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After surviving exposure at birth, these unconventional academics realised they were destined to found the greatest Ancient Roman History podcast! 🏛📯⚔️ Our main series follows the history of Rome from the founding of the city. We also interview scholars and fantastic people about the ancient world. Dr Rad (she/her) specialises in Spartacus. Dr G (she/her) specialises in the Vestal Virgins. 📍 Dharug and Bidjigal Country. #Podcast #Ancient #Histodon #Historian #Rome #AncientHistory

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Mosaic glass beads were used for jewellery in the eastern provinces of the Roman empire. These beads are thought to date to the first century CE and most were part of a necklace.

These delightful faces reveal the artistry of glass-workers in the ancient world. The necklace is held by the Getty (object number 2003.259)

Image of a necklace made of glass beads with faces on them.

Image of a necklace made of glass beads with faces on them.
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✨Mars, the god of war ✨

Ancient frescoes hint at the sometimes delicate colouration of statuary. There are polychromatic elements to the cloak and helmet of Mars, but he does look very pale compared to the depictions of gods, heroes, and humans in contemporaneous frescoes. The pale hue suggests this is a depiction of a statue of Mars rather than Mars in the divine flesh.

Description from World History Encyclopaedia: ‘Mars, the Roman god of war, is painted standing on a plinth in this fresco from Pompeii. In a typical pose, he has a spear, shield and crested helmet. (House of Venus, Pompeii).”
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✨Saturnalia Season✨

Bring out the fancy lounges and the best crockery, it’s time to feast!

May your festivities look something like this with drinking horns (rhytons), fabulous hair nets, and delightful tripod tables.

Fresco from Herculaneum depicting a Roman banquet. A woman and man, both nude from the waist up, recline on a dining lounge. The woman wears a hair net while the man holds a drinking vessel up high. They are attended by a woman who is likely an enslaved person. This fresco is held by the MAN Napoli, inv. 9024.
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✨Diana and Callisto✨

Callisto was one of the followers of Diana (Artemis) but when she fell pregnant after an encounter with a god (no prizes for guessing who this was), she was expelled from the group. Virginity was highly prized by Diana and even though some accounts suggest Zeus (Jupiter) appeared to Callisto in the form of Diana, the pregnancy gave lie to all appearances. Things get worse for Callisto though. When Hera (Juno) discovered what her husband had been up to she took her feelings out on Callisto and transformed her into a bear.

This stunning mosaic comes from Villelaure (south-east France). The central scene is thought to depict Diana and Callisto together. This central panel is surrounded by a substantial border showing hunting scenes. This border is then surrounded by a series of geometric borders including knot patterns. This piece is held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Phil Berg Collection (M.71.73.99).
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✨Caracalla’s athletes✨

Among the decorations of the Baths of Caracalla is s sequence of mosaics depicting athletes either in full length portraits as seen here of facial portraits in more square frames. The fascination with the bodily prowess of the athlete comes to the fore in such moments. Today these mosaics are held in the Musei Vaticani collections.

In this image the athlete is named as Jovinus Salumnus. He is nude as befits a wrestler in competition. He holds a palm leaf in one hand and a wreath/crown in the other. His stance is contrapposto.
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🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃

May the spirits be settled and placated and the night sit lightly upon you. This blackbird is our pick for and

From Pompeii, the blackbird perches on the handle of a beautiful urn against a green backdrop.
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😴Hypnos, the personification of sleep💤

We’re celebrating all the delights of restful slumber with this beautiful bronze head of Hypnos (not sure about where the rest of the body may be!). Hypnos’ has a twin brother Thanatos and both these likely characters were thought to be the sons of Nyx (Night) and to live in the underworld with Hades!

Description from the BM: “Bronze head from a statue of Hypnos. Wings are shown sprouting from his temples, and his hair is arranged into a series of locks, some falling freely, others tied in a knot at the back of the head. Museum number: 1868,0606.9. © The Trustees of the British Museum.“
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💃Bring on the weekend, Pompeii style 💃

These dancing maenads are here to invite you to join in a Bacchic rite or two as part of the culmination of the week. These gorgeous figures were part of the Villa of Cicero in Pompeii.

Description: Wall painting fragments with dancing maenads, first quarter of the first century CE, Villa of Cicero, Pompeii. Held by the Museo Archeologico Nazionale de Napoli, inv. 9295. The four figures are each dressed in diaphanous gowns in pastel shades of blue, pink, green, and yellow. The one to the far left holds a patera while the figure next to her holds a platter on her head while also holding a thyrsus.
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🐇A Roman charioteer for the ages 🦆

What do good rabbits do in their spare time? Why it’s duck chariot racing! Purported to have been found at Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli, this scene sets the stage for great animal rivalries on the chariot racing circuit!

The mosaic panel shows a rabbit as charioteer, holding the reins while two ducks pull the chariot. The rabbit’s look of fierce determination is evident. The scene is framed by a simple geometric border with decorative diamond elements in each corner and a red oval in the middle top and middle bottom.
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🌸Flora in the springtime🌸

As the weather starts to warm up for the springtime here in the Antipodes, we’re celebrating with this gorgeous fresco panel from Villa Ariadne, Stabiae. Now held in the MAN Napoli, the verdant greens and the fresh foliage are a hint at the riches of summer to come.

The fresco panel shows a female identified as Flora who faces away from the viewer. She holds a cornucopia in one hand and reaches out to pick a flower with the other hand. She is dressed in gowns of gold, pastel blue, and cream and seems to be wearing a diadem. The background is a rich green.
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It’s and we’re taking a dip in the sea to freshen up with this marine life mosaic from Pompeii. This intricate mosaic is so detailed that it’s possible to identify the different species including the central tussle between an Octopus vulgaris (common octopus) and a Palinurus vulgaris (European spiny lobster).

This gorgeously detailed piece shows a section of sea completely dominated by marine life of different types including fish, eels, and cephalopods. It was found in a house in Regio VIII.2.16 at Pompeii and is now held by the MAN Napoli (inv. 120177).
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🏛️The so-called Tellus panel of the Ara Pacis🏛️

The Ara Pacis Augustae was one of the significant structures that emerged under Augustus’ rule and the highly allegorical ‘Tellus’ panel is a testament to the artistry that went into the construction.

The second version of the panel is a posited reconstruction of how it might have looked like when originally completed, painted to bring the scene to life. Other reconstructions use much more saturated colours which may also be plausible.

The second version of the panel is a posited reconstruction of how it might have looked like when originally completed, painted to bring the scene to life. Other reconstructions use much more saturated colours which may also be plausible.
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This we travel metaphorically to the Bardo Museum in Tunis to see this beautiful marine scene with what looks to be a goddess holding a rope. I’m not familiar with this iconography, but have seen this scene repeated in other mosaics, so if you know what’s going on here, I’d love to learn more.

Mosaic shows a marine scene populated by various fish, shellfish, and what looks like a bull in the lower left corner. Two angry looking dolphins appear to swim near the central figure, a goddess nude except for jewellery and holding a substantial rope.
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💜The embracing emperors💜

Diocletian and Maximian are shown in unified leadership of the Roman empire this . Both have stepped down from their chariots to greet each other.

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Details from Mark B. Abbe, Tuna Şare Ağtürk 2019. “The new corpus of painted Imperial Roman marble reliefs from Nicomedia: a preliminary report on polychromy” Techne 48: “Having both descended from their flanking purple chariots, for all of their similitudo,they are clearly and emphatically differentiated, not only in their standing height and the height of their flying Nikai, but also, conspicuously, in their hair color: the taller, elder greeting emperor at left (Diocletian) has a light gray brown color, while the emperor at right (Maximian) has a remarkably different red hue.”
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⭐️Chiron and Achilles⭐️

Statius’ incomplete epic poem the Achilleid explores the paternal and pedagogical relationship between Chiron and Achilles. In this fresco from Herculaneum, we witness Chiron guiding Achilles’ education with the lyre.

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Image description: The centaur Chiron teaching Achilles how to play the lyre. They appear to be in an opulent room with decorative mouldings on the walls and a bright turquoise floor. The fresco is now held in the MAN Napoli.
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Roman terracotta plaque with a griffin attended by a Hyperborean priest.

This we dive into Greek myth via Roman representation. A lion griffin with horns appears to be drinking from a dish offered by a male figure thought to a priest.

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Description from the Met: “In Greek mythology, griffins—hybrid beasts combining the features of a lion and an eagle—were fearsome creatures who guarded rich deposits of gold on the peaks of the Rhipaion mountains of Scythia in northeastern Europe. They fought constantly with the Arimasps, a tribe of mythical one-eyed men who dwelt at the foot of the mountains. In the unusual scene on this Roman terracotta plaque (08.258.31), however, the horned lion-griffin appears almost tame, playfully pawing the knee of a male figure while lapping up the liquid he pours into a bowl. The relief most likely depicts a Hyperborean priest attending to the griffin of Apollo; a monumental tripod of the god stands behind him. Hyperborea, literally "beyond the north wind," was a land of eternal spring to the north of the Rhipaion mountains that was ruled by priests of Apollo. The deity vacationed there during the winter months, by some accounts traveling to the mythical realm on a griffin.”
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This we step back in time to the Villa of Mysteries at Pompeii. And boy did these ladies know how to cut loose in the lead up to a weekend! From almost nude stretching to seeking the comfort of friends, this Bacchic rite has it all.

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Image description: one lady sits while another with breast and hip exposed seeks refuge in the first one’s lap. Next to them are two ladies standing up. One has her back to the viewer revealing her nudity though she has some fabric looped over one shoulder. Another lady stands behind her and seemingly holds a thyrsus - a ritual object associated with Bacchus. The fresco dates to c. 50 BCE.
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🍆Just swinging in the breeze

That’s right, it’s and our offering is this bronze beauty. Part man, part phallus, all ready to run up your good fortune. Most likely used as a Tintinnabulum, we hope this artefact at least chimed with good taste.

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Image description: a Roman bronze tintinnabulum shaped as a phallus with the legs of a person apparently running through the air. It also seems to have had wings, it’s own phallus, and maybe even a tail. Dating from the C1st–C2nd CE, it is held by the Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany. Photo credit to Gary Todd via Flickr.
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☀️Hemera, the personification of day ☀️

This we head to the Sebasteion of Aphrodisias and the depiction of Hemera whose cloak fans out in a brilliant display of velificatio. In the context of this Roman era monument, the pairing of Hemera with her mother Nyx (Night) perhaps in a iconographical suggestion of the eternity of Rome.

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A detailed relief of Hemera standing front on to the viewer. What she held in her left hand is unclear. In her right hand she holds up the billowing folds of her gown. Her hair sits down to her shoulders and there’s damage to her face obscuring her original features. Held by the Aphrodisias Museum.
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Phrixus and Helle escape the murderous plot of their stepmother Ino with the aid of a flying golden ram. The myth goes that the ram was sent by their mother, Nephele.

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This fresco panel from Pompeii shows Phrixus and Helle trying to escape their stepmother by crossing the sea between Europe and Asia on a flying golden ram. The fresco dates the C1st CE and is now held by the MAN Napoli. Photo credit to Carole Raddato.
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🌟Brand New Episode – Camillius’ Conniptions🌟

Is Camillus learning how to keep a low profile? He is praised from his success over the Faliscans (and their schoolmaster) and he doesn’t rush for a triumph this time. But the challenge remains, that Camillus’ forgotten vow to Apollo might be about to come back to bite him…

https://partialhistorians.com/2025/07/10/episode-163-camillius-conniptions/

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Image: Marcus Furius Camillus has the schoolmaster of the Falerii flogged by his pupils. Drawing by Cornelis Troost, dating to 1741 and held by the Rijks Museum, object number: RP-T-1916-29.
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The so-called Ara ‘Casali’ is thought to date to the C2nd CE, but the inscription of Titus Claudius Faventinus, which appears within an oak wreath on the front, is thought to be the result of a later C3rd CE reworking.

The face of the altar depict Ares and Aphrodite in chains before Hephaestus, Helios's chariot; on the back: legend of the origins of Rome; on the left side: dragging of Hector's body, procession of offerings; on the right side: judgment of Paris, duels.

🏛️ Museo Pio-Clementino, Musei Vaticani, Vatican, Rome. MV.1186.0.0. Photo credit to Nick Thompson via Flickr

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The face of the altar depict Ares and Aphrodite in chains before Hephaestus, Helios's chariot; on the back: legend of the origins of Rome; on the left side: dragging of Hector's body, procession of offerings; on the right side: judgment of Paris, duels. 🏛️ Museo Pio-Clementino, Musei Vaticani, Vatican, Rome. MV.1186.0.0. Photo credit to Nick Thompson via Flickr
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It’s and our pick is this sarcophagus from the C3rd CE, which depicts (among other things!) the epic show down between the Amazon warrior Penthesilea and the Greek hero Achilles. Sadly we know how this tale ends…

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Description from the World History Encyclopaedia: “A detail from a 3rd century CE Roman sarcophagus showing the amazon Penthesilea and the Greek hero Achilles in a scene from the Trojan War. Achilles was said to have fallen in love with the amazon at the very moment he killed her with his spear. (Vatican Museums, Rome). Credit to Mark Cartwright.”
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🌟 Down with the king! 🌟

Rome’s birthday can only mean one thing, Romulus and Remus are on everyone’s mind. Tired of thinking about the Roman empire? We’ve got your back, take a change of scene with the Roman regal period. A time of myth and legend (as they’d say in the opening of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), and a time of remarkable tales of Rome’s earliest history according to them!

Check out the link in our bio for where you can pick up a copy of our foray into Rome’s early history: “Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome” 🥳

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Image two provides a description of “Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome”: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was founded by a king (in the Latin ‘rex’) - or so the Romans believed. Over time, the kings of Rome became more confident in their powers, more brazen in their ambitions, and eventually Rome rejected them. Who were these kings, so powerful and so fearful that Rome refused to ever let another man take up the title? In ‘Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome’ we find out!

Image two provides a description of “Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome”: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was founded by a king (in the Latin ‘rex’) - or so the Romans believed. Over time, the kings of Rome became more confident in their powers, more brazen in their ambitions, and eventually Rome rejected them. Who were these kings, so powerful and so fearful that Rome refused to ever let another man take up the title? In ‘Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome’ we find out!
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In exciting news, Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire is getting a dedicated Australian distributor! We’re super excited to know our tome – tiny in size but packed with detail – will be circulating freely throughout the great southern land 🥳 It’s like Christmas all over again 😅

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https://newsouthbooks.com.au/books/your-cheeky-guide-to-the-roman-empire/

Dr Rad and Dr G wearing Christmas hats and smiling. Dr Rad is holding up our first book ‘Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome’ and Dr G holds up ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’.
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Have you read our latest book? Your thoughts could help others discover this gem. We’d love to read your review over on Good Reads or even 👀 Amazon.

If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, we recommend these tales the Romans wish you didn’t know about them. They’re just a bit cheeky 😉

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An image that shows the front cover of ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ on the left and an illustration of an ancient scroll on the right. The text in the centre reads ‘Our book plus your review equals a match made in heaven!).
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We’re very excited because our book is coming out soon! Full of thrills, spills, and woes, this is your guide to some of the more cheeky parts of ancient Rome.

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In the upper register, the Capitoline She-wolf with the twins sits behind a Renaissance illustration of the Graces, with the central bum prominent. Adjacent text reads ‘Looking for a little *cheek* with your Roman Empire?’. Lower register shows the cover of our new book entitled ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ with adjacent text that reads, ‘We’ve got your covered!’.
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Excited for Jenny’s upcoming novel set in the Late Roman Empire! If you enjoy the Ancient History Fan Girl podcast, this is definitely worth checking out.

There’s Romans, imperial politics, and a dash of Visigoths to enjoy 🥳

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Cover for the novel ‘Enemy of my Dreams’ by Jenny Williamson. The colour scheme is black, white, and orange with ancient Roman style motifs. Text surrounding cover reads: "A romantic romp through the ashes of a dying empire" - Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros. Release date: February 4th 2025
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‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ comes out in November.

Here’s one of the chapter titles and topics to tantalise your imagination.

Preorders are open! We’d absolutely LOVE it if you enjoyed this book as much as we enjoyed writing it ✨✨✨

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https://ulyssespress.com/books/your-cheeky-guide-to-the-roman-empire/

Text reads CHAPTER 7: SCANDALS IN SANDALS: The Troubled Times of Catiline; Julia and Julia; Galla Placidia's Big Fat Gothic Wedding
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Brace yourselves, dear listener, our interview with @LJTrafford is coming out on general release later this week! Who were the worst Roman emperors? We were keen to see just how badly some performed and we reckon you’ll love this book too📕

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Book cover for ‘Ancient Rome’s Worst Emperors’ by L J Trafford juxtaposed against a portrait of Dr Rad and Dr G being silly in costume.
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Our new book ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ has been getting a good spit and polish. We’ve been busy working with the editorial team at Ulysses Press to finalise all the gritty details about Rome from love in unexpected places to military outings that could have gone better!

Pre-orders are open and mean a lot, if you’re keen to take a wild ride through some of the best and worst bits of ancient Rome, this book is for you!

https://ulyssespress.com/books/your-cheeky-guide-to-the-roman-empire/

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Book cover for ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ with a black background and a variety of illustrated sculptures, vases in bright colours.
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We’re busy right now combing over the manuscript for ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ and that means checking our sources.

Good news is we have a paparazzo on our tail who caught us in the act.

Pre-orders are open 💋

https://ulyssespress.com/books/your-cheeky-guide-to-the-roman-empire/

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Dr Rad and Dr G holding sauce bottles while laughing and being silly.
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