Writer’s Blog

What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

Articles about oddly specific aspects of life in the Roman Empire, which has been living rent-free in my head ever since I played Caesar III.

Roman legionaries in a tortoise formation
  1. Roman officer points at a huge CD-ROM

    Captain’s Blog

    Revisiting Caesar III (almost) three decades later

    Caesar III remains the same game it was three decades ago, but the world — and its expectations — have changed.

  2. Four identical Tetrarchs standing next to each other

    The Toilet Paper

    Portrayal of Tetrarchic rule in the Roman Empire

    For a long time, the Roman Empire was ruled by just one man. This all changed when emperor Diocletian ascended to the throne.

  3. A death metal band member

    The Toilet Paper

    Lead poisoning and death in the Roman empire

    It’s not clear whether lead poisoning led to the decline of the Roman Empire, but it did lead to the decline of something within the empire.

  4. A centurion sets an example by attacking the enemy like a fencer

    The Toilet Paper

    A good centurion is worth their weight in a model

    An agent-based model suggests that centurions in the Roman army had a pretty large impact on the outcome of battles.

  5. A classical building dedicated to the poop emoji

    The Toilet Paper

    Water, toilets and public health in the Roman era

    I’ve been feeling like shit for a while now, so this seems like a good moment to feature an article about literal shit.