On this day in AD14 Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, died aged 76 (Part II)
August 19, 2015
Text by Mike Welbourn Image © Mint Imperial In the first part we looked at Augustus’ rise to power. In this second part, we look at his time as emperor. Augustus thus came to enjoy an unassailable and unimpeachably legal pre-eminence. Beyond establishing a long period of peace and stability after decades of civil war, Augustus undertook …
On this day in AD14 Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, died aged 76 (Part I)
Text by Mike Welbourn Image © Mint Imperial In this first part we look at Augustus’ rise to power. In the second part, we will look at his time as emperor. Augustus had risen to power in the aftermath of the assassination in 44 BC of his great-uncle and adoptive father, the dictator Julius Caesar. In concert with Marc Antony, …
On this day in AD306 the emperor Constantius I died in York
July 25, 2015
His troops, rather than await a new leader to be appointed for them, hailed the emperor’s son Constantine as Augustus but it was not until 324 that he would gain control over the entire empire.
On this day in AD138 the Emperor Hadrian died and was succeeded by Antoninus Pius.
July 10, 2015
Coming to the throne in 117, Hadrian was the third of the so-called ‘Five Good Emperors’, who were known for their peaceful and prosperous reigns. Hadrian was also well known for his love of learning and his extensive building works; he was especially loved by the Greeks, who named him as the second founder of the city of Athens because of his many building projects there.
On this day in AD221 the emperor Elagabalus adopted Severus Alexander
June 26, 2015
What prompted the notorious emperor to adopt his young cousin as his heir?
On this day in AD79 the emperor Vespasian died, aged 69.
June 23, 2015
Vespasian had achieved the position of emperor by virtue of being the last man standing in the short civil war that erupted following Nero’s suicide in June of 68 (the so-called Year of the Four Emperors).
On this day in AD362 Julian banned Christians from teaching using pagan literature
June 17, 2015
How do you change the world? How can any individual gain sufficient momentum to overthrow the status quo? Should they rely on violent revolution or peaceful evolution, is it more important to gain support from those at the top of society or to appeal to the majority of those found at the bottom?
Livi Webster reports about her recent research trip to the British Museum
June 5, 2015
“Did you bring your own magnifying glass, or do you need to borrow one?”
On this day in AD107 Trajan celebrated his second triumph over the Dacians
May 26, 2015
What was the nature of this military success?
On this day in AD 337 Constantine the Great died
May 22, 2015
The coin shows the emperor riding a four-horse chariot with the hand of God reaching down.
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