First Punic War | The Death of Carthage

Were the Romans Religious?

June 5, 2023 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

The Romans were strongly religious. They worshiped a variety of Gods and believed that, at times, their gods interacted with humans. They never went into battle without first taking auguries to see if the battle would be favorable to them. They built temples everywhere, and rich Romans would sponsor a temple to whichever god he […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Augustus, Carthage, fetial priests, First Punic War, New Carthage, Publius Claudius Pulcher, publius cornelius scipio africanus, rome, Second Punic War, Seneca the Younger, Vespasian, Vestal Virgins

Quora Question: What Year Was the Rise of Rome?

December 15, 2019 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

Rome didn’t rise in a day, nor in a year. The rise of Rome was a very long process. The Greek historian Polybius explored the rise of Rome in his Histories. In the preface he wrote: “For who is so indolent and so worthless as to not wish to know by what means and under […]

Filed Under: Carthage Tagged With: Ancient Rome, Augustus, Claudius, First Punic War, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Mithradates, Philip V of Macedon, Polybius, Publius Corneius Scipio Africanus, Second Punic War, Third Punic War, Tiberius, Trajan

Book Review: Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert

April 9, 2016 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

The twenty-three year long war with Rome is finally over. Carthage has been defeated and the once wealthy city is depleted of funds. What to do about the mercenaries? They must somehow be paid. The Suffetes decide to appease them by giving them a grand banquet at the property of the immensely wealthy general Hamilcar, […]