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The Samnites were Italic tribes that migrated from Central Europe to the mountainous area of south-central Italy in the 9th century BC. They later became an enemy of Rome. Even though these tribes shared language and cultural ties, each maintained a level of autonomy in governance and societal organization. They were native to a region known as Sam...

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The domed stone oven – forno a cupola in Italian – is one of those features that people who love cooking often dream of: it’s beautiful to look at, and it makes food taste better.  Lighting it takes time and some patience, but once it’s hot, it holds the heat for hours and creates that perfect environment for making bread or pizza the old-fashioned...

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One of the largest and richest states of its time was the Roman Empire: the only state that could challenge it was the Chinese Han Empire. UNN reports on how much the inhabitants of ancient Rome could earn and how much it costs in modern money, citing a publication in the journal Nature Communications. Scientists compared Rome in 165 AD and the Han...

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Long before the advent of quartz crystals, digital displays, or GPS-enabled smartphones, ancient Romans were already walking around with personal time-telling devices in their hands. We are not talking about watches in the modern sense, of course, yet they fulfilled a strikingly similar role: they offered information, gave their wearer a certain so...

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The arch is one of the most important architectural innovations in history, and while its basic concept may have existed in early civilizations, it was the Etruscans and, later, the Romans who perfected and popularized its use. This seemingly simple curved structure revolutionized architecture, as it allowed for stronger, more durable buildings and...

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