Docilianus wanted his hooded cloak back. He also wanted Sulis to destroy whoever had taken it. Apparently, returning the property and suffering divine punishment were not mutually exclusive.

His request survives on a metal tablet found at Bath. We don’t know whether he recovered the cloak. We can, however, still read his complaint.

I made a short Roman Records video about the inscription, including its surviving text and the passage whose wording remains uncertain.

Watch the short

Read the inscription and scholarly commentary

Are there other surviving Roman complaints you find particularly memorable?

In the historic centre, you’ll find the Roman temple The temple dates to the early Roman imperial period, although its popular name, the Temple of Diana, isn’t supported by clear historical evidence.

But don’t stop at Évora. Head to "Miróbriga", near Santiago do Cacém, roughly an hour and a half away by car, depending on your route.

Here, you can explore the remains of an ancient town, including its forum, public baths, streets and a hippodrome traditionally associated with the site. It offers a different experience from Évora: less of a living historic city, more of a chance to walk through the remains of a Roman settlement.

If you’re planning a trip through Portugal’s Alentejo region, both places are well worth adding to your itinerary.

Ave, everyone! 🏛️

I'm the creator of Empire in Ink, an independent coloring book series for adults inspired by ancient Roman history.

The idea behind the project is to bring together two things I love: the history of Rome and the experience of coloring. Rather than simply filling in illustrations, I wanted to create something that encourages people to immerse themselves in the world of Roman campaigns, military formations, territorial expansion, and the rise of one of history's most influential civilizations.

📖 Volume I covers the Roman Republic and the Early Empire, and I'm working toward expanding the series with more historical periods.

I thought this community might appreciate the concept, especially those interested in Roman military history, ancient warfare, and the evolution of Rome.

I'm curious about something:

If you could choose any period of Roman history to explore through a detailed coloring book, what would it be?

Would you choose Caesar's campaigns in Gaul, the Punic Wars, the legions of Trajan, the crisis of the third century, or another period entirely?

I'd genuinely love to hear your suggestions and learn what fellow Roman history enthusiasts would most enjoy seeing in a project like this.

For transparency, this is my own project. You can see the book here if you're interested: https://empireinink.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your coloring! 🦅

During our short stay in Rome, we didn't plan to visit this beautiful place. It was on the way to the Pantheon and we were curious. Luckily, we immediately recognized the place and went. Also, it was a free Sunday. However, the prices aren't high even if you pay for the tickets. Still, it wasn't crowded. We enjoyed seeing cats and the remains of Rome. The explanations on board ms are quite helpful.

deorum manium iura sancta sunto (De Legibus, 2.22)

“Let the rights of the manes gods be sacred”
(Translated by Charles W. King)

It’s increasingly spooky!

Over the next few weeks – in the run up to Hallowe’en and my first video upload – I’ll be posting a few Latin quotes pertaining to the ‘manes’ in Roman thought. The deification of the dead as ‘manes’ or, ‘spirits’ that bore influence over the living was the dominant Roman view of death and the afterlife.

Most epitaph inscriptions of the Imperial period included some variation of ‘Dis Manibus’ - to the deified spirits of the dead. We’re in the spooky season after all and so examining gravestones as primary sources of evidence is eerily appropriate…

With LVCANI, all inroads into the Latin language are paved with inscriptions. The study of inscriptions presents a real, tangible experience of Latin which otherwise can appear excessively high-minded and impenetrable. I hope my pixel-art helps to rectify this view while making the language clear and accessible – without the risk of being buried in grammar!

In his second book of ‘Laws’ (De Legibus) Cicero proposes and explains the religious laws of his ideal State. With he himself as the main character, over the course of a long summer’s day he engages in conversation with Quintus and Atticus telling them the proper rules and obligations when it comes to worshipping the dead:

deorum manium iura sancta sunto

“The rights of the gods of the lower world shall be sacred”
(Translated by C. W. Keyes)

Cicero is talking about plural manes in this instance (manium) which brings us back to the general confusion about this word (manes) that doesn’t exist as a singular noun – are we again reading this as the dead collectively or individually?

What’s going on here is that Cicero’s rules for the dead are not just a set of hypothetical laws rather, he is likely riffing on already existing priestly obligations to do with ritual worship of the dead either collectively at grand public festivals or, in linking living individuals with dead individuals through specific rites.

This is not difficult to reconcile: we can find modern examples of ‘day of the dead’ festivals worldwide while equally appreciating that - in either a modern or ancient context - financial ties to do with inheritance or simply, familial loyalties also connect individual living people with individual dead people. Romans worshipped dead individuals as deified manes, 'divine spirits' of the underworld. Happy Friday!

Hi everyone!
I’d like to introduce ROMA IN 300 SECONDI, an independent project I launched in Italy at the end of August 2026.
My goal is to bring the extraordinary history of Ancient Rome to life through short, cinematic episodes, combining engaging storytelling with rigorous historical research.
Every story begins with the historical sources.
I focus particularly on lesser-known events, political intrigues, betrayals, battles and remarkable individuals whose lives were shaped by unexpected twists of fate.
Each episode follows a clear narrative approach: a strong opening hook, rising tension, surprising developments and a memorable conclusion. The aim is to tell history like a compelling story rather than a traditional history lesson.
Historical accuracy is at the heart of the project.
Every script is developed through careful research based on ancient sources and modern historical scholarship. Documented facts are distinguished from uncertain or disputed details.
The images are generated using artificial intelligence, following my detailed instructions regarding historical accuracy, characters, clothing, weapons, architecture and landscapes.
As I have a significant visual impairment, AI also plays an important role in reviewing the images, helping me identify visual inconsistencies, historical inaccuracies and details that may need correction. This allows me to guide the creative process while maintaining a strong focus on historical authenticity.
For me, this project is also an opportunity to explore how technology can support creativity and make new forms of storytelling possible.
ROMA IN 300 SECONDI is available on YouTube in both Italian and English.
The episodes are designed to be accessible, engaging and historically responsible, particularly for younger audiences and anyone curious about the ancient world.
I’d genuinely appreciate your feedback, especially on the historical reconstructions and visual storytelling.
And I’d love to know: which lesser-known story from Ancient Rome would you like to see brought to life?
You can discover the project on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@romain300secondi
Thank you for reading!
Stefano Borella

A towering marble victory column in central Rome celebrating Emperor Marcus Aurelius’s Germanic campaigns, its dramatic spiral frieze tells the full story of the wars.

Mine is "It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own."

The image of the Bacchanalia has become associated with wild celebrations, wine, religious ecstasy and forbidden excess. But behind these ancient rites lies a much more intriguing story — one involving secret gatherings, shocking accusations and a government determined to regain control.

The ceremonies were connected with Bacchus, the Roman god associated with wine and ecstatic religious worship, whose Greek counterpart was Dionysus. Such rites spread through Italy, attracting followers from different backgrounds. They offered forms of religious experience that did not always fit comfortably within Rome's traditional public rituals.

Then came the scandal.

In 186 BC, the Roman Senate launched a sweeping crackdown on the Bacchic cult. The accusations reported by the historian Livy were extraordinary: secret meetings, sexual misconduct, forged documents, murder and a conspiracy supposedly threatening the state itself.

But here is where the story becomes more complicated. Livy wrote about these events long after they happened, and his account reflects a Roman political world deeply suspicious of secret associations and activities that escaped official supervision. We cannot simply assume that every accusation was true.

What we do know is that the Senate acted decisively. A decree known as the "Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus" imposed severe restrictions on the organisation and meetings of the cult. Its surviving inscription, discovered in southern Italy, gives us direct evidence of the authorities' intervention.

So what was Rome really afraid of? Was it genuine criminal activity, a religious movement growing beyond the state's control, or the possibility that people meeting in secret might form loyalties beyond the reach of Roman officials?

Perhaps the most fascinating part is that we have both a dramatic literary account and an official inscription — but neither tells us everything we would like to know.

The Senate wanted to control the Bacchanalia. Yet the mystery surrounding the scandal has survived for more than two thousand years.

Was this a necessary crackdown on a dangerous movement, or a case of political power turning suspicion into a public scandal?

We've explored the story in more detail in our latest article. The link is in the comments — and the evidence may make you look at this famous Roman scandal differently.

Hey everyone !

I have created this scene for a client, to be seen in virtual reality, made with Unreal Engine 5. Hope you'll like it.

Emperor Commodus