Roman - Getty Images

Roman

Did the ancient Romans wear underwear? The truth is surprisingly complicated

This Roman mosaic depicts Orestes and Iphigenia, with Iphigenia holding a small statue of Artemis — imagery drawn from Greek myth and popular across the Roman world. Mosaics like this often decorated the floors of bath complexes and latrines, where vibrant storytelling scenes enlivened communal spaces.

Ancient Roman culture would be baffling to modern eyes – and their toilet habits prove it

A marble bust of a man

Julius Caesar's hellraising youth: did he really defy tyrants and crucify pirates?.

This 4th-century AD mosaic from Terranova near Tuscolo depicts gladiators locked in combat, capturing the drama and choreography of the arena in late Roman Italy. Even as public spectacles waned in some parts of the empire, scenes like this show how gladiatorial fighting remained a potent form of popular entertainment.

Female gladiators shocked the ancient Roman world — but not for the reason you think

An image of Roman ruins, including tall structures with 6 columns in the background. There is a large curved wall in the foreground

Think you know everything about ancient Rome? These 25 facts will prove otherwise.

This 2nd-century AD mosaic from La Chebba, part of a larger scene showing the Triumph of Neptune, includes a boy gathering fruit — a small detail that reflects broader Roman ideas about health and diet. Fresh fruit played an important role in Roman nutrition, valued for its balance, seasonality, and association with natural well-being.

If ancient Romans didn't understand calories, how was their theory of nutrition so accurate?

This Roman mosaic depicts gladiators locked in combat. Created to celebrate the spectacle of the arena, it offers a glimpse into one of the most popular, and most brutal, entertainments of the Roman world.

Step inside the ancient Roman empire's gladiatorial arenas, and witness 24 hours of shocking violence

Episode 1Roman latrines.

This 3rd-century AD Roman mosaic shows two murmillones — gladiators named Symmachus and Maternus — locked in combat as their trainers watch from the arena’s edge.

Think you know what an ancient Roman gladiator looked like? The reality will make you think again

A day in the life of a gladiator.

This 2nd-century AD Roman mosaic from Mérida’s Casa del Anfiteatro depicts workers treading grapes to make wine. Scenes like this captured the rhythms of daily life across the Roman world, celebrating both agricultural labour and the pleasures of wine culture.

The ingenious Roman invention that sparked the ancient empire’s obsession with luxury

How Julius Caesar's funeral drama fuelled the mob.

This 1st-century BC mosaic from the House of the Faun in Pompeii depicts a tragic dramatic mask, a powerful symbol of Roman theatrical culture. Masks like this were central to performances, allowing actors to embody gods, heroes, and emotions on stage.

Ancient Roman theatre was a powerful weapon of empire, so why were actors' lives so tragic?

Four small terracotta masks in a line. The two in the middle have black hair and beards, one with a white face and the other with an orange face. The ones on either end are plain beige faces.

The making of Rome's monster.

Roman homes: everything you wanted to know.

This bust represents Hannibal, the famed general who led Carthaginian forces against Rome during the Second Punic War. As a descendant of Phoenician settlers, Hannibal embodied the military might and maritime legacy of Carthage.

General ancient history

The overshadowed ancient empire that rivalled Rome with maritime might and an iron fist

Ancient Roman theatre: everything you wanted to know.

A woman with blonde hair and wearing a navy T shirt stands looking up towards the top left of the image. She has a large white earring and stands in front of some Roman ruins

Alice Roberts: “Christianity didn’t invent itself as an empire from nothing: it adapted existing Roman structures”.

This bas-relief fragment from the Ptolemaic period portrays Cleopatra VII, the last active ruler of ancient Egypt. As both a Greek-speaking monarch and a pharaoh, Cleopatra embodied the cultural fusion of Hellenistic Egypt

General ancient history

On the steps of a sacred temple, Cleopatra's feud with her sister came to a blood-soaked end

How Christianity came to dominate the Roman world.

On a green background, there is a sketch of a human pyramid of people in togas, all balancing fruit on their heads, arms and feet

Be neighbourly like a Pompeian.

This floor mosaic from a Roman villa in Carthage depicts a boy hunting leopards

Could today’s kids survive in ancient Rome? Here’s the harsh reality of life as a Roman child

Paint your own pot, like an ancient Etruscan.

Fun, fear and flatbread: childhood in ancient Rome.

In this early 20th-century illustration, Roman Emperor Nero watches the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 from the Tower of Maecenas, said to be singing of Troy’s destruction. Though likely apocryphal, such stories helped shape Nero’s enduring reputation for cruelty and excess.

One of ancient Rome’s most notorious emperors murdered his own mother, and there's a dark reason why

Caesar's funeral drama: anger and revenge after death.

How to wage war like a Roman.

Roman warfare: everything you wanted to know.

Archaeologist Buzz Busby alongside two Roman swords.

A hidden Roman villa? A pair of "remarkable" swords might have just unlocked its ancient secrets

This mosaic from the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily depicts women exercising — a rare glimpse of female leisure in the Roman Empire. (Photo by Getty Images)

Are you healthier than a Roman? These ancient secrets for longevity are still shockingly relevant