Roman Empire

Next May, Airbnb will host two nights of immersive, three-hour gladiator experiences.

Airbnb Plans to Host an Immersive 'Gladiator' Experience in the Colosseum, and Politicians in Rome Are Furious

The short-term rental giant will help pay for the Colosseum Archaeological Park’s educational programs in exchange for use of the monument

Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus in Gladiator II, which tells a heavily fictionalized story of the joint reign of brothers Geta and Caracalla

The Real History Behind Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator II' and Life as a Fighter in the Ancient Roman Arena

The "Gladiator" sequel centers on Lucius Verus, the secret son of Russell Crowe's character from the 2000 film. Both men achieve fame as enslaved fighters driven by their desire for revenge

This tiny Roman gladiator figurine used to be the handle on a folding knife.

Ancient Roman Gladiators Were Huge Celebrities Who Even Had Their Own Merch

A tiny gladiator figurine was used as a handle on a 2,000-year-old copper folding knife found in an English river, suggesting that popular fascination with the ancient fighters reached the edges of the empire

Four plaster casts from the House of the Golden Bracelet were made in 1974.

DNA Evidence Is Rewriting the Stories of Victims Who Perished in Pompeii Nearly 2,000 Years Ago

A new study has shattered historians' long-held assumptions about some of the people who died in Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E.

Researchers performed DNA testing on the bones highlighted in this image.

Archaeologists Are Bewildered by a Skeleton Made From the Bones of at Least Eight People Who Died Thousands of Years Apart

Found in a cremation cemetery in Belgium, the skeleton includes bones dating to the Neolithic period and a Roman-era skull, according to a new study

The gold votive plaque features a Greek inscription dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus.

Archaeologists Discover Engraved Gold Offering to Jupiter Dolichenu, a War God Revered by Roman Soldiers

The votive plaque was found amid the ruins of an ancient Roman fortress. Researchers think a temple dedicated to the mysterious deity may have stood nearby

Users of the Sortes Astrampsychi chose a specific question from a list of 92. Then, they randomly picked a number between one and ten, which, when added to the number of the chosen question, directed them to one of 1,030 possible answers.

To Divine the Future, the Ancients Relied on These Chance-Based Fortune-Telling Tools

Texts like the "Sortes Astrampsychi" promised insights on clients' love lives, career prospects, financial woes and families

One fresco depicts a satyr and a nymph embracing.

Archaeologists Discover Breathtaking Wall Paintings Frozen in Time Inside a Modest Home in Ancient Pompeii

Despite its unusually small size, the newly unearthed House of Phaedra is covered in elaborate frescos depicting mythological scenes

Sculpted monsters, open tombs and dramatic depictions of supernatural combatants make visiting the Sacro Bosco more akin to braving a Renaissance version of a haunted house.

Discover the Mysteries of Italy's Park of Monsters, a 16th-Century Garden Filled With Strange, Colossal Stone Creatures

The Sacro Bosco's meaning is the subject of debate, with scholars alternatively describing the sprawling complex as a memorial, an allegorical site or a tribute to ancient civilizations

This digital reconstruction of the church's now-degraded walls shows its original shape.

This Newly Discovered, Octagonal Building in Armenia Is One of the World's Oldest Christian Churches

The structure—also the earliest of its kind in the Asian country—dates to around 350 C.E.

Archaeologists digging in ancient Fregellae uncovered the region’s oldest known villa

The Roman Republic Quashed a Rebellion So Completely That This City Became a Landfill

Researchers studying the ancient site of Fregellae reveal the consequences of challenging the Roman army

The ring was found on the floor of a Pictish house near Scotland's northern coast.

Volunteer Discovers 1,000-Year-Old Ring on the Last Day of an Excavation in Scotland

The artifact likely belonged to the Picts, who occupied a large settlement in what is now the town of Burghead

Masada is now one of Israel's most-visited tourist attractions.

The Roman Siege of Masada May Have Lasted Weeks, Not Years

New research suggests that the Romans defeated the Jewish rebels at Masada much more quickly than scholars previously assumed

Pieces of the Arch of Constantine came loose during a thunderstorm on September 3.

Rome's Ancient Arch of Constantine Has Been Struck by Lightning

A fierce thunderstorm dislodged marble fragments of the 1,700-year-old monument

The battering ram was once attached to the bow of an ancient warship.

Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Warship's Bronze Battering Ram, Sunk During an Epic Battle Between Rome and Carthage

Found near the Aegadian Islands, just west of Sicily, the bronze rostrum played a role in the last battle of the First Punic War, which ended in 241 B.C.E.

Along with stretches of cobblestone path, researchers found pottery and Roman coins.

A Roman Road Was Hiding Beneath a Primary School Playing Field in England

The 2,000-year-old cobbled pathway was likely built after the Romans invaded Britain in the first century C.E.

Carpentry waste inside one of the Roman-era wells discovered in England.

Two Ancient Wells Discovered in England Suggest Even the Romans Used Trial and Error

After the first well collapsed, the local builders incorporated wooden planks to hold up the walls of the second

The colorful mosaic depicts brightly colored dolphins and fish.

Archaeologists Stumble Upon a 2,000-Year-Old Dolphin Mosaic in England

The Roman-era artwork was likely preserved thanks to a remodeling project in the third or fourth century C.E.

Tourists walk along the Via dell'Abbondanza, one of Pompeii's major streets.

Tourist Carves His Family's Initials Onto a Wall in Pompeii

In recent years, officials have seen a series of similar incidents at Italy's most popular historic sites

This bronze helmet found near Corinaldo, Italy, belongs to the Piceni civilization.

Aristocratic Tomb Discovered in Italy Offers Clues to a Mysterious Pre-Roman Civilization

The burial site, rife with Iron Age artifacts like a chariot and a helmet, likely belonged to a Piceni prince

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