IMPERIUM ROMANUM

Horace was one of the greatest Roman lyricists during Augustus reign. He was active in the period of the greatest flowering of Roman literature.

Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian; he is called the king of Roman historians. He wrote, among others "Annals", “Histories”, “The Life of Agricola”, and “Germania".

Gaius Pescennius Niger was the Roman emperor ruling in 193-194 CE. He was raised to the throne by eastern legions. He fought in a civil war, among others with Septimius Severus.

The most important events and dates related to the history of ancient Rome.

Caracalla was born on 4 April 188 CE in Lugdunum (today’s Lyon, France) as em>Lucius Septimius Bassianus. Then his name was changed to: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Bassianus, Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus, due to the fact that his father wanted to connect his family with the Antonines.

Praetorians, Praetorians Cohort (Praetoriani, Praetoriae Cohortes) was the Emperor’s side guard in ancient Rome. This unit was created by Scipio Africanus in the period of the republic and in principle, it was to be the protection of the army commander and the governor of the province. During the siege of Numantia, the Scipio had a squad of 500 personal guards. This custom of using personal protection was later taken over by other high-ranking Roman commanders who were far from Rome. That unit type was called Cohors Praetoria and was close to the commander during the battle.

Wars have accompanied the Romans from the very beginning. During the Roman Kingdom, any skirmishes and fights were rare and they were mostly local. The situation changed after the overthrow of the last king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and the introduction of the republic. This was the beginning of Rome’s extensive, expansive policy. Fights with Latin tribes associated in the the Latin League at the turn of the 6th and 5th century BCE eventually ended with Rome’s success. The confederation became thus Rome’s instrument in the conquest of the Apennine Peninsula.

Launched by the attack on Italy, the Second Punic War spilt over into the territory of the Iberian Peninsula, Africa and Hellas. The Romans, despite their involvement in Italy, did not hesitate to send legions to other parts of the Mediterranean. This allowed for the dismemberment of Carthaginian forces and made it easier for Rome to deal with individual enemy armies. It was the situation on the Iberian Peninsula that was crucial for the outcome of the war, where many clashes between both sides in the conflict took place.

In 79 CE Mount Vesuvius (Vesuvio), unexpectedly resumed its eruption activity, covering the area with a hurricane of ashes, lapels, poisonous gases and eruptive materials. At that time, streams of lava mixed with mud were flowing down the slopes of the volcano.

Caligula was born on 31 August 12 CE, in Antium (now Anzio) in Italy, near Rome, as Gaius Iulius Caesar Germanicus. His father was Germanic, while his mother was Agrippina the Elder. His father was a commander adored by the army, who, just after the birth of his son, happened to be with his family by the Rhine, where he commanded the army.

Hadrian’s wall (Vallum Hadriani), also called the Roman Wall or Picts’ Wall, was built in the following years 121 – 129 CE by Hadrian Emperor.

General Maximus is the main character of the historical drama “Gladiator” (2000) – which is thought to be one of the best films ever made. The question that every viewer ask is to what extent the plot is consistent with the historical truth. I will try to answer this question.