Rome wasn't built in a day, but Peacock's gladiator epic TV series "Those About to Die" (now streaming) was buzzing with activity during Anthony Hopkins' first afternoon as Emperor Vespasian in an ...

Discover What’s Streaming On: For decades, audiences have been fascinated by the topic of the Roman Empire — and not just because it’s been trending on TikTok. From gladiator battles to cutthroat ...

The bread-and-circuses approach to public policy has never been more ambitiously or outrageously memorialized than by the eternal centerpiece of the Eternal City—the subject of “Colosseum,” the ...

In Those About To Die, Peacock’s 10-episode series centered around the evolution of sports entertainment in Ancient Rome, everything trickles down from the top. At the top of the top sits Emperor ...

Like its predecessor, "Gladiator II" is inspired by history. That doesn't mean it's bound by actual historical facts, however. Now in theaters, Ridley Scott's follow-up to his 2000 epic "Gladiator" ...

The two sons of Vespasian Titus and Domitian (ruled 79 – 81 AD, and 81 – 96 AD respectively) could not have been more different as emperors. Although Titus had a reputation for ruthlessness, he would ...

To mark the opening of the Colosseum in 80 C.E., the Roman emperor Titus staged a staggering spectacle, flooding the arena with water and bringing in “horses and bulls and some other domesticated ...

On For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66–74 C.E. by Guy MacLean Rogers. The Romans won their empire by force. They kept it by a combination of handshakes and spears.

Mark Twain wrote that it’s better to be lucky than smart. Tacitus wrote of the benevolent Roman Emperor Titus that his ingenium (nature, or intelligence) made him “fit for the greatest good luck.” ...

Why was the first century so turbulent? The first answer is simple: hereditary rule. For most of this period, emperors were not chosen on the basis of their ability or honesty, but simply because they ...