Happy New Year? Um...

Cheers! Drinking contest of Herakles and Dionysos, early 3rd century AD Antioch

Felix sanusque sit novus annus!

In the modern Western calendar, it’s the beginning of the year, a time for renewals and resolutions.I wish you every luck in your health, goals and prosperity.

It was a much more confused picture for the […]

Saturnalia - serious Roman festival or free for all?

The Temple of Saturn, Rome

Saturnalia was one of the most important Roman festivals.

Heavy on feasting, fun and gifts, it was originally celebrated in the early days of Ancient Rome for one day only around 17 December.However, it became so popular that it expanded into a week or even longer, despite Augustus’ […]

Limonum or Lemonum? (Poitiers to you and me)

Funerary goods, Antran (Author photo)

Earlier this week I took an afternoon off and went visiting Romans in Poitiers, about an hour’s drive south of where I live. France is rich in Roman archaeology and you can trip over remains in almost every town even if the experts can’t quite agree the site […]