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Roman Empire
The Roman Empire, at its height (c. 117), was the most extensive political and social structure in western civilization. Building upon the foundation laid by the Roman Republic, the empire became the largest and most powerful political and...
Definition
Roman Emperor
Roman emperors ruled the Roman Empire starting with Augustus in 27 BCE and continuing in the West until the late 5th century CE and in the Eastern Roman Empire up to the mid-15th century CE. The emperors took titles such as Caesar and Imperator...
Definition
Roman Triumph
A Roman triumph was a spectacular celebration parade held in the ancient city of Rome for a military commander who had won an important victory on the battlefield. Granted by the Senate, it was a lavish and entertaining propaganda spectacle...
Definition
Janus
The Roman Republic owed much to the cultural influence of its Greek neighbors. For centuries the Greeks occupied a prominent position to the south on the island of Sicily. A series of wars in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE brought to the city...
Definition
Cohortes Urbanae
The cohortes urbanae (urban cohorts) were a body of troops garrisoned at Rome, which was created by Augustus to provide additional security for the emperor and city in general. Expanding in the reigns of subsequent emperors the force was...
Definition
Saturnalia
The Saturnalia was an enduring Roman festival dedicated to the agricultural god Saturn which was held between the 17th and 23rd of December each year during the winter solstice. Originating from archaic agricultural rituals the Roman festivities...
Definition
Muqarnas
Muqarnas is a three-dimensional architectural decorative element that flourished in its most complete form mainly during the Islamic period and is most pervasively used in domes and semi-domes. One of the key features of this mesmerizing...
Definition
Livy
Without the valuable contributions of historians, later generations would have little knowledge of the past - the good as well as the bad. Herodotus and Thucydides, the fathers of historical writing, would never have written their histories...
Definition
Aetolian League
The Aetolian League was an ancient Greek alliance of the tribes that lived west of Athens and north of the Peloponnese. The league was probably first established in the early 4th century BCE, reached its peak during the Hellenistic Period...
Definition
Butrint
Butrint (ancient name Buthrotum) is located on the fertile coast of Epirus in present-day Albania and was an important settlement in Hellenistic and Roman times due to its position on the route from Italy to mainland Greece down the Ionian...