“Et tu, Brute? — Then fall, Caesar.” These famous lines from William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, describing Caesar’s death, are how most of us believe it to have happened. Yet, these words may not necessarily have been the last ones said by the dying Roman general. We actually do not know Caesar’s last words. That may have […]
QUESTION: I understand that the Koch brothers bought ancient coins. Is there any truth to that? WJ ANSWER: Oh, yes. William Koch was involved in a very famous case involving the Athenian decadrahms. There was a hoard discovered in Antalya by a television repairman and two other people back in 1984. They found a hoard […]
QUESTION: Why Constantine the Great? Mr Armstrong, Of the 170 or so Roman emperors from 27BC to 476AD only one carries the title “the Great” and that is Constantine(r.306-337AD). Would you have chosen another Roman emperor for this distinction in preference to Constantine? JR ANSWER: Constantine was given the title “the Great” because of his use […]
QUESTION: Martin, Compared to Roman timeline, what year would you say we are in 2019? M ANSWER: It is hard to say. My concern is what comes after Trump. We seem to be between the peak, which was during 180 AD and the dawn of Maximinus I (235-238 AD) who declared that all wealth simply […]
Nero’s Domus Transitoria (Transit House) has finally opened to visitors after 10 years of renovations. Even I have never visited this place despite all the times I have been to Rome. You must descend underground to view the rooms and gardens of the residence, covered over the centuries by other buildings and debris. This was the first […]
There have been discoveries of Roman coins in Japan as well as in North America. There has even been the discovery of a Roman sword in Newfoundland. Now, a treasure hunter with a metal detector uncovered seven Roman coins that washed up on a beach here in the Tampa region. This is strong evidence that […]
QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I assume you would know the answer. Is it true that the women in ancient times were more like Hillary seeking power compared to modern times? JF ANSWER: Yes, I have heard this assertion before. It is only partially true. Unquestionably, the first woman of Eastern culture to act politically was […]
QUESTION: Just curious. Did the Romans ever celebrate their founding of Rome like we celebrate the fourth of July? ZT ANSWER: Oh yes. We seem to have adopted whatever they did as traditions as well. For example, there are nuns in the Catholic Church who take vows of chastity and are in theory married to […]
Delos, First Central Bank QUESTION: Dear Martin Wonder if you have any insights as to the history of the bank clearing process. Was the clearing process created mainly so banks could play games and earn interest with peoples’ money with the reasoning that it was to prevent money laundering? With technological advances today, one can accept […]
Well, we are about to celebrate the feast of Janus for who January is named after and his festival took place on January 9, the Agonium. Some try to argue January was named after Juno. But when the calendar was changed, it is more likely that January is named after Janus and June is named […]
