The Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus, painted by Alfredo Tominz (1890).Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. Let the games begin! September was an exciting time in ancient Rome, because it was in early to middle September that one of the… Read More ›
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August 15 – The Summer Compitalia: Ancient Rome’s Summer Street Fair
Summer Flowers, painted by John William Godward (1903). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Godward_Summer_Flowers_1903.jpg Do you remember the days before the coronavirus pandemic when we could all gather together in public spaces for special events: block parties, concerts, street fairs, etc?… Read More ›
August 19 – The Vinalia Rustica: The Ancient Roman Country Wine Festival
Vinyard in Perchtoldsdorf, Austria. Photograph by Dimitry Anikin (September 9, 2009). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vinyard_in_Perchtoldsdorf.jpg. It’s no secret that Italians love their wine, and justifiably so, for Italy produces some of the best wine in the world. The… Read More ›
July 19-21 – The Lucaria: The Festival of the Sacred Grove
Photo by Jason R. Abdale (June 29, 2018). Trees are wonderful – most people will agree with that. They provide oxygen for us to breathe, they remove pollution and excess carbon dioxide from the air, they give us shade on… Read More ›
April 28 – The Floralia: The Ancient Roman Flower Festival
Get ready for some ancient Roman flower power, dude! April 28 was date of the Floralia, a festival dedicated to the goddess Flora, the ancient Roman goddess of flowers and fertility. Flora was associated with Spring, the season of new… Read More ›
February 2 – The Feast of Ceres and the Blessing of the Seeds
Today is February 2. Most Americans know this as “Groundhog Day” in which, according to their superstitions, a groundhog is able to predict if warm or cold weather will come. The story is that if a groundhog emerges from its… 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 ›
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 ›
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 
