In the ancient Roman calendar, December 15 was (at least according to some ancient authors) one of the main feast days for the sea god Neptune. December 15 could also be called “Equine Appreciation Day”, because it was essentially a… Read More ›
archaeology
December 1 – The Kalends of December
Today is the first day of December. In the minds of some, this day marks the unofficial beginning of Winter, as the Autumn harvests have been gathered in, most of the leaves have fallen off of the trees by this… Read More ›
The Setantians, Volantians, and Carvetians: The Ancient Celtic Tribes of Northwestern England
Introduction I subscribe to several ancient Roman history groups on Facebook, and on one of these, a conversation arose regarding the Celtic tribes of Britain. Specifically, there was a lot of focus on one tribe in particular – that of… Read More ›
History Lecture – “The Great Illyrian Revolt” at the Queens Public Library – January 26, 2021
Greetings everyone! On January 26, 2021, I conducted my first ever public lecture as a historian when I delivered a talk for the Queens Public Library via WEBEX concerning the Great Illyrian Revolt, a massive uprising which took place against… Read More ›
February 1 – The Month of Februus, the Ancient Roman God of Purification
In the ancient Roman calendar, several of the months are named after gods in the Roman pantheon. January is named after Janus, the god of new beginnings. March is named after Mars, the god of war. But what about February?… Read More ›
An Announcement: I’ll be giving a public lecture on ancient Roman history!
Greetings all! I am happy to report that I will be delivering my first-ever public lecture as a historian. I will be giving a talk about the Great Illyrian Revolt of 6-9 AD, one of the biggest, most consequential, and… Read More ›
January 24 – The Feast of Tellus: Ancient Rome’s “Earth Day”
Kissena Park. Photograph by Jason R. Abdale (2017). It’s late January. In New York City, the temperature is cold and raw, there’s ice and snow on the ground, everyone walks around bundled up in Winter attire, and more than a… Read More ›
January 16, 7 BC – The Day that Germany Surrendered to Rome
The date of January 16, 7 BC is important for both Roman and German history. Ten years earlier in the year 17 BC, three German tribes crossed the Rhine and raided Gaul, which was controlled by the Roman Empire. It… Read More ›
January 11 and 15 – The Feast of Carmenta, the Ancient Roman Goddess of Prophesy and Childbirth
The Infant Dionysus and the Nymph. From the Villa Farnesina, Rome, Italy. Will it be a good year for the crops? Are you going to meet the man of your dreams? Should you invest your dinarii in your deadbeat brother-in-law’s… Read More ›
January 3-5 – The Compitalia: Ancient Rome’s Winter Street Fair
Pompeii Street, painted by Eduardo Ettore Forti (1897). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pompeii_Street_by_Ettore_Forti.jpg. The Compitalia was an ancient Roman festival celebrated from January 3-5 in honor of the Lares Compitales, the guardian spirits of crossroads; the name Compitalia comes from the Latin word compitum,… Read More ›
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 
