Articles and Oddities about Rome and Roman History offered by Secrets of Rome

Roman Emperors did not die in their bed (Part II)

09.14.2011

How Roman Emperors died:
History repeats itself... Galba, Otho, Vitellius and the Flavian Dynasty.

Nero committed suicide in 68 AD. During the 12 months that followed it, four different candidates tried to sit on the imperial throne. That is why the year 69 AD was called the “Year of the Four Emperors”. The first who tried to seize the imperial throne was Galba. He was already 70 years old when he proclaimed himself emperor. During the reign of Nero he had a reputation for having strong feelings about Old Roman discipline and traditions.

Roman Emperors did not die in their bed (Part I)

03.17.2011

How Roman Emperors died:
History repeats itself... The Julio-Claudian Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.

If we look closely at the lives of Roman emperors, and there had been over 80 of them, it is amusing to notice how few of them actually died peacefully in their bed! Another element which emerges by looking at the long list of the names of Roman emperors, is the fact that after a just and good emperor, usually a psychotic one would follow. A bit like our modern Presidents or Prime Ministers...

Buffalo Bill in Rome

12.02.2010

A first-hand account of visit at the Colosseum, and of a meeting with Pope Leo XIII

Few know that, in 1890, Rome hosted Buffalo Bill's "Wild West Circus". We actually have a detailed account of those days spent in the eternal cities. In a booklet entitled "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World" published in 1893, it is given a detailed account of the two most important episodes occurred on that occasion: a controversial competition and a meeting with the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII.

The Murder of Julius Caesar

09.15.2010

The Assassination of Julius Caesar was the result of a conspiracy of a group of senators, led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus. According to some ancient biographers, the tension with the Senate, and Caesar possible claims to the title of king are the principal motive for his assassination. The conspirators killed Caesar on the Ides of March (March 15) in 44 BC. His murder eventually led to a civil war which ultimately ended with Octavianus's accession to the position of Roman Emperor. The Greek historian Plutarch records that at one point, Caesar was given the title Pater Patriae ("Father of the Fatherland").

Egyptian Rome

06.28.2010

The Obelisks in Rome

One of Rome's nicknames is "the city of obelisks". If we talk about ancient obelisks in general, in Rome there are 13, but only 8 of them are originally Egyptian, while 5 are ancient Roman copies. According to some, others lie here and there, buried underneath the modern city. For example, there is a huge one underneath Palazzo Giustiniani, in Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi. This used to stand in Piazza Navona and people refer to it as the "ghost obelisk".