time and even down to our own day believed that all else was easy for their valour, but that with the Gauls they fought for life and not for glory. But when it was announced that the war in Numidia was ended and that Jugurtha was being brought captive to Rome, Marius was made consul in his absence and Gaul was assigned him as his province. On the Kalends of January⁠ he entered upon his office and celebrated a triumph of great magnificence. At that time the hopes and welfare of our country were in his hands.”
Sallust
https://blossom.primal.net/e004e229a5130237e123e8ba2a396b0a9f658efb798286d1cfa755fd261fc733.png

2026-03-08 16:40:41 UTC

🔺 SINGLE COMBAT DURING THE LATIN WAR 340-338 BC
“Geminus rode forward a short distance and said: "Are you willing, before the day comes when you are to set your armies in motion for so great an effort, to have a meeting with me that the result of our single combat may show how much a Latin horseman is superior to a Roman?" Either urged on by anger or feeling ashamed to decline the contest, or dragged on by the irresistible power of destiny, the high-spirited youth forgot the consul's edict and the obedience due to a father and rushed headlong into a contest in which victory or defeat were alike fatal. The rest of the cavalry retired to remain spectators of the fray; the two combatants selected a clear space over which they charged each other at full gallop with levelled spears. Manlius' lance passed above his adversary's helmet, Maecius' across the neck of the other's horse. They wheeled their horses round, and Manlius standing in his stirrups was the first to get in a second stroke; he thrust his lance between the horse's ears. Feeling the wound the horse reared, shook its head violently, and threw its rider off. Whilst he was trying to rise after his heavy fall by supporting himself with his lance and shield, Manlius drove his lance right through his body and pinned him to the earth. After despoiling the body he returned to his men, and amidst their exulting shouts entered the camp and went straight to his father at the headquarters' tent, not in the least realising the nature of his deed or its possible consequences, whether praise or punishment. "That all may say, my father," he said, "that I am a true scion of your blood, I bring to you these equestrian spoils taken from a dead enemy who challenged me to single combat." On hearing this the consul turned away from his son and ordered the trumpet to sound the Assembly.”
Livy
https://blossom.primal.net/d63de548f7f2ee2cf0646d432e7ceb9eea82365942e0d2780ac29c66db22a878.gif

2026-03-05 19:54:16 UTC

🔘 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCTAVIAN AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT
“He learned that Alexander, having completed nearly all his conquests by the time he was thirty-two years old, was at an utter loss to know what he should do during the rest of his life, whereat Augustus expressed his surprise that Alexander did not regard it as a greater risk to set in order the empire which he had won than to win it.”
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
https://blossom.primal.net/00bb1e06665c18515a6a0be51526fa2bc09c0acd179a16822ed7eeac06cb2399.png

2026-03-05 19:53:01 UTC

🔵 CLODIUS ALBINUS
“As soon as he came of age he entered military service, and by the aid of Lollius Serenus, Baebius Maecianus and Ceionius Postumianus, all his kinsmen, he gained the notice of the Antonines. In the capacity of a tribune he commanded a troop of Dalmatian horse; he also commanded soldiers of the First and the Fourth legions. At the time of Avidius' revolt he loyally held the Bithynian army to its allegiance. Next, Commodus transferred him to Gaul; and here he routed the tribes from over the Rhine and made his name illustrious among both Romans and barbarians. This aroused Commodus' interest, and he offered Albinus the name of Caesar and the privilege, too, of giving the soldiers a present and wearing the scarlet cloak. But all these offers Albinus wisely refused, for Commodus, he said, was only looking for a man who would perish with him, or whom he could reasonably put to death. The duty of holding the quaestorship was in his case remitted. This requirement waived, he became aedile, but after a term of only ten days he was despatched in haste to the army. Next, he served his praetorship under Commodus, and a very famous one it was. For at his games Commodus, it is said, gave gladiatorial combats in both the Forum and the theatre. And finally Severus made him consul at the time when he purposed to make him and Pescennius his successors.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/c2f3e421adac3a8099fbebb33e45e47d1a8c9b2f39c5310b94fd32ea630ed66f.jpg

2026-03-05 19:49:18 UTC

- reply

Paul Washer is the best, as always.

2026-03-04 07:44:40 UTC

🟣 THE GAULS OF BELGIUM
instead of tunics they wear slit tunics that have sleeves and reach as far as their private parts and the buttocks. The wool of their sheep, from which they weave the coarse "sagi" (which they call "laenae"), is not only rough, but also flocky at the surface; the Romans, however, even in the most northerly parts raise skin-clothed flocks with wool that is sufficiently fine. The Gallic armour is commensurate with the large size of their bodies: a long sabre, which hangs along the right side, and a long oblong shield, and spears in proportion, and a "madaris," a special kind of javelin. But some of them also use bows and slings. There is also a certain wooden instrument resembling the "grosphus" (it is hurled by hand, not by thong, and ranges even farther than an arrow), which they use particularly for the purposes of bird-hunting. Most of them, even to the present time, sleep on the ground, and eat their meals seated on beds of straw. Food they have in very great quantities, along with milk and flesh of all sorts, but particularly the flesh of hogs, both fresh and salted. Their hogs run wild, and they are of exceptional height, boldness, and swiftness; at any rate, it is dangerous for one unfamiliar with their ways to approach them, and likewise, also, for a wolf. As for their houses, which are large and dome-shaped, they make them of planks and wicker, throwing up over them quantities of thatch. And their flocks of sheep and herds of swine are so very large that they supply an abundance of the "sagi" and the salt-meat, not only to Rome, but to most parts of Italy as well. The greater number of their governments used to be aristocratic — although in the olden time only one leader was chosen, annually; and so, likewise, for war, only one man was declared general by the common people. But now they give heed, for the most part, to the commands of the Romans.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/abe89557fa0e18604a09f2577665325f501adb37e9617a95a4d89d63b8d9ceca.jpg

2026-03-04 07:43:44 UTC

⚪️ MARCUS CATO SPEAKS
“Marcus Cato, a wise man and distinguished by the purity of his morals, spoke in the senate against the luxury that invaded Rome. "Only in this this city," he exclaimed, "does a pot of salted Pontic fish fetch a higher price than a pair of oxen, and a catamite cost more than a slave."
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/ae7ddf47f66124faf5a88321a2cc09cebb56f2ca0fab32e71c6b9dfe5845ee49.png

2026-03-03 07:57:39 UTC

🟢 AMBUSH IN SYRIA
“Gaius Cassius, when fighting in Syria against the Parthians and their leader Osaces, exhibited only cavalry in front, but had posted infantry in hiding on rough ground in the rear. Then, when his cavalry fell back and retreated over familiar roads, he drew the army of the Parthians into the ambush prepared for them and cut them to pieces.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/9bac2454c9b885c34793aa506894eadd5c35c0956bec3d3d41d008cbbf08a384.png

2026-03-03 07:54:58 UTC

2026-03-02 20:39:58 UTC

It’s March again and that means campaigning season!
https://blossom.primal.net/af539499f71610f1e825b5ac725db0181e9c8eaa4859bb93480f306f321d78d0.jpg

2026-03-01 13:39:52 UTC

Went for a walk.
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https://blossom.primal.net/eaa1483da8ab7210028152f7bad579c0e93da7aa3c5b5ae6e389eeb1abda030b.jpg
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https://blossom.primal.net/a5ad6e52fc6481fa355922f7517acfe839d569bc3fb6ae9e8dd77ce9e8d1203f.jpg
https://blossom.primal.net/599ad2e20d9652a0e4c3f6966819ed717d38fbf1f462bd3cc4fe71d08a444fe1.jpg

2026-03-01 12:42:26 UTC

Went for a walk.
https://blossom.primal.net/a5ad6e52fc6481fa355922f7517acfe839d569bc3fb6ae9e8dd77ce9e8d1203f.jpg

2026-03-01 10:30:14 UTC

🤯 BREAKING: with Hasmonean support the Roman empire has struck deep in into Parthia, the Parthian Shahanshah died in the chaos.
https://blossom.primal.net/0a10fe88eb504c4a8f3ebd15f1805b94509e0684fb06a360774e36f399f332e1.jpg

2026-03-01 10:23:52 UTC

⚫️ A COURAGEOUS HORSEMAN
“Trajan, having crossed the Ister by means of the bridge, conducted the war with safe prudence rather than with haste, and eventually, after a hard struggle, vanquished the Dacians. In the course of the campaign he himself performed many deeds of good generalship and bravery, and his troops ran many risks and displayed great prowess on his behalf. It was here that a certain horseman, after being carried, badly wounded, from the battle in the hope that he could be healed, when he found that he could not recover, rushed from his tent (for his injury had not yet reached his heart) and, taking his place once more in the line, perished after displaying great feats of valour. Decebalus, when his capital and all his territory had been occupied and he was himself in danger of being captured, committed suicide; and his head was brought to Rome. In this way Dacia became subject to the Romans, and Trajan founded cities there.”
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/f8804c9d72e064253c26f92a076bc9428d3f09027dc35914d573cd40c06be9b8.jpg

2026-03-01 10:21:50 UTC

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me

2026-02-28 23:35:50 UTC

https://blossom.primal.net/4101ba15108e9f33603f8264e2eed3c51b74f59e527382f5ed6c1227db7e1260.jpg

2026-02-28 23:30:30 UTC

https://blossom.primal.net/823a3ca3552cac8c423c77744c72f1044d0359eb0a02942e710e2b63b32ed221.jpg

2026-02-28 23:23:58 UTC

🟡 “NO WARSHIPS AT ALL”
“Their shipbuilders were entirely unacquainted with the construction of quinqueremes, because no one in Italy had at that time employed vessels of that description. There could be no more signal proof of the courage, or rather the extraordinary audacity of the Roman enterprise. Not only had they no resources for it of reasonable sufficiency; but without any resources for it at all, and without having ever entertained an idea of naval war,— for it was the first time they had thought of it,—they nevertheless handled the enterprise with such extraordinary audacity, that, without so much as a preliminary trial, they took upon themselves there and then to meet the Carthaginians at sea, on which they had for generations held undisputed supremacy. Proof of what I say, and of their surprising audacity, may be found in this. When they first took in hand to send troops across to Messene they not only had no decked vessels but no war-ships at all, not so much as a single galley: but they borrowed quinqueremes and triremes from Tarentum and Locri, and even from Elea and Neapolis; and having thus collected a fleet, boldly sent their men across upon it.”
“It was on this occasion that, the Carthaginians having put to sea in the Strait to attack them, a decked vessel of theirs charged so furiously that it ran aground, and falling into the hands of the Romans served them as a model on which they constructed their whole fleet. And if this had not happened it is clear that they would have been completely hindered from carrying out their design by want of constructive knowledge.”
Polybius, histories
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2026-02-28 23:21:32 UTC

🟤 THE 8TH LEGION
The Legio VIII Augusta, or the Eighth Augustan Legion was founded by Julius Caesar himself during his conquest of Gaul in 59 BC.
Witnessing Caesar's rise to power, the legion fought alongside him in battles like Pharsalus and Philippi.
Throughout its history, Legio VIII Augusta served in various corners of the Roman Empire. From the shores of Britain to the banks of the Rhine.
It is believed that the legion eventually disbanded during the tumultuous period of the Western Roman Empire's decline.
https://blossom.primal.net/a64241dc2738eb6594e1099b1c5c1f66eddbea220df2b87879c81a92e812f949.jpg

2026-02-26 21:01:27 UTC

🔶 SULLA ENTERS THE JUGURTHINE WAR
“Now Sulla, as I have already said, after he came with his cavalry to Africa and the camp of Marius, although he was without previous experience and untrained in war, soon became the best soldier in the whole army. Moreover, he was courteous in his language to the soldiers, granted favours to many at their request and to others of his own accord, unwilling himself to accept favours and paying them more promptly than a debt of money. He himself never asked for payment, but rather strove to have as many men as possible in his debt. He talked in jest or earnest⁠ with the humblest, was often with them at their work, on the march, and on guard duty, but in the meantime did not, like those who are actuated by depraved ambition, try to undermine the reputation of the consul or of any good man. His only effort was not to suffer anyone to outdo him in counsel or in action, and as a matter of fact he surpassed almost all. Such being his character and conduct, he was soon greatly beloved by both Marius and the soldiers.”
Sallust
https://blossom.primal.net/c48020952a1ca1980f73b635d732c63856a14382ebe4cc891d312652a9b79bc3.jpg

2026-02-26 11:56:55 UTC

🔺UNCLE OF ALEXANDER, GREAT UNCLE OF PHYRRUS
“It was in this year (341 B.C.), it appears, that Alexander, King of Epirus, landed in Italy, and there is no doubt that had he been fairly successful at first that war would have extended to Rome. This, too, was about the time of the achievements of Alexander the Great, the son of this man's sister, who, after proving himself invincible in another region of the globe, was cut off, whilst a young man, by disease.” Livy, Book 8: The First Samnite War and Settlement of Latium - (341 - 321 B.C.)
Alexander was born as the first son of Neoptolemus, the king of the Molossians, one of the greatest tribes in Epirus.
Around 334 or 333 BC, the Greek city of Tarentum, in southern Italy, was in conflict with the Bruttian people. Seeking aid, they turned to Alexander I of Epirus.
He arrived in Italy with an army and fought against the Bruttians and Lucanians. He captured several cities and established alliances with some local communities, such as Metapontum and the Peucetians. Some historical accounts even suggest a potential alliance with Rome.
Near the city of Pandosia in 331 BC, his forces suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of the Italic tribes. It was during this battle that Alexander I of Epirus met his end.
https://blossom.primal.net/abd5dfdc72def70be5d06cca717bee8d7150cb08df01029188ab018a0b2f4f14.gif

2026-02-26 09:20:09 UTC

🔘 LOVE FOR ROME
“After he had captured Numantia and celebrated his second triumph, he had a falling out with Gaius Gracchus in regard to the Senate and the allies; and the people, feeling much aggrieved, set out to shout him down on the rostra.
But he said, "The battle-cry of armed hosts has never discomfited me, and much less that of a rabble of whom I know full well that Italy is not their real mother, but their stepmother."
When the men about Gracchus cried out, "Kill the tyrant," he said, "Very naturally those who feel hostile towards our country wish to make away with me first; for it is not possible for Rome to fall while Scipio stands, nor for Scipio to live when Rome has fallen."
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
https://blossom.primal.net/0dbaff6228e1a0cd57397dfc3beb9545e9922b3c513a263f4d6d5fc9e44e61ca.png

2026-02-25 22:44:56 UTC

🔵 THE BOY EMPEROR FROM EMESA, SYRIA
“Now when Macrinus had been slain and also his son Diadumenianus, who had been given an equal share of the power and also the name Antoninus, the imperial office was bestowed upon Varius Elagabalus, solely because he was reputed to be the son of Bassianus. As a matter of fact, he was the priest of Elagabalus (sometimes called Jupiter, or the Sun), and had merely assumed the name Antoninus in order to prove his descent or else because he had learned that this name was so dear to mankind that for its sake even the parricide Bassianus had been greatly beloved. Originally, he had the name Varius, but later he was called Elagabalus because he was priest of this god — whom he afterwards brought with him from Syria to Rome, founding a temple for him on the site of an earlier shrine of Orcus. Finally, when he received the imperial power, he took the name Antoninus and was the last of the Antonines to rule the Roman Empire.”
“In fact, he asserted that all gods were merely the servants of his god, calling some its chamberlains, others its slaves, and others its attendants for divers purposes. And he planned to carry off from their respective temples the stones which are said to be divine, among them the emblem of Diana, from its holy place at Laodicea, where it had been dedicated by Orestes.”
“Elagabalus also sacrificed human victims, and for this purpose he collected from the whole of Italy children of noble birth and beautiful appearance, whose fathers and mothers were alive, intending, I suppose, that the sorrow, if suffered by two parents, should be all the greater. Finally, he kept about him every kind of magician and had them perform daily sacrifices, himself urging them on and giving thanks to the gods because he found them to be well-disposed to these men; and all the while he would examine the children's vitals and torture the victims after the manner of his own native rites.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/b638b1f2f5c29334c9c1f25d4d6a4a8ad354a5eab7361086d8266bcb25e5a7db.jpg

2026-02-24 22:55:11 UTC

🟣 EASY TO MANIPULATE
“The whole race which is now called both "Gallic" and "Galatic" is war-mad, and both high-spirited and quick for battle, although otherwise simple and not ill-mannered. And therefore, if roused, they come together all at once for the struggle, both openly and without circumspection, so that for those who wish to defeat them by stratagem they become easy to deal with (in fact, irritate them when, where, or by what chance pretext you please, and you have them ready to risk their lives, with nothing to help them in the struggle but might and daring); whereas, if coaxed, they so easily yield to considerations of utility that they lay hold, not only of training in general, but of language-studies as well.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/99630330f6764d878afb842ebc955edc094380a5b53a9d697ee63491fd2608ab.png

2026-02-23 19:09:39 UTC

⚪️ THE MARSIC WAR
Or: the social war. 91-87 BC (roman territory in red color).
“Ever since human actions have been recorded for eternal memory in history, the greatest war known to us is the Marsic War, named after the Marsi. This war, indeed, surpassed all those that preceded it, both in the bravery of the leaders and in the greatness of their exploits.”
“fate, which seemed deliberately to provoke discord among these peoples, unleashed a war that surpassed all others in its proportions. The people of Italy, who were always considered the bravest, were torn apart by internal factions, and rebelled against the authority of Rome. Then there arose this immense war, which was called the Marsic War after the name of the Marsi who were the leaders of the rebellion.”
“There were engaged against them in this war the Samnites, the people of Asculum, the Lucanians, the Picentes, the people of Nola, and other cities and nations; amongst which was Corfinium, a large and famous city, recently established as the capital city of the Italians.”
“At this time Quintus Pompaedius Silo, a Marsian, (a person of the highest repute in his country), and Gaius Aponius Motylus, a Samnite, likewise famous for his noble acts above the rest of his own nation, were chosen consuls. They divided all Italy into two parts, and took each an equal share for the execution of their consular authority.”
“Having put all things into this good order, and, to sum up, having ordered all things according to the ancient model of the Roman government, they threw themselves more intently and earnestly into the prosecution of the war, and called the city itself Italia. And they were so successful, that they for the most part came off as victors, until Gnaeus Pompeius was made consul and commander in the war, who with Sulla, the general of Cato the other consul, often routed them, and reduced them to such straits, that at length their power was shattered to bits.”
“And now the Romans prevailed every day more and more against their enemies; so that the Italians sent envoys to Mithridates king of Pontus, who had then an excellent and well appointed army, to entreat him to march into Italy with his army, to oppose the Romans; by which means, they told him, the Roman power could easily be broken. Mithridates answered, that he would march into Italy as soon as he had subdued Asia, the task in which he was currently engaged. The rebels being therefore frustrated in their hopes of immediateassistance, and of supplies of money, were greatly disheartened: for there were but a few of the Samnites remaining, together with the Sabelli at Nola, and also Lamponius and Clepitius, who commanded what were left of the Lucanians.”
“they left part of their army to maintain the siege, and fiercely assaulted Rhegium, in the expectation, that if they gained this place, they might with ease transport their army into Sicily, and so become masters of the richest island under the sun. But Gaius Norbanus, the governor of Sicily, so overawed the Italians with the greatness of his army and his vast preparations, that they drew off from the siege; and so the Rhegians were freed from danger. And afterwards, when the civil war broke out between Marius and Sulla, some of the Italians sided with Marius, and the rest with Sulla, and most of them were killed in the war; and all those who survived, joined the conqueror Sulla. And thus, at the same time as the civil war, ended the greatest of all wars, the Marsic war.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/5a4892cf5d946fdd9b72c31c918a371fba77442c112fc236f152c33f179d369a.png

2026-02-23 19:07:17 UTC

🟢 TO BRIBE OR NOT TO BRIBE
“Fulvius Nobilior, deeming it necessary to fight with a small force against a large army of the Samnites who were flushed with success, pretended that one legion of the enemy had been bribed by him to turn traitor; and to strengthen belief in this story, he commanded the tribunes, the "first rank," and the centurions to contribute all the ready money they had, or any gold and silver, in order that the price might be paid the traitors at once. He promised that, when victory was achieved, he would give generous presents besides to those who contributed for this purpose. This assurance brought such ardour and confidence to the Romans that they straightway opened battle and won a glorious victory.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/859f20da7600625cd39ef27f028f2627f74428f5ae89540f675a5c0a9cc9ae89.jpg

2026-02-23 01:31:34 UTC

https://blossom.primal.net/96bedb436b736fcd41c60012b498fe0e02891540e60d63dfb4f606638481e17d.png

2026-02-22 15:19:51 UTC

⚫️ NERVA ADOPTS TRAJAN
“Casperius Aelianus, who had become commander of the Praetorians under him as he had been under Domitian, incited the soldiers to mutiny against him, after having induced them to demand certain persons for execution. Nerva resisted them stoutly, even to the point of baring his collar-bone and presenting to them his throat; but he accomplished nothing, and those whom Aelianus wished were put out of the way. Nerva, therefore, finding himself held in such contempt by reason of his old age, ascended the Capitol and said in a loud voice: "May good success attend the Roman senate and people and myself. I hereby adopt Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajan."
Afterwards in the senate he appointed him Caesar and sent a message to him written with his own hand (Trajan was governor of Germany):
“May the Danaans by thy shafts requite my tears."
Thus Trajan became Caesar and later emperor, although there were relatives of Nerva living. But Nerva did not esteem family relationship above the safety of the State, nor was he less inclined to adopt Trajan because the latter was a Spaniard instead of an Italian or Italot, inasmuch as no foreigner had previously held the Roman sovereignty; for he believed in looking at a man's ability rather than at his nationality. Soon after this act he passed away, having ruled one year, four months and nine days; his life prior to that time had comprised sixty-five years, ten months and ten days.”
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/9426e4305b791c1518c465805d5a55ca0ffec6853b8826285cde81ec3e56a575.png

2026-02-22 15:19:02 UTC

🟡 CEASAR IN AFRIKA
“Labienus rode bare-headed up and down the front line, encouraging his own men the while and occasionally accosting Caesar's legionaries in such terms as these: What are you up to, recruit? Quite the dashing little fellow, aren't you?
Have all of you too been made fools of by that fellow's words? So help me, it's a very dangerous situation he has driven you into. I feel sorry for you.' 'I'm not a recruit, Labienus,' replied one soldier, 'but a veteran of the Tenth legion." To this Labienus retorted: 'I don't recognise the standards of the Tenth.' Then said the soldier:
'You'll soon see what I'm made of.' As he spoke the words he flung the helmet from his head so that the other could recognise him and, thus uncovered, brandished his heavy javelin with all his force, as he aimed it at Labienus: then plunging it violently full in the horse's chest he said: 'That will teach you, Labienus, that it's a soldier of the Tenth who is attacking you.' All the troops, however, were demoralised, particularly the recruits, for they kept looking round for Caesar and contented themselves with dodging the enemy javelins.”
https://blossom.primal.net/f9c733fcc210e62680a9e2d2c7c61362172fc641bbc14da87578d79243aed532.jpg

2026-02-22 15:18:19 UTC

🟤 THOUSAND YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Philip the Arab, Roman Emperor from 244 to 249 AD, presided over Rome's one thousandth anniversary. In 248 AD, he orchestrated a grand celebration known as the Ludi Saeculares, a series of rare and infrequent games held to commemorate significant periods in Roman history, often associated with the passing of a "saeculum," a period of 100 or 110 years.
The Ludi Saeculares were not ordinary games. They were rooted in Roman religion, involving elaborate rituals and sacrifices to appease the gods and ensure the continued prosperity and longevity of the Roman state.
These festivities were a spectacle of imperial power, showcasing the Emperor's authority and his commitment to the well-being of the Roman people. They included a wide array of public entertainment: chariot races, gladiatorial combats, theatrical performances, plays, pantomimes, musical performances, and lavish public feasts and distributions of food and wine for the Roman populace. Elaborate processions featuring priests, officials, and citizens paraded through the streets, offering sacrifices and prayers.
https://blossom.primal.net/67622d28e2251c127718bc872f9487a8e56a54f84c05732f785419c88d088c82.png

2026-02-18 22:50:49 UTC

🔶 THE CITY OF LEPTIS MAGNA
“The town of Lepcis was founded by Sidonians, who are reported to have left their homes because of civil discord and come to that region in ships. It lies between the two Syrtes, which derive their name from their nature; for they are two bays situated almost at the extreme end of Africa,⁠ of unequal size but alike in character. Near the shore the water is very deep, elsewhere it is sometimes deep and sometimes shoal, just as it happens;⁠ for when the breeze causes the sea to swell and rage, the waves sweep along mud, sand, and great rocks, so that the aspect of the place changes with the winds. From this "sweeping"⁠ the Syrtes get their name.”
“Only the speech of this city has been affected by intermarriage with the Numidians; its laws and customs are for the most part Sidonian, and these the inhabitants retained the more easily because they passed their life at a distance from the Numidian capital. For between them and the thickly settled part of Numidia lay an extensive desert.”
Sallust
https://blossom.primal.net/59084164b492cbc0f6089654d3de35a9341e06e50f371a95c5c1fd609405d4e2.png

2026-02-18 22:27:06 UTC

Say hello to my little fren!!
https://blossom.primal.net/2e583a02e0ff3cf45fc1bc80f25dc17c2776b055c456ff9cafbc3a154cb9425e.jpg

2026-02-18 22:24:49 UTC

Yes.
https://blossom.primal.net/d92bb4fbd18ab98f1dadc99207eb91f207dd27d97cae56b70450b27b32bc04ca.jpg

2026-02-17 23:33:31 UTC

🔺 THE TRIBULUS
The tribulus, or caltrop, was a simple yet effective anti-personnel weapon made of iron or wood with sharp spikes arranged so one always pointed up.
Romans used them to hinder enemy troops, especially cavalry and chariots, by injuring feet and hooves. Easy to deploy defensively or offensively, they created battlefield chaos.
Called "murex ferreus" (jagged iron) by Romans, the name "tribulus" comes from Greek for "three spikes," though Roman versions usually had four.
They are even being used in modern times.
“Ukraine Drops Ancient Roman Weapons From Drones To Stop Russian Trucks” -Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2024/04/12/ukraine-teams-ancient-and-modern-weapons-to-stop-russian-trucks/
https://blossom.primal.net/e21bcc4e50d25556940c82d2ee96e872623162b6af214c63750d6f7e95a5ff40.jpg

2026-02-17 23:24:28 UTC

- reply

Good for you Joe! 🫡

2026-02-17 23:18:02 UTC

🔘 THE YOUNGER SCIPIO MOCKS PTOLEMY PHYSCON
“He was sent out by the Senate a third time as an inspector of cities, peoples, and kings; And when he arrived at Alexandria and, after disembarking, was walking with his toga covering his head, the Alexandrians quickly surrounded him, and insisted that he uncover and show his face to their yearning eyes. And so he uncovered amid shouting and applause. The king could hardly keep up with them in walking because of his inactive life and his pampering of his body, and Scipio whispered softly to Panaetius, "Already the Alexandrians have received some benefit from our visit. For it is owing to us that they have seen their king walk."
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
https://blossom.primal.net/2ea91506d6514f47a2e022ddd012075b5828604e7555e2768cd421ced9222f5a.jpg

2026-02-17 23:16:27 UTC

I made things today.
https://blossom.primal.net/3bdeca06ca807fc86e7e204612775e915043e0b43002ec2fd976b61ca61f2c7d.jpg

2026-02-16 21:56:38 UTC

🔵 PROPHECY ABOUT THE LAST SEVERAN
“Alexander's contempt for death is clearly shown both by the intrepid spirit with which he always put down the soldiery, and also by the following incident. When Thrasybulus the astrologer, with whom he was on the most friendly terms, told him that it was his destiny to fall by the sword of a barbarian, he first expressed his joy, thinking that he was fated to die in battle in a manner worthy of an emperor; then, speaking at length he pointed out that all the noblest men had died a violent death, mentioning Alexander himself, whose name he bore, then Pompey, Caesar, Demosthenes, Cicero, and other men of note, none of whom had met with a peaceful end. And such was his courage that he thought that he ought to be likened to the gods, were he to perish in battle. But the result deceived his hopes; for he did, indeed, fall by the sword of a barbarian and by the hand of a barbarian guard, but it was not in battle, though during the course of a war.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/fdbccb68ba3248c5f76694ecbab65b31a78189e67a4528710113a9c516451dde.jpg

2026-02-16 18:28:04 UTC

Ate some high quality caviar today. Disgusting as expected.
https://youtu.be/LLKtLO-55hA?si=ffzUWal-ur_BwjiT
https://blossom.primal.net/5a997875278b00b85ba042058c67270612482a240dc3625065b49ae9ec1e4959.jpg

2026-02-16 17:32:07 UTC

🟣 BETWEEN THE PYRENEES AND THE RHINE
“Again, the Romans conquered these people much more easily than they did the Iberians; in fact, the Romans began earlier, and stopped later, carrying on war with the Iberians, but in the meantime defeated all these — I mean all the peoples who live between the Rhenus and the Pyrenees Mountains. For, since the former were wont to fall upon their opponents all at once and in great numbers, they were defeated all at once, but the latter would husband their resources and divide their struggles, carrying on war in the manner of brigands, different men at different times and in separate divisions. Now although they are all fighters by nature, they are better as cavalry than as infantry; and the best cavalry-force the Romans have comes from these people. However, it is always those who live more to the north and along the ocean-coast that are the more warlike.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/19d7482d05f6a1357298c122ef0bbdbdf5ca2e1cb91d82eb97017468cc85ad6e.jpg

2026-02-16 17:30:51 UTC

⚪️ MOTIVATED BY COMPASSION
“For two years the subject of Metellus' banishment was debated in assemblies. His son traversed the forum with his beard and hair overgrown, and in a tattered garment, while with tears in his eyes he prostrated himself at the feet of every citizen, entreating them to recall his father. Although the people were very reluctant to make a precedent for exiles to return home in defiance of the laws, yet, in compassion to the young man, and being moved by the earnestness of his entreaties, they recalled Metellus from banishment, and surnamed the son Pius, on account of the singular affection and care that he had for his father.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/a6224f0447efd7bdec23c1ee10eced7f014a47a929298dfef529152c5e5ea668.png

2026-02-15 14:44:53 UTC

https://youtube.com/shorts/IVedKiwe29o?si=QFX8QT9IQsmN8VX_

2026-02-15 14:37:40 UTC

🟢 CHIEFTAIN OF THE DACIANS
“Scorylo, a chieftain of the Dacians, though he knew that the Romans were torn with the dissensions of the civil wars, yet did not think he ought to venture on any enterprise against them, inasmuch as a foreign war might be the means of uniting the citizens in harmony. Accordingly he pitted two dogs in combat before the populace, and when they became engaged in a desperate encounter, exhibited a wolf to them. The dogs straightway abandoned their fury against each other and attacked the wolf. By this illustration, Scorylo kept the barbarians from a movement which could only have benefited the Romans.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/4daf6b1f131051007a2c5f126827dd5048e85b91cfbad9cbadbe1d7dbc5dda61.png

2026-02-13 22:59:55 UTC

GN.
https://blossom.primal.net/64fba91a7f8eb1c525eca71bbf8c184d94d216dfbc2e715e6976cb199a13f1d4.mov

2026-02-13 22:53:55 UTC

⚫️ THE LEGEND THAT IS NERVA
“Nerva ruled so well that he once remarked: "I have done nothing that would prevent my laying down the imperial office and returning to private life in safety." When Calpurnius Crassus, a descendant of the famous Crassi, had formed a plot with some others against him, he caused them to sit beside him at a spectacle (they were still ignorant of the fact that they had been informed upon) and gave them swords, ostensibly to inspect and see if they were sharp (as was often done), but really in order to show that he did not care even if he died then and there.”
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/3163b80331a0c99ea7fb677a6575278618c3f80ad7f463db4e9509d48c8b8c90.png

2026-02-13 22:51:39 UTC

🟡 SLOTH AND GLUTTONY
“The Gauls filled themselves to repletion with wine and other luxuries, being intemperate by nature, and inhabiting a country which yielded only cereals, and was unfruitful and destitute of other productions. Thus their large bodies became delicate, distended with fatness, and heavy by reason of excessive eating and drinking, and quite incapable of running or hardship; and when any exertion was required of them they speedily became exhausted by perspiration and shortness of breath.”
“He (Camillus) showed them naked to the Romans and said: "These are the creatures who assail you with such terrible shouts in battle, and clash their arms and shake their long swords and toss their hair. Behold their weakness of soul, their slothfulness and flabbiness of body, and gird yourselves to your work."
Appian, the foreign wars
https://blossom.primal.net/8d0d7c5a5adf2db290a4f3e0d85bf6af2ceb26653c550c88b0d0e4b4dfa2e9bb.png

2026-02-13 22:50:36 UTC

🟤 (CRISIS OF THE) THIRD CENTURY EMPERORS LIST.
Roman Emperors between Alexander Severus and Diocletian, along with their regnal years:
Maximinus Thrax (235-238 AD)
Gordian I (238 AD)
Gordian II (238 AD)
Pupienus (238 AD)
Balbinus (238 AD)
Gordian III (238-244 AD)
Philip the Arab (244-249 AD)
Decius (249-251 AD)
Hostilian (251 AD)
Trebonianus Gallus (251-253 AD)
Aemilian (253 AD)
Valerian (253-260 AD)
Gallienus (253-268 AD)
Claudius II Gothicus (268-270 AD)
Quintillus (270 AD)
Aurelian (270-275 AD)
Tacitus (275-276 AD)
Florian (276 AD)
Probus (276-282 AD)
Carus (282-283 AD)
Carinus (283-285 AD)
Numerian (283-284 AD)
Diocletian (284-305 AD)
https://blossom.primal.net/bd1db5276c795d93c0c1fa222f3ae81518b2320b36199c147f5227ec59e31770.png

2026-02-13 22:48:32 UTC

🔶 HOSTILE HOSPITALITY IN NORTH AFRICA
“The Vagenses, in whose town Metellus had placed a garrison at first, at the time when Jugurtha was suing for peace, yielded to the entreaties of the king, towards whom they had always been well disposed, and the leading men of the town entered into a conspiracy. As to the commons, they were of a fickle disposition, as is usually the case and as is particularly true of the Numidians, prone to rebellion and disorder, fond of change and opposed to peace and quiet. Then, after arranging matters among themselves, they appointed the third day from that time, because it was observed as a holiday all over Africa and promised entertainment and festivity rather than danger. However, when the appointed time arrived, they invited the centurions and military tribunes and even the prefect⁠ of the town himself, Titus Turpilius Silanus by name, to their several homes. There all except Turpilius were slain while feasting. The conspirators then fell upon the common soldiers, who were strolling about unarmed, as was natural on such a day, when they were off duty. The commons joined in the massacre, some at the instigation of the nobles, others inspired by a natural fondness for such conduct; for although they knew neither what was being done nor its purpose, they found sufficient incentive in mere revolution and disorder.”
“The Roman soldiers, being bewildered by this unexpected peril and not knowing what to do first, were thrown into disorder. They were cut off from the citadel of the town, where their standards and shields were, by a hostile force, and from flight by the gates, closed beforehand. Moreover, women and boys from the roofs of the houses were busily pelting them with stones and whatever else they could lay hands on. It was quite impossible to guard against the double danger⁠ and brave men were helpless before the feeblest of opponents. Side by side valiant and cowardly, strong and weak, fell without striking a blow.”
Sallust
https://blossom.primal.net/83def13d8b76e2c1455b7e761dfba6281b21a41af210e60cedf3fb74eed3cd7a.jpg

2026-02-10 19:35:25 UTC

🔺 THE THIRD CELTIBERIAN WAR
“Aulus Hostilius Mancinus as praetor set out against the Numantines (137 BC, Spain), although he had been warned by birds and some unknown voice recalling him. When he arrived at Numantia, he decided to first correct the discipline of the army, which he had received from Pompeius, and led it off to a deserted place. That day, by chance, was the appointed day on which the Numantines arranged marriages for their daughters; and the father of a beautiful girl, who was being sought by two suitors, set a condition that she would marry the one who brought back the right hand of an enemy. The young men, observing the departure of the Romans as if they were fleeing, rushed back to their own people and reported the matter. They immediately killed twenty thousand Romans with four thousand of their own men. Mancinus, on the advice of Tiberius Gracchus his quaestor, made a treaty according to the enemy's terms. When this treaty was rejected by the senate, Mancinus was surrendered to the Numantines, but they did not accept him. He was brought back to the camp by augury (Augury was a Greco-Roman religious practice of observing the behavior of birds, to receive omens), and afterwards obtained the praetorship.”
(The Numantine War 143-133 BC: Numantia's decade-long fight against the Romans in Spain. Ended in destruction of the city of Numantia).
[Aurelius Victor] : De Viris Illustribus
https://blossom.primal.net/64c81a194e75ca071db84bf40747c7ac71c695f637d8f2e9d3fc1ca1b1e53205.png

2026-02-10 19:34:20 UTC

🔘 WHEN INTELLIGENCE MEETS SARCASM
He (The Elder Cato) said that he preferred to receive no thanks when he had done a favour rather than to suffer no punishment when he had done a wrong, and that he always granted pardon to all who erred, with the single exception of himself.
In trying to stimulate the officials to administer sharp rebuke to the erring, he used to say that, if those who have the power to discourage crime do not discourage it, then they encourage it.
He said that it gave him more joy to see those of the youth that blushed than those that blanched.
He said that he hated a solder who plied his hands in marching and his feet in fighting, and whose snore was louder than his battle-cry.
He said that the worst ruler is one who cannot rule himself.
He thought it especially necessary for every man to respect himself, since no man is ever separated from himself.
Seeing that statues were being set up in honour of many men, he said, "As for myself, I had rather that men should ask why there is not a statue of Cato than why there is."
He charged those in power to be sparing of their authority, so that authority might continue always to be theirs.
He used to say that those who rob virtue of honour rob youth of virtue.
An official or a judge, he said, ought neither to require importuning to grant what is right nor to yield to importuning to grant what is wrong.
Wrongdoing, he used to say, even if it brings no risk to its authors, brings risk to all.
He used to say that, since there are so many odious things connected with old age, it is only right not to add the odium which comes from vice.
He had an idea that the man who has lost his temper differs from him who has lost his mind only in duration of time.
He said that those who use their good fortune reasonably and moderately are least envied; for people envy not us but our surroundings.
He used to say that those who are serious in ridiculous matters will be ridiculous in serious matters.”
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
https://blossom.primal.net/9115f0c12fc15727cbfbce327a0d0d35f39c566d790ea4e55c88e7e0bffb39c2.png

2026-02-07 22:24:13 UTC

🔵 ARTAVASDES OF ARMENIA WRITES SHAPUR OF THE SASSANIDS.
"I have, indeed, a share in your glory, but I fear that you have not so much conquered as sown the seeds of war. For Valerian is being sought back by his son, his grandson, and the generals of Rome, by all Gaul, all Africa, all Spain, all Italy, and by all the nations of Illyricum, the East, and Pontus, which are leagued with the Romans or subject to them. So, then, you have captured one old man but have made all the nations of the world your bitterest foes, and ours too, perhaps, for we have sent you aid, we are your neighbours, and we always suffer when you fight with each other."
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/2c99ac905613dfe100e05906e5496c6016dd93b3c2c377760bf9df0bdf9e2ef8.png

2026-02-07 00:34:17 UTC

🟣 ACQUIRING CYPRUS
“But when the last Ptolemy that reigned, the brother of the father of Cleopatra, the queen in my time, was decreed to be both disagreeable and ungrateful to his benefactors, he was deposed, and the Romans took possession of the island; and it has become a praetorian province by itself. The chief cause of the ruin of the king was Publius Claudius Pulcher; for the latter, having fallen into the hands of the bands of pirates, the Cilicians then being at the height of their power, and, being asked for a ransom, sent a message to the king, begging him to send and rescue him. The king indeed sent a ransom, but so utterly small that the pirates disdained to take it and sent it back again, but released him without ransom. Having safely escaped, he remembered the favour of both; and, when he became tribune of the people, he was so powerful that he had Marcus Cato sent to take Cypros away from its possessor. Now the king killed himself beforehand, but Cato went over and took Cypros and disposed of the king's property and carried the money to the Roman treasury. From that time the island became a province, just as it is now — a praetorian province. During a short intervening time Antony gave it over to Cleopatra and her sister Arsinoê, but when he was overthrown his whole organisation was overthrown with him.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/7c43002d665e602ebefbe10a373b8f9815cf5dd92dfb5a8423b59f86f58f552d.png

2026-02-05 23:22:38 UTC

⚪️ IMPERATOR
“It was a custom among the Roman soldiers, that if any of their generals fought a battle and killed more than six thousand of the enemy, they called him imperator, which means the same as 'king' in Greek.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/4bbcf9d65fc7333ad5d96c21f56acd6b812549bfa27ef80b95b0e2ee68c13945.png

2026-02-05 23:19:38 UTC

https://youtu.be/UX1GIhOhkAE?si=SGhol-JVkN0DzbPC

2026-02-04 18:19:45 UTC

🟢 THE GENIUS OF SPARTACUS
“When Marcus Crassus had constructed a ditch around the forces of Spartacus, the latter at night filled it with the bodies of prisoners and cattle that he had slain, and thus marched across it.”
“The same Spartacus, when besieged on the slopes of Vesuvius at the point where the mountain was steepest and on that account unguarded, plaited ropes of osiers from the woods. Letting himself down by these, he not only made his escape, but by appearing in another quarter struck such terror into Clodius that several cohorts gave way before a force of only seventy-four gladiators.”
“This Spartacus, when enveloped by the troops of the proconsul Publius Varinius, placed stakes at short intervals before the gate of the camp; then setting up corpses, dressed in clothes and furnished with weapons, he tied these to the stakes to give the appearance of sentries when viewed from a distance. He also lighted fires throughout the whole camp. Deceiving the enemy by this empty show, Spartacus by night silently led out his troops.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/1153acc26486eb4484146775baf0cc6e2932835162c837a8692ed3ed7e0074db.jpg

2026-02-03 22:52:42 UTC

⚫️ FINDING OUT YOU ARE ON AN ISLAND
“Meanwhile war had again broken out in Britain, and Gnaeus Julius Agricola overran the whole of the enemy's territory there. He was the first of the Romans whom we know to discover the fact that Britain is surrounded by water. It seems that some soldiers rebelled, and after slaying the centurions and a military tribune took refuge in boats, in which they put out to sea and sailed round the western portion of the country just as the wind and the waves chanced to carry them; and without realizing it, since they approached from the opposite direction, they put in at the camps on the first side again. Thereupon Agricola sent others to attempt the voyage around Britain, and learned from them, too, that it was an island.”
Cassius Dio
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2026-02-03 18:40:44 UTC

🟡 ARCHIMEDES OF SYRACUSE
During the Second Punic War, the Roman Republic laid siege to the Greek city of Syracuse. To defend his homeland, the renowned mathematician and inventor Archimedes devised a series of ingenious war machines.
These included the "Claw of Archimedes," a crane-like device that could lift Roman ships out of the water and either drop them or swing them against the rocks. Powerful catapults and ballistae launched projectiles at the Roman soldiers and ships, inflicting heavy casualties. While the existence of a "heat ray" – a system of mirrors to focus sunlight onto Roman ships – remains debated, it has entered into legend.
These defenses proved highly effective, stalling the Roman advance for a considerable period. Syracuse eventually fell to the Romans in 212 BC.
Some accounts suggest Archimedes was killed by a Roman soldier while engrossed in a mathematical problem, while others claim he was murdered despite orders from the Roman general Marcellus to spare his life.
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2026-02-03 18:40:03 UTC

🟤 FOOD PRESERVATION
Salting was a common practice for meats, fish, and even eggs, drawing moisture out and inhibiting bacterial growth. Drying, whether in the sun or over fires, removed moisture from fruits, vegetables, and meats, preventing spoilage. Smoking not only dried meat but also infused it with flavor. Pickling in vinegar or brine created an acidic environment that hindered bacterial growth.
Honey, used as both a sweetener and preservative, was particularly effective for fruits. Olive oil also served as a preservative, especially for olives themselves.
Storage methods included burying food in the ground or storing it in cool, dry places. These techniques allowed the Romans to extend the shelf life of their food.
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2026-02-01 18:16:25 UTC

🔶 THE JUGURTHINE WAR BEGINS
“Meanwhile Calpurnius, having levied his army, chose as his lieutenants men of noble rank and strong party spirit, by whose influence he hoped that any misdeeds of his would be upheld. Among these was Scaurus, whose character and conduct I described a short time ago.⁠ For though our consul possessed many excellent qualities of mind and body, they were all nullified by avarice. He had great endurance, a keen intellect, no little foresight, considerable military experience, and a stout heart in the face of dangers and plots. Now the legions were transported across Italy to Rhegium, from there to Sicily, from Sicily to Africa. Then Calpurnius, having provided himself with supplies, began by making a vigorous attack on the Numidians, taking many prisoners and storming several of their towns.”
Sallust
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2026-01-30 20:32:30 UTC

🔺 REGNAL, CONSULAR, AND IMPERIAL EXPANSION.
“Therefore, how much Rome has advanced under these three types of rule - that is, regnal, consular, and imperial - I shall briefly sketch.
(Kingdom)
Under seven kings through 243 years, Roman imperium did not advance beyond Portus and Ostia, within 18 miles from the gates of the city of Rome, seeing that she was as yet small and founded by shepherds, while neighboring cities were hemming her in.
(Republic)
At the same time, through 467 years under consuls, among whom there sometimes were dictators, too, Italy was occupied as far as beyond the Po, Africa was subjugated, the Spains added, and Gaul and Britain made tributaries. As for Illyricum, Histri, Libyrni, and Dalmatae were mastered; it passed to Achaea; Macedonians were subjugated; with Dardanians, Moesians, and Thracians it warred; and it reached all the way to the Danube. After Antiochus had been expelled, Romans first set foot in Asia; when Mithridates had been conquered, his kingdom was occupied; Armenia Minor, which he likewise had held, was obtained by arms; a Roman army reached Mesopotamia; a treaty was initiated with the Parthians; against Carduenians and Saracens and Arabs it warred; all of Judaea was conquered; Cilicia and Syria came into the power of the Roman people.
Egypt's kings became allies.
(Empire)
Moreover, under the imperatores, through 407 years, while many principes were directing the diverse fortune of the state, the Maritime Alps, Cottian, Raetian, and Norican Alps, the Pannonias, and the Moesias accrued to the Roman world, and the entire bank of the Danube was reduced to provinces. All Pontus, Armenia Major, all Oriens, with Mesopotamia, Assyria, Arabia, and Egypt, passed under the jurisdiction of Roman imperium.”
Festus, Breviarum
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2026-01-30 20:30:43 UTC

🔘 I ACCEPT THE OMEN
“Paulus Aemilius, when he was a candidate for a second term as consul, failed of election. But when the war against Perseus and the Macedonians dragged on because of the inexperience and effeminacy of the generals, the people appointed him consul. But he said he owed no thanks to them; for it was not because he wanted office, but because they wanted an officer, that he was chosen general.
Coming home from the Forum and finding Tertia, his little daughter, in tears, he asked the reason. And she said: "Our Perseus is dead." (It was a pet dog which had that name.) "Good luck be with me, my girl," said he; "I accept the omen."
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
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2026-01-30 20:15:12 UTC

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