romans – Stephanie Dray

Why Do You Hate Ancient Romans So Much? (And Other Frequently Asked Questions)

February 23, 2012

A few years ago, I was enraptured by the life story of a nine year old Egyptian princess who was taken prisoner by the Romans, dragged through the streets in chains, and yet went on to be the most powerful Continue reading →

agrippa, anti-roman bias, antonia, architecture, augustus, citizenship, concrete, egypt, freedom, gladiator games, government, infanticide, julia, law, lily of the nile, livia, mad emperors, marcella, octavia, organization, roads, romans, slavery, social mobility, Song of the Nile, teenager, turqouise, virgil, water

Dining With A Castillian Knight: Recipes from 15th Century Spain

December 9, 2011

Readers, none of the historical recipes I’ve featured in this series has made me as hungry as this one. Adelaida L de Lower presents a feast that would make such a lovely holiday meal I’m now considering readjusting my holiday Continue reading →

15th century spain, almonds, arab, arab occupation, banquets, barbecued cat, canary islands, capers, caraway, castile of Aragon, castillian knight, catholic church, cereal, christian knight, church, dried, eggs, europe, jewish culture, jews, king fernando of naples, libre del coch, master cook, milk, mirrauste de manzanas, muslims, north africa, oranges, peasants, pickled, porridge, pre-muslim roots, recipes, renaissance spain, rice, roasted apples, roberto de nola, romans, saffron, salted, sauce of roasted apples and almonds, seafood, sumptuary laws, the red ribbon, two lents, visigoths

So-Called Barbaric Nomads & Troublemakers on the Edge of the Roman Empire

November 19, 2011

To the ancient Romans, just about everyone was a barbarian. (Except the Greeks, who gave them the word in the first place, not to mention an inferiority complex to go with it.) Whether it was Blue Picts of Scotland or Continue reading →

barbarians, berber, berbers, cleopatra selene, garamantes, greeks, juba, jugurtha, kleopatra selene, libya, lucius cornelius balbus, north africa, romans, Song of the Nile, tacfarinas

Music in Antiquity: The Real Songs of the Nile

November 8, 2011

When writing SONG OF THE NILE, I spent some time wondering just what that song might sound like. Today we take it for granted that our favorite song can be recorded. We don’t have to hire the band Continue reading →

art, auletes the flute player, choir, cithera, flutes, gladiator, greeks, harp, horns, instruments, isis, kithara, krar, music, mystery, pipes, rattle, romans, sistrum, symbals, synaulia, trumpets