Free Republic

It is a common historical myth that Rome fell in 476 A.D. after Odoacer, King of the Goths, sacked the capital city and forced Romulus Augustus to abdicate his throne.The historical reality is rather different. Over the course of nearly a century, Germanic tribes – fleeing everything from war, famine and tribal politics – moved, unimpeded, into Roman territory. And the Empire died not by traditional invasion but by unchecked mass migration.During this period, Rome was ruled by a disaffected elite. Rather than send out a legion or two to kick some culus and take nomen, they decided it would...

Since 2021, a team from the University of Basel has researched the landscape in the Crap Ses area between Cunter and Tiefencastel in collaboration with the Graubünden Archaeological Service... Using a high-resolution digital terrain model and LiDAR data, the team investigated the hilltop site. LiDAR features laser scanning of the ground to show even slight height differences in the terrain as a grayscale image, and in the Colm la Runga corridor, it revealed the profile of the artificial fortification of the hilltop.Resting undisturbed for two millenia 7,000 feet high in the Swiss Alps, the previously unknown Roman military camp was...

According to a Reuters report, Rome's triumphal Arch of Constantine was struck by lightning during a storm that also felled trees and flooded streets, as more than two inches of rain fell in less than an hour. Staff from the nearby Colosseum Archaeological Park retrieved blocks of stone and rubble found on the ground around the monument after the lightning strike. The 82-foot-tall arch was constructed to celebrate the victory of Constantine the Great over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in A.D. 312.

A would-be burglar in Rome was caught after stopping to read a book on Greek mythology in the middle of a theft, Italian media reports. The 38-year-old reportedly gained access to a flat in the Italian capital's Prati district via the balcony but became distracted after picking up a book about Homer's Iliad on a bedside table. The 71-year-old homeowner is said to have awoken and confronted the alleged thief, who was engrossed in the book. News of the failed burglary attracted the attention of the book's author, who told local media he wanted to send the man a copy...

On the main street of this ancient Roman city is the remains of a grand house with black mosaic flooring and black painted walls. It had a series of shops built into its facade, with a uniquely preserved shop sign, and an extraordinary metalworkers shop with metal ingots still on its countertop. Inside the house a rare bundle of tablets was found, giving us the story of the life of the occupant. Join us as we explore The House of the Black Hall in the city of Herculaneum.The House of the Black Hall - Herculaneum | 12:39History Victorum | 16.4K...

First son Hunter Biden, acting on behalf of a Ukrainian energy company, requested help from the US Embassy in Rome to land a lucrative business deal, while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president, according to a report. Hunter’s big ask and apparent attempt to use his father’s position of power to land the deal for Bursima — the Ukrainian gas giant that he sat on the board for — came to light only after State Department records were released to the New York Times after Joe Biden ended his 2024 re-election bid last month. “I want to be careful...

The tabernae of ancient Rome were bars and fast-food restaurants. But they were also places for non-elite Romans to socialize, play games, and bet on chariot races.Chapters:0:00 Introduction1:16 The bars of Pompeii2:32 Fine dining3:09 Wines on tap4:02 Bar food5:23 Open all night6:03 Barmaids6:37 Dives7:22 Bad reviews7:54 Where everybody knows your nameBars and Restaurants in Ancient Rome | 9:02Garrett Ryan (as toldinstone) | 512K subscribers | 30,303 views | August 6, 2024

This video explores another three forgotten Roman megaprojects: the colossal gold mines at Las Medulas, Spain; the Anastasian Wall, Constantinople's outer defense; and Rome's artificial harbor at Portus.Chapters:0:00 Las Medulas3:13 The Anastasian Wall5:24 PortusThree (more) Forgotten Roman Megaprojects | 9:36toldinstone | 511K subscribers | 100,617 views | July 19, 2024

According to a Reuters report, a structure thought to have been a medieval palace has been uncovered in the square outside the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, which serves as the seat of the pope as the bishop of Rome. The site includes walls thought to have surrounded the Patriarchio, a monumental basilica built after Emperor Constantine's declaration of tolerance for the Christian religion within the Roman Empire in A.D. 313. The structure was expanded between the ninth and thirteenth centuries to house the church's popes, who moved to Avignon, France, in the early fourteenth century. The papal court returned...

As a cold front gains momentum, severe thunderstorms, many packing high wind gusts, will erupt and roll from the eastern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and middle Mississippi Valley to the Appalachians and Atlantic Seaboard into Wednesday and beyond in some cases, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. The storms can trigger regional power outages and lead to major travel delays as they approach and pass through the major metro areas. Tree and property damage will be likely in some communities. In recent days, severe storms have packed quite a wallop in the Midwest and part of the interior Northeast. During Monday night alone,...

A stone wall built by the Roman army as a defense against slave revolt leader and gladiator Spartacus and his men has been identified by archaeologists in an Italian forest. Local environmentalists who found the wall alerted archaeologists, who have now been able to provide greater insight using advanced radar and laser scanning methods, as well as soil sample analysis. The ditch and mound (or fossa and agger, respectively) was a common Roman defense system. This stone wall and earthwork, for instance, stretches nearly two miles through the Dossone della Melia forest in Italy’s Calabria region. A deep ditch once...

[Catholic Caucus] Unhinged Miscreants Desecrated the Body of Cardinal PellIt was appalling to learn that a person or persons unknown desecrated the body of Cardinal George Pell before it was returned to Australia. We are told that this happened after the autopsy, that his body was inadequately embalmed, that he was left undressed and that his nose had been broken. This indicates a level of vindictiveness that is hard to fathom, and shows how little regard the perpetrators had for Pell’s family: the ones most affected by this sad event. One can only wonder at the motive: a true Christian...

Famous names including Bianca Jagger, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Princess Michael of Kent, Sir Andras Schiff, Tom Holland, Lady Antonia Fraser and many others appeal to the Vatican to save the Traditional Latin Mass in a letter to the Times tomorrow.

Okay, we had no idea Denzel Washington was starring in “Gladiator 2,” but Vanity Fair has unveiled new first-look photos, and now we’re hooked. The images feature Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington. “Gladiator 2” will be released from Paramount Pictures on November 22, 2024. Check out a snapshot of the film’s characters in the film’s story that takes place well after the original Russell Crowe story: Paul Mescal is Lucius, Maximums’ son from the first film, who hasn’t been seen in 15 years and is presumed dead. This likely leads into him becoming a gladiator where,...

Martin Armstrong sees striking similarities between the multitude of crises that plague the modern world and the conditions just before the fall of the Roman empire. Martin argues that endless debt issuance, wars for profit, unchecked migration, and rampant political corruption are setting the stage for a future where many Western countries cease to exist as we know them.

I left off the previous post considering what might have happened if Belisarius had accepted the imperial diadem of the Western Empire when it was offered to him at the end of the first war in Italy in AD 540. Could he have remained on the throne? How would Justinian have reacted? Did Belisarius have the diplomatic and administrative skills to manage the Western Empire? Would his men have remained loyal to him and willing to advance his military goals abroad? In a best-case scenario that's perhaps not too far-fetched, the answer is yes, Belisarius could certainly have ruled...

-------------- 00:00 Introduction 07:25 China 35:54 Rome 1:13:01 The Fall

American men typically think about ancient Rome several times a day, but apparently, Democrats do not. They ignore history, probably because it consists largely of the doings and transpirings of dead white males, but they should not. Rome’s decline from greatness from its mythical founding by Romulus in 753 BC – I don’t do “BCE” – to its final death rattle in 476 AD, when a kraut warlord named Odoacer deposed the last Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus, is not a precise template for the USA’s arc of history, but if you are wise enough to listen you will hear echoes...

I always recommend visiting the Park of the Aqueducts and the Ostia Antica archeological site.But I think the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Mouth of Truth attractions are overcrowded...I would never say certain attractions have no merit. But after years of interacting with travelers, I understand that people want alternatives.Luckily, Rome has priceless art and artifacts around every corner.Here are five popular attractions that are worth visiting... The Capitoline MuseumsBasilica di San Giovanni in LateranoThe Park of the AqueductsBasilica of Sant'AgostinoOstia Antica ...and five you might want to skip.. Vatican Museums are overcrowdedYou can get a good view of the Colosseum...

"Whoever of you has hopes of setting foot in Rome without a fight is mistaken in his judgment. For as long as Belisarius lives, it is impossible for him to relinquish this city."~Belisarius to the Gothic envoys in AD 537 The above quote is taken from The History of the Wars by the late-Roman historian, Procopius of Caesarea. To set the scene, envision the grand Gothic army of over 100,000 mail-clad warriors newly arrived at their camps about the walls of Rome. Within the walls, Belisarius and his paltry force of less than 6,000 men could barely defend a fraction...