Ancient Romans sealed treaties with a mutual kiss on the cheek, called an osculum pacis. Persians sealed their deals with a direct kiss on the lips.
Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King, page 226… Read More
Alaric, King of the Visigoths, sacked Rome in 410, and then died shortly afterward, near the river Busento, in southern Italy. His soldiers had his slaves divert the flow of the river in order to bury him, along with his… Read More
The ancient Romans’ favorite condiment was called garum. Earlier, the Greeks had used it, and later, the Byzantines, but garum was most popular during ancient Roman times.
They dumped garum onto everything—the way Americans do ketchup, the Chinese soy sauce,… Read More
Did banqueting Romans really make themselves vomit so they could go on eating?
It’s true that sumptuous banquets might begin at four in the afternoon and last until the next morning. It’s also true that many people ate and drank… Read More
This morning I went to my gym and did thirty minutes on the step-climber. I call it the Escalator from Hell. It combines the worst aspects of a Stairmaster with the worst aspects of a treadmill; to whit, you have… Read More
In 410 A.D. Alaric, king of the Visigoths, demanded that Rome give him three thousand pounds of pepper as payment to spare the city from sacking.
… Read More
Recently in his English class my son had to read the Odyssey (well, an abridged version), which I read along with him. I hadn’t read it since college. It’s quite the rip-roaring yarn. No wonder Homer is enjoying his 130,443rd… Read More
In honor of Mother’s Day (this coming Sunday), today’s blog is about one of history’s most notorious mothers, Agrippina. She was the sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius, and mother of Nero.
It’s probably wise to take the accounts of… Read More