Written by Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome Like Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Villa Oplontis was both destroyed and preserved by the eruption of the Vesuvius in AD79. Buried until its gradual discovery over the last four centuries, this huge and lavish palace has been associated on slender evidence with Poppaea Sabina, the unfortunate wife said to have been kicked to death by [...]
The Flavian Amphitheater, located in Pozzuoli, is the third-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy. Only the Roman Colosseum and the Amphitheater of Capua are larger. It was likely built by the same architects who previously constructed the Roman Colosseum. The name "Flavian Amphitheater" is primarily associated with the Roman Colosseum. The History of the Amphitheater The building was begun under the reign of the [...]
I lived for almost four years in Luxembourg and was very frustrated not to find a complete and reliable source with all the Roman archaeological sites of the Grand Duchy. To make it short, I just made this list for you: 30 Gallo-Roman sites of Luxembourg were described, located on the map and illustrated. :) If you are an expat living in Luxembourg [...]
Last week I visited an exhibition in Paris called "Engraved stones. Cameos, inlays and rings from the Guy Ladrière collection". This exhibition is extraordinary itself, but in addition to it, I discovered a fascinating place where the exhibition is hosted: the School of Jewelry Arts of Paris. In a completely unexpected way, I had the chance to visit the School, guided by its [...]
As part of their temporary closure at the Louvre in Paris, the Roman rooms are moving to the Louvre in Lens. This exhibition at the Louvre-Lens Museum offers a gigantic retrospective on Roman civilization, from its legendary foundation in 753 BC to the fall of the empire in 476 AD. It invites visitors to discover Roman art and civilization through the great subjects [...]
Dalmatia is the coastal region along the Adriatic Sea from the island of Pag in the North of Croatia to Kotor in the neighboring country of Montenegro. The long Dalmatian coast is one of the most touristic regions of Croatia thanks to the beauty of its sea, numerous scenic islands and also thanks to its rich ancient remains. History of Dalmatia The most [...]
Situated around 11 miles northwest of Central Athens, the industrial, oil-refinery town of Elefsina captures little of what used to be one of the Ancient World’s most important cultic centers. For nearly 1,000 years, between the early seventh century BC and the late fourth century AD, it was the site of the annual Eleusinian Mysteries: a strange rite revolving around the grain and [...]
Written by Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome The Xanten area and the Fürstenberg in Germany on the river Rhine retain the traces of history for thousands of years since the Stone Age. With the occupation of the Rhineland by the troops of Julius Caesar there began a new epoch of intensive settlement and cultural change. This article is about the rich history [...]
Written by Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome Nijmegen is by far the most important location of Roman Netherlands. This is where the Roman era of the Netherlands began with the arrival of two legions in 19 BCE. The Romans also built here the first, oldest and biggest city of the Netherlands, Ulpia Noviomagus. Nijmegen played an important role as a military, administrative, [...]
Written for Timetravelrome by Michel Gybels The god Mithras originated in Persia but was recovered by the Romans. For more than three centuries the cult was an overwhelming success throughout the Roman Empire, attracting thousands of followers between the first and fourth centuries of our era. More recently, sanctuaries have been discovered at Ostia in Italy, Mariana in Corsica, Kempraten in Switzerland, Alba [...]