HistoryExtra

Your search results

Showing 1 to 30 of 1311 results

History's Greatest Battles: The Roman Empire.

History's Greatest Battles: Roman Empire

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

The Roman emperor Tiberius. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Who are the most underrated Roman emperors?.

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

15 August

Week oneJoining the Roman empire.

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”.

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.

Joining the Roman empire.

Stonehenge, castle and bridge

General History

Do you know all the major periods in British history?

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

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?

Bust of the Roman Emperor Lucius Verus.

The Antonine Plague: the killer disease that devastated the Roman empire

General History

History’s Greatest Cities: Season 4

WW2's Greatest BattlesPivotal moments that shaped WW2.

History’s Greatest Cities: Season 3.

Week fourLeaving the Roman empire.

King George V crosses a river in Nepal, 1912. “Historians have moved the discussion on empire in all sorts of directions over many years,” says Bronwen Everill. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

The challenge of writing histories of the British empire.

A mosaic panel depicting Roman wrestlers.

How the Romans "reversed circumcision" and 5 other shocking medical realities from the ancient empire

The Voynich Manuscript is written in a unique alphabet that has thus far defeated some of the world’s greatest codebreakers. (Photo by Alamy)

History's greatest mysteriesThe conundrums historians want to see solved.

Winston Churchill with his wife Clementine, 1941 (Photo by Daily Herald Archive/SSPL/Getty Images)

Winston Churchill: is he still the greatest Briton in history?.

A portrait of Roman emperor Titus.

Emperor Titus: the underrated Roman emperor that history forgot

Votive altar with relief decoration showing procession of servants

The Invisible Romans: how the brutal lives of the enslaved shaped an empire.

History’s Greatest Cities: Season 2.

The ancient Roman goddess Venus with the gods Vulcan and Cupid, in a painting by Italian artist Sebastiano Ricci (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Roman gods and goddesses: 17 of the most important deities of ancient Rome

German tank at the battle of Kursk, 1943. (Photo by Roger Viollet via Getty Images)

Second World War

The 1943 battle of Kursk: was it the biggest tank battle in history?

Pedro Pascal as General Acacius in Gladiator II

Gladiator III: what could happen in a new sequel, according to Roman history

Who was the greatest President of the United States in history?.

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