5,133 words
Part 2 of 2 (Part 1 here)
Nero was only 16 when he became Emperor. His coming to power had nevertheless been enabled by several murders and/or suspiciously timely deaths. Claudius may or may not have died accidentally, but Narcissus, who favored Britannicus and the Senator Silanus, were poisoned almost certainly on the orders of Nero’s mother. (more…)
1,597 words
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the flamboyant leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, launched a coup against the Russian government on June 23, 2023 which began after he broadcast a video message over social media. (more…)
Theodoros Pelecanos, Ouroboros (1478)
Theodoros Pelecanos, Ouroboros (1478)
6,611 words
Part 1 of 7 (Part 2 here)
One of the most startling historical truths is that Europeans invented the writing of history as “a method of sorting out the true from the false,” as a conscious search for a rational explanation of the causes of events, while rendering the results of their investigations in sustained narratives of excellent prose. The other peoples of the world, including the Chinese who maintained for centuries a tradition of chronological writers, barely rose above annalistic forms of recording the deeds of rulers or the construction of genealogies devoid of reflections on historical causation. This would not have been judged a controversial view a few decades ago. (more…)
Artist’s impression of Eleven as a child. Image credit: Wise Snail Art.
Artist’s impression of Eleven as a child. Image credit: Wise Snail Art.
2,126 words
I recently finished watching the very popular Netflix series Stranger Things, and was impressed with the character of Eleven. She is a girl who comes from a difficult background and is gifted with exceptional abilities. I was particularly interested in the contrast between her mindset and that of others who have similar skills, as this is relevant to our situation today.
Eleven was kidnapped at birth by a scientist, Dr. Brenner, who runs a lab in which he studies children with strange powers. (more…)
1,125 words
“Every act of beauty is a revolt against the modern world. “
Rome has stuck to the rule of releasing a new album every year. 2019 was no exception, and the band delighted some of us with the album Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro — some, because some will lose their illusions about the band after reading my article. (more…)
J. M. W. Turner, Vesuvius in Eruption, 1817-20
J. M. W. Turner, Vesuvius in Eruption, 1817-20
6,722 words
It was the summer of 79 AD. The celebrated naturalist and Roman navy admiral Pliny the Elder sat on an outcrop and looked toward the western sea, lit with the fires of a setting Sun as if he was taking stock of a life well-lived, and the once-and-future prospects of his beloved country. To the east, also set briefly ablaze like a torch in the purpling sky, he could see Vesuvius: reliable, peaceful Vesuvius. (more…)
5,813 words
About a week ago a young black employee brought back news from the ghetto (colored folks are now the only reliable and honest sources left when it comes to these sorts of adventures). Earlier that afternoon, “authorities” had placed her high school on lock-down. A student had marched through the front doors with a gun and then began shooting up the place. Only notoriously bad black marksmanship prevented the school from becoming an abattoir. He then turned and fled, hiding somewhere inside the building (supposedly). (more…)
Illustration from J. N. Dolfen’s Darkness Over Cannæ (2020).
Illustration from J. N. Dolfen’s Darkness Over Cannæ (2020).
7,819 words
And I have in mine owne bowels made my grave, That of all nations now I am forlorn, “I was that citie that the garland wore . . . delivered unto me By Romane victors, which it wonne of yore; Though not at all but ruines now I bee, And lie in mine owne ashes, as ye see.”[1]
Scipio’s Tears, Scipio’s Oath
There was that memorable scene, played again and again in every age. That vision of ruin at the moment of triumph. So did Napoleon later look out on the vale leading down to the Olomouc Road and see that the hunt after honor had reared a trophy for “devouring death.” (more…)
1,019 words
For a while now, I’ve found that I cannot bring myself to enjoy new films, new TV shows, and other new media, not only due to the active war on whiteness waged therein. I expected Netflix’s Barbarians to be no different, but people were talking it up and I was having trouble sleeping, so I thought, what the hell. I wasn’t quite prepared for what I saw. This may be the first series that I have, as the kids would say, binge-watched. (more…)
3,395 words
Mike Duncan
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
New York: Public Affairs, 2017
If the United States is anywhere on the Roman timeline, it must be somewhere between the great wars of conquest and the rise of the Caesars. (more…)
1,182 words
1,182 words
Rome is the project of Luxembourgish multi-instrumentalist Jerome Reuter. Genre-wise, one could call Rome “neofolk,” if one assumes that “neofolk” as a genre simply describes reedy guitars and deliberately vague attempts at mysticism. That describes the music of Rome to a T, a project that attempts to synthesize the often-complicated (more…)
1,633 words
1,633 words
It is often difficult to identify the period of history you are currently living in. Yet there are certain events that give you the feeling that life as you know it will never be the same again. (more…)