Roman

Wall painting from The House of the Faun, built during the 2nd century BC in the Roman city of Pompeii, depicting an erotic satyr and nymph. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

In bed with the Romans: a brief history of sex in Ancient Rome

A fresco from the Villa of the Vettii in Pompeii. Painted before the catastrophic eruption of Versuvius, these frescoes were uncovered from beneath layers of volcanic ash and pumice. (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)

8 things you (probably) didn’t know about Pompeii

Brutus begs his companion to kill him in a 1756 painting by Giacomo Zampa. Having been decisively defeated in battle by Mark Antony and Octavian – later to rule Rome as emperor Augustus – Brutus felt he had little choice but to commit suicide. (Photo by Alfredo Dagli Orti-Art Resource, NY)

7 things that happened in October through history

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor playing Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII in the 1963 film, Cleopatra. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

The 7 best couples in history

A fourth to fifth-century AD Roman mosaic shows a woman spinning. The household was considered a woman's natural environment; the political arena certainly was not. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

6 women who changed the course of Roman history

Top ( l-r) Agrippina the Elder, Julia, and Livia. Bottom (l-r) Messalina and Agrippina the Younger

The women who built the Roman Empire

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An elevated view of Cairo's Old City, which is home to a Roman tower, a Greek Orthodox church and an array of historical mosques and madrasas. (Photo by Getty Images)

Battleground of empires: Cairo in 5 cultures

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Warwick Castle. (Photo by Olaf Protze/LightRocket via Getty Images)

General prehistory

12 historical places to visit on the August bank holiday weekend

Despite popular belief, Gladiatorial fighting was not the most popular entertainment in Ancient Rome. (Photo by Alamy)

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Romans

Augustus Caesar was named named as the principal heir of Julius Caesar. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The bloody rise of Augustus

Beard presents an episode of the BBC's 2018 headline arts series, 'Civilisations'. (Image credit: BBC/Nutopia)

Mary Beard: “I couldn’t give a toss what Roman emperor Donald Trump was most like” plus 3 other things we learned about her

Podcast Website large Mary Beard

Mary Beard’s life in Classics

The last days of Pompeii by Karl Brjullov, dated 1830. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

A big day in history: Pompeii is engulfed by ash (24 August AD 79)

Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. (Loop Images/UIG via Getty Images)

A brief history of Hadrian’s Wall