Continued from the Part I. ...“So Cleopatra, taking only Apollodorus the Sicilian from among her friends, embarked in a little skiff and landed at the palace when it was already getting dark; and as it was impossible to escape notice otherwise, she stretched herself at full length inside a bed-sack, while Apollodorus tied the bed-sack up with a cord and carried it indoors [...]
To modern ears, the name Cleopatra refers to only one woman – the famed last Queen of Egypt who tragically chose the wrong lover and the wrong side in the Roman Civil Wars. However, this famous Cleopatra was actually known as Cleopatra VII, the last in a long line of kings and queens descended from the Macedonian general Ptolemy I Soter. The original [...]
Occupying a strategic position at the confluence of the rivers Moselle and Seille, Metz was founded as a Celtic hillfort belonging to the Mediomatrici tribe. Later the city was located on a crossroads of important Roman roads going from Lyon to Trier and from Reims to Strasbourg. As Divodurum Mediomatricorum, it grew into an important city with at its peak a population estimated [...]
Originally established by Celtic-Germanic tribes of the region, Augusta Treverorum, or "City of Augustus in the land of the Treveri," was so named during the reign of Emperor Augustus, who visited the region around 15 BC. It became an influential settlement, in part thanks to its location along the Moselle River Valley and also because it was a hub of fiscal and military [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen “Time brought to us in our time of need the aid and arrival of a god. For there came that mightiest avenger, the victor Hercules, proud with the slaughter and the spoils of threefold Geryon, and he drove the mighty bulls here, and the cattle filled both valley and riverside.” - King Evander in Virgil’s Aeneid Nestled between the Aventine, [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen The Origins of the Island The island of Aegina lies in the Saronic Gulf of Greece, south of island of Salamis where the allied Greek city-states managed to defeat the invading Persians in a great sea battle. Aegina is predominantly made up of a now extinct volcano, which accounts for Aegina’s fertile landscape. Today, the island produces cotton, grapes, almonds, [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen Modern day Corfu, known in ancient times as Korkyra, is another island with a history steeped in mythology, from its origin story to its place in several more famous legends. Korkyra was one of the three most powerful maritime nations in the Classical world, joining Athens and Corinth in that distinction. Its original inhabitants are not well understood by historians, [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen Originally a Carthaginian city, Sicca became Sicca Veneria under Roman rule, due to its important shrine to Venus. The city was built on a cliff face, leading to its modern name, which translates to “the rock.” Over the years, Sicca was the sight of several fascinating incidents, including the mercenary wars, the first engagement between Marius and Jugurtha, and even [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen No archeological tour of Italy would be complete without a visit to Tibur, modern Tivoli. The city has a long history, dating back to the 13th century B.C., when colonists from Alba Longa settled on the site. Tibur held a tumultuous relationship with Rome before it fell to its southern neighbors. Rome granted citizenship to Tibur in 90 B.C., after [...]
Author: Marian Vermeulen. The specific origins of Antium remain unclear, but archaeologists believe that the Volsci were not the first residents. Later Roman myths would claim that Anteias, the son of Odysseus, founded Antium in the aftermath of Troy. The Romans found themselves in frequent conflict with the Volsci tribe, who made their capital in the city. Antium was a center point in [...]