Alexei Varah

There is a reason (beyond its immense cultural impact) that the most famous empire in history is the Roman one: its sheer size. For centuries, the Roman Empire was the most extensive social and political structure in Western antiquity. At its zenith, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, it encompassed an enormous and dizzying array of climates, natural resources, peoples, and cultures. Stretching from the cloudy beaches of Britannia to the sun-soaked Arabian sands, the Roman Empire's size and...

Born in either 61 or 62 CE in Comum (modern-day Como), a town in northern Italy, Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, later known as Pliny the Younger, was exposed early to both privilege and tragedy. While he was still a young child, Pliny's father died, and he was adopted by his maternal uncle (prompting his change of name). His uncle, Pliny the Elder, was known throughout Rome as an esteemed philosopher; Pliny's adoption into his household not only provided Pliny the Younger with financial...

A brief introduction to the life and work of Roman speaker Cicero (106 - 43 BCE).