All πΈ photos by me. | Telling history through art. Different angles of ancient & some medieval ruins & pieces. | Creator of The Cobra Effect Podcast.
Joined July 2024
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2,267 Photos and videos
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29 Apr 2025
1/ By the 1st century AD, approx. 800k inhabitants lived in the "Eternal City." The imperial grain dole went to 200k of them every month. This was a logistical nightmare for the port city of Ostia.
The solution? The Harbour of Claudius.
A feast to the eyes, 𧡠of πΈ below!
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Always happy when I see my name on the big screen.
Oscar Isaac as the Roman governor Orestes, in the 2009 movie βAgoraβ.
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Enjoy the details of this Sasanian sword's fittings in 15 close-up πΈ. An exceptional piece for a great Sunday!
1/10 For 26 years, the "Last Great War of Antiquity" devoured the men and resources of the Sasanian and Eastern Roman Empires.
It was during these years, from AD 602β628, that this magnificent Sasanian gold sword fitting was made.
Let's see it in 15 πΈ. By me.
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1/10 For 26 years, the "Last Great War of Antiquity" devoured the men and resources of the Sasanian and Eastern Roman Empires.
It was during these years, from AD 602β628, that this magnificent Sasanian gold sword fitting was made.
Let's see it in 15 πΈ. By me.
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9/10 Also at the Smithsonian, this Sasanian plate below depicts Shapur II (309 β 379 AD) hunting wild boars. You can see his crown and sword fitting here, although the angle of his scabbard is not diagonal,
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10/10, as the Sasanians adopted this sword-suspension style from the Central Asian Hephthalites in the early fifth century.
Perhaps this sword belonged to a Shahanshah or a high-ranking noble. A testimony to the greatness of one of the greatest empires of its time.
πΈ by me.
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A really unique piece is coming up soon!
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"The odds of survival for a Roman emperor were roughly equivalent to playing Russian roulette with a six-chambered revolver, in which the participant places not one but four bullets, spins the cylinder to randomize the outcome, and pulls the trigger with the muzzle against his head."
This 2019 Nature article, which likely circulated here at the time, is still worth sharing. From Augustus (27 BC) to Theodosius (AD 395), 62% of Roman emperors met a violent "kaput." A percentage that increased later in time for Western emperors until the last one, Julius Nepos, was killed in AD 480.
nature.com/articles/s41599-0β¦
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Visuals of the Ancients retweeted
If you like HISTORYβ¦
Follow:
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@UpdatingOnRome
@visualsancients
@HistoriaJack
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We got a sequel of this boring guy while Xenophon's Anabasis still awaits. π’
Jun 10
First look at Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg in βTHE SOCIAL NETWORKβ sequel.
The film follows an engineer who becomes a whistleblower on Facebook's most guarded secrets.
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Here's Constantine the Great, one of my favorite sets of photos I have taken.
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Visuals of the Ancients retweeted
1/7 During the reign of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180), Alexandria, the second-largest city in the Roman Empire, almost fell to a rebellion.
Let's take a look at this marble bust, the forgotten Bucolic War, and an act of cannibalism!
πΈby me at The Art Institute of Chicago.
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New page from a friend about the Greek world just dropped folks! Worth the follow.
Welcome to @HellenicHist0ry !
A page dedicated to Greek history from the might of the Mycenaeans to the inimitable dominion of Alexander the Great and beyond!
Join me as we explore the past together!
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1/7 During the reign of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180), Alexandria, the second-largest city in the Roman Empire, almost fell to a rebellion.
Let's take a look at this marble bust, the forgotten Bucolic War, and an act of cannibalism!
πΈby me at The Art Institute of Chicago.
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6/7 Later on, these rebels "came near capturing Alexandria." This is no small achievement! Alexandria was the second-most populous city in the empire and the main port city, supplying grain to Rome.
The reason for this rebellion was excessive Roman taxation during times of economic strain caused by the Antonine Plague and insufficient Nile flooding to irrigate the land.
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7/7 But Alexandria did not fall, and Marcus Aurelius emerged victorious from the Marcomannic Wars.
Forced to fight, here's the Stoic philosopher-emperor in full military dress: the cuirass and the paludamentum, the royal cloak pinned to his right shoulder.
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