By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 7 February 2025

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 7 February 2025

Alexander of Macedon being a model for Roman statesman went back to the era of the Republic, and this imitatio Alexandri was often expressed by trying to repeat his feat of conquering Persia.
By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 7 February 2025

The first great public warm baths or thermae in Rome were completed in 25 BC, two years after the first Emperor, Octavian, officially became Augustus. For nearly forty years, payment was necessary to access these baths.
By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 7 February 2025

When Septimius Severus became Roman Emperor in 193 AD, his wife, whom he had married in 187, was Julia Domna, a native of Emesa (now Homs), meaning Rome had its first Syrian Empress.