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partialhistorians.bsky.social
The Partial Historians 🏺
@partialhistorians.bsky.social
5.4K followers 3.1K following 2.2K posts
After surviving exposure at birth, these unconventional academics realised they were destined to found the greatest Ancient Roman History podcast! 🏛📯⚔️

📘‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ is out now! https://linktr.ee/ThePartialHistorians
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partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨It’s that Bacchus time of year✨

This hazy time between Saturnalia and the New Year has me a bit befuddled - much like this depiction of Bacchus! Hope these days are treating you well.

#MosaicMonday #AncientRome
This mosaic was found on the Via Flaminia in Rome and is now held by the Palazzo Massimo. It dates to the C3rd CE and the central panel is a portrait of a soft-faced Bacchus wearing a wreath of fruits and looking slightly confused. Photo credit: World History Encyclopaedia.
December 29, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
sentantiq.bsky.social
As we enter into what will likely be another "annus odusseia" here are some resources on Homer and the Odyssey for audiences of different levels and interest

[they are open-access or reasonably priced]
December 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
rogueclassicist.bsky.social
Life, Death, and all the Words Between: Iliad 9 and the Language of Achilles – SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE
sententiaeantiquae.com/2025/12/26/l...
Life, Death, and all the Words Between: Iliad 9 and the Language of Achilles
Book 9 is the first time since the breakdown in Iliad 1 that Homer’s audience gets to see Achilles. A great deal of the action–especially the violence–of the last eight books has been to honor Zeus…
sententiaeantiquae.com
December 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
rogueclassicist.bsky.social
Ancient Warfare Podcast: AWA389 - Rome’s Elite Veterans: Influence, Origins, and End
ancientwarfare.libsyn.com/awa389-romes...
Ancient Warfare Podcast: AWA389 - Rome’s Elite Veterans: Influence, Origins, and End
Listener question from TheSgruby: How important were the Evocati in Roman political and military life? And when do they first – and last – appear in the historical record?   Join us on Patreon &...
ancientwarfare.libsyn.com
December 26, 2025 at 6:09 PM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
Wishing you and yours a most excellent Saturnalia 🥳

youtu.be/52UFtR0-crQ?...
Io Saturnalia - MMXXV
YouTube video by The Partial Historians
youtu.be
December 23, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
brittunculus.bsky.social
'Winter' from Caerwent, Wales (now in Newport Museum) wears a hooded cloak against the cold & wet, maybe the 'birrus Britannicus' mentioned in Diocletian's Price Edict of AD301.

A birrus was worth 6,000 denarii. Price details of Winter's furry mosaic companions in the ALT texts.
#MosaicMonday
📸 me
Hooded cloak from Britannia - 6,000 denarii "Lion, first class" - 150,000 denarii Hare - 150 denarii
December 22, 2025 at 9:59 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
May the power of Medusa be on your side!

This time of year can be one of celebration but it can also be one of sorrow and challenges. Even if your aegis with Medusa isn’t visible, may her strength support you in the days ahead.

#MosaicMonday #Medusa #History
Here Medusa forms the central panel of a Roman mosaic floor that dates to the C1st-C2nd CE. Snakes are part of her hair and even shift across her face as she gazes straight towards you. This piece is held by the National Museum of Rome, Baths of Diocletian, Rome. Photo credit to Carole Raddato.
December 22, 2025 at 10:00 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
We’re not picky, any of these gifts would make our Christmas 😉
Pictured: - The cover of Ogilivie’s commentary on Livy books 1-5, but we’re love commentaries that cover all 142 books - The whole Loeb Classical Library in a (large) bookcase Pictured: - A key to the MAN Napoli (note that the image is merely symbolic and not the real key to the museum). - A volume of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (any and all are acceptable!)
December 20, 2025 at 5:51 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨New Episode - The Gallic Sack of Rome - Part Three ✨

Things are heating up as the Gauls enter the city of Rome itself in our coverage of the dramatic events of 390 BCE.
December 19, 2025 at 8:30 PM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨Saturnalia Season✨

Bring out the fancy lounges and the best crockery, it’s time to feast!

May your festivities look something like this with drinking horns (rhytons), fabulous hair nets, and delightful tripod tables.

#FrescoFriday
Fresco from Herculaneum depicting a Roman banquet. A woman and man, both nude from the waist up, recline on a dining lounge. The woman wears a hair net while the man holds a drinking vessel up high. They are attended by a woman who is likely an enslaved person. This fresco is held by the MAN Napoli, inv. 9024.
December 19, 2025 at 5:55 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨Prepare yourself - it’s Saturnalia time✨

It’s that time of the year! Between the 17th and the 23rd of December (the festival expanded in length over time), Rome became a place of revelry and norms could be temporarily subverted.
Description from the British Museum: “Limestone stela with flat top and relief. Four registers. Above stands a bearded deity (Saturn) holding a "falx" (knife for cutting vines) in his right hand with his left hand is raised to his head. He wears a himition which leaves his chest bare. The bottom part of his body goes down to the register below. He is flanked by Dioscuri who wear belted tunics; their horses face forward. Below this a man and a woman stand in arches on either side of an altar, holding offerings, one hand over the altar. A large basket sits on the floor beside the woman who wears a stylised sleeved tunic and short mantle. The man also wears a stylised sleeved tunic and a mantle which comes across the waist and over his left arm. Below is a man with a bull. He wears a long belted tunic and holds a staff or cattle prod. On the other side of the bull is a figure wearing a long robe with a large basket on his head. In the bottom register are three supporting figures facing front. The eyes of the figures are incised. There are holes at various places on the border and beneath the figure of Saturn.” Inv. No. 125345 © The Trustees of the British Museum
December 17, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
partialhistorians.bsky.social
What do you *mean* we’re not in ancient Rome? Look at that perfect photoshopping. We refuse to believe we’re not in the forum with our Sant(urnali)a hats on and this is obviously where we record all our episodes because this is a nice quiet part of the forum no one ever visits.
Dr Rad and Dr G stand in front of the Roman forum in an obviously photoshopped snap.
December 16, 2025 at 9:21 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
What do you *mean* we’re not in ancient Rome? Look at that perfect photoshopping. We refuse to believe we’re not in the forum with our Sant(urnali)a hats on and this is obviously where we record all our episodes because this is a nice quiet part of the forum no one ever visits.
Dr Rad and Dr G stand in front of the Roman forum in an obviously photoshopped snap.
December 16, 2025 at 9:21 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨Diana and Callisto✨

Callisto was one of the followers of Diana (Artemis) but when she fell pregnant after an encounter with a god (no prizes for guessing who this was), she was expelled from the group.
This stunning mosaic comes from Villelaure (south-east France). The central scene is thought to depict Diana and Callisto together. This central panel is surrounded by a substantial border showing hunting scenes. This border is then surrounded by a series of geometric borders including knot patterns. This piece is held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Phil Berg Collection (M.71.73.99). This stunning mosaic comes from Villelaure (south-east France). The central scene is thought to depict Diana and Callisto together. This central panel is surrounded by a substantial border showing hunting scenes. This border is then surrounded by a series of geometric borders including knot patterns. This piece is held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Phil Berg Collection (M.71.73.99). This stunning mosaic comes from Villelaure (south-east France). The central scene is thought to depict Diana and Callisto together. This central panel is surrounded by a substantial border showing hunting scenes. This border is then surrounded by a series of geometric borders including knot patterns. This piece is held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Phil Berg Collection (M.71.73.99).
December 15, 2025 at 6:44 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨Detail from the Tomb of the Diver✨

Just south of Paestum, the Tomb of the Diver was discovered during excavation work in 1968. The ceiling of the tomb was painted with a scene of a man diving into the water, an unusual scene in a burial context.
This image is a detail from the ceiling fresco from the Tomb of the Diver. The youth depicted as a reddish figure is jumping from a stand made of blocks and is mid-air into a dive into the water below. Plants can be seen growing off to the right side behind the blocks.
December 12, 2025 at 8:36 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨Special Episode - Camillus with Marc Hyden✨

Marcus Furius Camillus was a stand out figure in the early days of the 4th century BCE. And he’s currently very much a feature in our ‘From the Foundation of the City’ series.
Book cover for ‘Marcus Furius Camillus: The Life of Rome’s Second Founder’ by Marc Hyden. The cover art is a painting depicting the scene where an Etruscan school teacher is punished by Camillus.
December 11, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
partialhistorians.bsky.social
💕Venus and Mars⚔️

This terracotta antefix depicts Venus, the goddess of love, and Mars, the god of war, together. The striking detail is the paint residue that suggests a beautiful visual harmony to the piece. Even the covers for roof tiles could be decorated in ancient Rome!

#ReliefWednesday
Description from the Met: “Antefixes are decorative covers for the ends of tiles situated at the edge of a roof. This example, showing Venus (Aphrodite, the goddess of love) and her lover Mars (Ares, the god of war), retains a considerable amount of its painted surface.”
December 10, 2025 at 8:55 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
💕Venus and Mars⚔️

This terracotta antefix depicts Venus, the goddess of love, and Mars, the god of war, together. The striking detail is the paint residue that suggests a beautiful visual harmony to the piece. Even the covers for roof tiles could be decorated in ancient Rome!

#ReliefWednesday
Description from the Met: “Antefixes are decorative covers for the ends of tiles situated at the edge of a roof. This example, showing Venus (Aphrodite, the goddess of love) and her lover Mars (Ares, the god of war), retains a considerable amount of its painted surface.”
December 10, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
partialhistorians.bsky.social
🎄Getting into the Saturnalia spirit🌲

Over at The Partial Historians HQ we’re getting ready for the most Roman time of the year: Saturnalia!

With our fierce warrior, Hamish, the deaf cat by our sides, we’re surely unstoppable on our quest to uncover all the details ancient Rome has to offer.
Dr Rad and Dr G stand together smiling while dressed as sweatshirt Roman soldiers. Dr Rad holds Hamish the cat while Dr G holds a prop gladiator helmet over Hamish’s head. Hamish looks rather unimpressed by the whole situation.
December 9, 2025 at 4:43 AM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
drnwillburger.bsky.social
Fascinating world of ancient #glass: Colourful glass bracelets found in #Egypt, #Roman period, dating 1st century BC to 1st century AD.

On display at Museum der Universität Tübingen.

📷 me

🏺
Five colorful fragments of glass bracelets displayed on a neutral background, each curved piece decorated with raised multicolored dots, eye-like ovals, and striped patterns in blue, white, yellow, green, orange, brown, and red tones.
December 9, 2025 at 10:08 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
🎄Getting into the Saturnalia spirit🌲

Over at The Partial Historians HQ we’re getting ready for the most Roman time of the year: Saturnalia!

With our fierce warrior, Hamish, the deaf cat by our sides, we’re surely unstoppable on our quest to uncover all the details ancient Rome has to offer.
Dr Rad and Dr G stand together smiling while dressed as sweatshirt Roman soldiers. Dr Rad holds Hamish the cat while Dr G holds a prop gladiator helmet over Hamish’s head. Hamish looks rather unimpressed by the whole situation.
December 9, 2025 at 4:43 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨Plato’s Academy✨

This Roman mosaic depicts seven men together outside appearing in conversation. Found in the villa of T. Siminius Stephanus in Pompeii, it is now held in the MAN Napoli.
The square mosaic panel depicts seven bearded men sitting outside in apparent conversation. Pillars, a tree, and vision of the distance are all included in the tableau. The border is an intricate design of theatrical masks, fruits, and foliage.
December 8, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by The Partial Historians 🏺
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨A woman makes an offering✨

This #FrescoFriday we travel to the Villa San Marco in Stabiae to enjoy this beautiful depiction of a woman carrying a tray that has food an implements associated with making a ritual offering.

Photo credit to @chapps.bsky.social ☺️
Description from Wikimedia Commons: “The peplos-clad woman in this fresco is labeled as an 'offerant', which is appropriate since she's carrying a silver offering tray with herbs, food, and other implements to perform a ritual offering to the gods. Found in the diaetae ('day rooms') facing the gardens at the ancient Villa San Marco, in Stabiae.” This artefact is held by the MAN Napoli, inv. 8890a. Image credit to Chapps.
December 5, 2025 at 6:48 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨A woman makes an offering✨

This #FrescoFriday we travel to the Villa San Marco in Stabiae to enjoy this beautiful depiction of a woman carrying a tray that has food an implements associated with making a ritual offering.

Photo credit to @chapps.bsky.social ☺️
Description from Wikimedia Commons: “The peplos-clad woman in this fresco is labeled as an 'offerant', which is appropriate since she's carrying a silver offering tray with herbs, food, and other implements to perform a ritual offering to the gods. Found in the diaetae ('day rooms') facing the gardens at the ancient Villa San Marco, in Stabiae.” This artefact is held by the MAN Napoli, inv. 8890a. Image credit to Chapps.
December 5, 2025 at 6:48 AM
partialhistorians.bsky.social
✨Fertile Min✨

This #PhallusThursday we step away from ancient Rome (briefly) to visit ancient Egypt. Min was a god venerated since the 4th millennium BCE!

Usually Min is depicted as a male figure with an erect phallus and he holds a flail. In later Greek thinking, Min was associated with Pan.
This relief shows Min standing before a well-ordered pile of offerings. Any help with what the hieroglyphs say is most welcome! Photo credit to Carole Reeves
December 4, 2025 at 8:30 AM