ἀνθρώποισι πᾶσι μέτεστι γινώσκειν ἑωυτοὺς καὶ σωφρονεῖν.
The Carthaginians, having thus been twice defeated, shortly before at sea and now on land, in both cases owing to no lack of bravery in their troops, but owing to the incompetence of their commanders, had now fallen into a thoroughly difficult position. Continue reading ““One wise counsel conquers many hands” – Regulus’ instructive defeat against the Carthaginians”
Trepanation of the skull is perhaps the earliest recorded surgical procedure in history. Continue reading “Trepanation and Roman medicine”
End-of-life decisions remain a complicated problem in the relationships between physicians and the patient’s family, with social and legal consequences which today face all civilised societies. Continue reading “Abandonment of terminally ill patients in the Byzantine era; a tradition from pre-Christian times”
From the fourth century A.D. until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the people of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire participated in a wide range of sports and physical recreations. Continue reading “Sports and Games in the Eastern Roman (‘Byzantine’) Empire”
Most of the reign of Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118) was marked by a considerable amount of confusion in the rural economy with far reaching inconsistencies in the operation of the Byzantine taxation system. Continue reading “The effectiveness of Roman Emperor Alexios I Komnenos’ fiscal policy”
In 395 the two designated centres of government were headed by young emperors: Arcadius probably 17/18, had some experience of imperial administration, though Honorius at age 10 was still a child who wept openly at his father’s funeral in Milan. Continue reading “Western and Eastern Roman Empresses of Late Antiquity”
