Roman holidays?

My Roman trip!

A ‘holiday’ today means is a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. But the concept of taking a vacation is a recent invention, and has developed through the last two centuries. Historically, the idea of travel for recreation was a luxury only wealthy people […]

How the Romans celebrated spring

Spring (1894) by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, depicting the Cerealia in a Roman street

Spring – awakening from winter sleep, the celebration of new life, blossoms and fertility. In many religions, the revival from the dead and a fresh start.

Until the arrival of Christianity, Easter did not exist as a festival for Romans. So […]

Scenes from the British Museum

Out into the rain this morning on my way to the British Museum to see the Vikings, I walked down Earls Court Gardens and spotted sets of bicycles chained artistically to the railings. I guess there’s nowhere else to store them.

After fairly mundane ride on the Picadilly Line, I arrived at the British Museum, […]