Browse Items (299 total)

Agathokles (361-289 BCE) was the son of a wealthy ceramics manufacturer who made himself king of Syracuse. He eventually ruled over much of East Sicily and even parts of mainland Italy. He had some military success against the Carthaginians but was…

Augustus was the first real Roman emperor (27 BCE – 14 CE), following in the footsteps of his adopted uncle, Julius Caesar. During a tumultuous civil war for control of the empire, Augustus defeated his enemies, including Pompey and Marc Antony, and…

The year of 69 CE was a turbulent one for the Roman Empire. With Nero committing suicide in 68 CE and no successors in place, the door was open once again to civil war within Rome. First to succeed to the throne was Galba who quickly lost power to…

Antoninus Pius was the longest reigning emperor since Augustus, taking power in 138 CE, after being adopted by Hadrian, and reigning relatively peacefully until his death in 161 CE. He was a largely successful emperor whose reign was celebrated by…

Trajan is and was one of the most celebrated Roman emperors. He was an excellent warrior and his execution of stately affairs was fair, efficient, and sensitive to the republican roots of the city. In court ceremonies of the late empire, emperors…

Claudius II Gothicus was part of a long line of emperors to take control through military power. In the fifty years after the death of the last member of the Severan dynasty in 235 CE until Diocletian came into power in 284 CE, there was no order to…

Trajan, a very successful and well-remembered emperor, was one of the first emperors to engrave his coins with Herakles, a very famous Greek hero who often appeared on the coins of Greek rulers like the Macedonian king Alexander the Great. It has…

Marcus Aurelius took control of the Roman Empire after the death of Antoninus Pius in conjunction with his brother Lucius Verus in 161 CE. Though Lucius was never as important as Marcus Aurelius, they ruled in peace together until Lucius’ premature…

Septimius Severus came into power much the same way Vespasian did 100 years before him. Following the quick succession of four other emperors in the same year, Septimius came into power in 193 CE. He secured his place using his military prowess and…

Lucilla was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and the wife of his co-ruler, Lucius Verus. She happily fulfilled her role of empress until her husband’s death in 169 CE. She was then married to Claudius Pompeianus, a powerful Roman senator. Cassius Dio…