Augustus
They weren’t all scheming poisoners: the maligned women of imperial Rome
Joan Smith criticises the distortions of Robert Graves in particular, whose villainisation of the empress Livia had no historical basis whatever
The horrors of dining with a Roman emperor
Elagabalus’s suffocating party tricks may have been exaggerated, but Domitian’s sinister, death-themed feasts could be seen as a dictator’s flamboyant threat
Crisis management
When a major crisis strikes in the modern world, the state and international bodies such as the IMF and World…
Performance artists
The PM was filmed introducing his new cabinet by getting them to answer in unison how many hospitals, how many…
Pericles for PM: Boris should forget Augustus and stay focused on his hero
Boris Johnson is a gung-ho classicist. He has supported the subject throughout his journalistic and political career, is a generous…
Symbols of eternity
On the banks of the River Thames in central London, an ancient Egyptian obelisk, known as Cleopatra’s Needle, reaches towards…
Oscar vs Augustus
There was something admirable about the spirit of careful mockery behind the doggy bags on offer to the finalists in…
The emperors of Brussels
As both sides of the great EU debate line up their forces, it is worth reflecting on the implications of…
Foaming with much blood
According to Francis Bacon, the House of York was ‘a race often dipped in its own blood’. That being so,…
On the way to the Forum
It’s strange that tourists rarely visit the most famous site in Roman history. The spot in Pompey’s assembly hall where…
Oaths for MPs
Before taking their seats in Parliament, all MPs must swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen. Mark Durkan, MP…
In praise of the Emperor
Roderick Conway Morris on the influence and legacy of Augustus
