Ancient History Magazine

Editor-in-chief: Jasper Oorthuys Editor: Sandra Alvarez Image and production editor: Lauren van Zoonen Proofreading: Naomi Munts Design & Media: Christianne C. Beall Contributors: Krisztina Csilla Csák, George Connor, Murray Dahm, Silvia Fogliazza, K

What does it mean to be a citizen? What does it mean to ‘belong’ to a certain place or culture? When we think of citizenship today, many of us consider ourselves ‘global citizens’, i.e., we may hold more than one passport, thanks to our parents we ma

DATING ANCIENT PAPYRI To understand why dating a papyrus is important, it is useful to consider why we are studying antiquity at all. Of course, the main reason is because there is so much to be amazed about, so much to enjoy. There’s nothing wrong w

Rome may have been relatively liberal in the way it awarded citizenship, but it made sure the rules were followed. Pretending to be a citizen could get you flogged, and non-citizens serving as legionaries was a no-no. Marines and sailors in the Roman

Roman citizens had the following rights: » The right to vote » The right to stand for office » The right to make legal contracts and hold property » A complex of rights dealing with situations between Roman citizens and foreign persons » The right to

Roman sources attest to several different instruments for inflicting corporal punishment under the law. They included the whip (lorum), strap (habena), lash (scutica), goad (stimulus), staff (fustis), rod (virga), chains (catenae), scourge (flagrum o

Men had to find a balance between modesty and being too effeminate. Wearing a short tunic that did not reach the knee was seen as inappropriate and typical of slaves. Conversely, covering one’s legs down to the ankles was perceived as effeminate, as

Augustus was assiduous when selecting his attire. As the head of the army, he had to wear patrician shoes, a tunic, and the general’s scarlet cloak, the paludamentcm, which began to be directly associated with the emperor during the second century AD

Romans, unlike Greeks, did not appreciate nudity and tried to be modest in public. Only certain situations justified showing one’s body, such as, of course, going to public baths or practicing sports, and on rare occasions, during a trial, as Manius

Diplomas are extremely formulaic, which makes them relatively easy to recognize and read. Each starts with the name of the emperor and his full titles at the time the decree was made. It then lists the units to which the decree applied. This generall

First, the administrative staff of a unit put together a list of soldiers who had served their time and were therefore entitled to an honourable discharge. The list was then forwarded to the provincial governor, whose staff collated all similar lists

A New History of Old Europe By Johannes Krause, Thomas Trappe (Caroline Waight – translator) ISBN: 978-0593229422 Penguin Random House (2021) – $27.00 www.penguinrandomhouse.com Every one of us carries the history of our species in our genes. Armed w

By Ian Haynes Oxford University Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0198795445 Blood of the Provinces provides readers with a comprehensive study on Rome famous auxilia. These soldiers were not citizens, yet they comprised more than half of Rome’s armies. This boo