Roman Empire

When the Romans met the Christians

What was it like for a Roman to encounter a Christian for the first time? As the Empire reached its greatest extent, Pliny the Younger found himself face-to-face with members of the new religious group.

Mamertines: The Sons of Mars

The struggle to control the straits dividing Sicily from southern Italy brought Carthage and Rome head to head. It was a world in which ruthless mercenaries called Mamertines prospered.

Brutus: An Honourable Man?

Marcus Junius Brutus, the man who conspired to kill Julius Caesar, was not quite the friend to his fellow Romans that the legend suggests.