Soap (a brief history of…)
A reader once asked me how on earth do I pick some of the quirky topics I choose to writeContinue Reading
Tag: Roman History
A short history of Byzantium: No. 5 Constantine, Licinius and the decisions made in Milan. What’s it all about ?
A strategic pause following the battle of the Milvian Bridge, enabled Constantine and his two remaining colleagues time to reassessContinue Reading
A short history of Byzantium: No. 2 Constantine: Prelude to Greatness
In a relatively short period of time, Constantine the Great took two decisions that changed and/or reshaped the Mediterranean, andContinue Reading
Over a thousand years of glory, but where does it actually begin?
I often wonder how do we pinpoint the beginning of the Byzantine Empire? There are so many identifiable dates orContinue Reading
A short history of Byzantium: No.1 Rediscovering an old Empire.
There are individuals and groups of communities that argue that there is no such thing as the Byzantine Empire. ToContinue Reading
Bone Sewing Needles (a brief history of…)
The humble sewing needle needs no introduction. Everyone has likely seen one used or has used one to sew thatContinue Reading
The ‘Capitoline Vision’ of Edward Gibbon.
On the 15th October 1764, Edward Gibbon observed a group of friars singing in the ruins of the Temple ofContinue Reading
Roman Road Building 101
The Appian Way? No, just my garden path. Over the past few weeks I have (weather permitting) been building myContinue Reading
Marcus Aurelius: Emperor, General & Philosopher.
In his ‘Meditations’, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus simply wrote or described himself as ‘a male, mature in years, a statesman, aContinue Reading
Greeks, Romans and Asbestos (a brief history of…)
Our earliest records of the use of asbestos dates back around 3,000 years ago in the lands around Scandinavia. ArcheologistsContinue Reading
Rearview Mirror 