Search
Search Results
Definition
Ptolemaic Dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Macedonian royal family that ruled Ptolemaic Egypt from 323 to 30 BCE. It was founded by Ptolemy I, a general and successor of Alexander the Great. They built Alexandria, including the Lighthouse of Alexandria...
Definition
Roman Egypt
The rich lands of Egypt became the property of Rome after the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BCE, which spelled the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty that had ruled Egypt since the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. After the murder of Gaius...
Definition
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius was Roman emperor from 138 to 161 CE. When Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE) died on July 10, 138 CE, he left, as did his predecessors, an adopted son as his successor, Antoninus Pius. Antoninus - whose last name means...
Definition
Jugurtha
Jugurtha (r. 118-105 BCE) was King of Numidia in North Africa and grandson of the first Numidian king Masinissa (r. c. 202-148 BCE). He was the illegitimate son of Mastanabal, Masinissa's youngest son, and was the least likely of Masinissa's...
Definition
Gordian Emperors
When Maximinus Thrax was named Roman emperor upon the death of Alexander Severus, the news was not well-received by many in Rome and the Roman Senate considered him an illiterate barbarian. His financial excesses, principally used to fund...
Definition
Macrinus
Macrinus was Roman emperor from April 217 to June 218 CE. It is a story that has been told countless times before - an emperor is assassinated leaving no heir or successor. On April 8, 217 CE Roman Emperor Caracalla was murdered, supposedly...
Definition
Legio II Augusta
Legio II Augusta was a legion of the Roman army that, throughout its centuries-long history, had fought in the Cantabrian Wars of 29-19 BCE, Germanicus' German campaigns in 9 CE, the invasion of Britain in 43 CE, and Septimus Severus' Scottish...
Image
Juba II as Hercules
A coin portraying Juba II of Mauretania (r. 29 BCE - 23 CE) as Hercules. Obverse: Juba II as a youthful Hercules, wearing the Nemean Lion's skin. Reverse: Lion headdress and club of Hercules, with bow and arrow. Minted in Caesarea, Mauretania...
Image
The Eastern Hemisphere, 100 BC
A map showing the major empires, kingdoms, tribes, and ethnic groups of the Eastern Hemisphere in 100 BC.
Image
Arch of Caracalla in Volubilis
The triumphal arch at Volubilis (Morocco) was erected sometime between December 216 and April 217 CE by the council of Volubilis in honour of the emperor Caracalla who bestowed Roman citizenship on its inhabitants and exempted them from paying...