On 24 January AD 119, Hadrian celebrated his 43rd birthday in Rome, the first he spent in the capital as emperor. The emperor put on a gladiatorial show that lasted six successive days to mark the occasion. Dio Cassius and the Historia Augusta reported that many wild animals were slaughtered, including one hundred lions and one… Continue reading 24 January AD 119 – Hadrian celebrates his 43rd birthday in Rome with gladiatorial games (#Hadrian1900)
Underfloor heating, winemaking, aqueducts and road networks, the Romans brought many things with them when they arrived and settled in the Moselle valley over 2,000 years ago. Luxurious installations are to be found in the remains of the rural farmsteads. Some of them were almost palace-like in their dimensions and were decorated with splendid mosaics.… Continue reading The Gladiator Mosaic at Nennig, Germany
Last November, I visited the Römerhalle at Bad Kreuznach, Germany. It is a museum that displays finds from a late 2nd century Roman villa as well as other Roman finds from the district of Bad Kreuznach. Around 58 BC, the Rhineland-Palatinate region became part of the Roman Empire, with a Roman vicus named Cruciniacum, forming a supply station… Continue reading The Gladiator Mosaic at Bad Kreuznach, Germany
