Leslie Livingston 
Rome spent centuries fearing kings. The aversion began with Tarquinius Superbus, Rome’s last monarch. His arrogance and abuse of power made Romans swear never to submit to one man rule. The vow proved surprisingly fragile. Over the next centuries, a series of increasingly ambitious men discovered something dangerous: if you accumulated enough military prestige, wealth, … Read more
Commodus’ reign was soaked in blood. It was one long flex. He murdered rivals, purged enemies, and treated mass killing as a policy tool rather than a last resort. The historian Edward Gibbon describes him as having a “disgraced human nature.” The unsettling thing about Caracalla is that he wasn’t obviously insane. He wasn’t flailing … Read more
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Rome ran the experiment repeatedly and often with catastrophic results Sometimes the result was a monster. Sometimes a narcissist. Sometimes an incurious brute or a man who simply did nothing useful. The outcomes varied. The damage did not. After spending far too much time with Roman emperors, I have rankings. Cruelty … Read more
Tiberius was Rome’s second emperor, a brilliant military commander and highly capable administrator. Yet he was utterly detested. He was dour, deeply guarded, and over time became increasingly bitter, suspicious, and isolated. By the end of his 23 year reign, the aging emperor ruled from the island of Capri. Ancient writers claim he spent his … Read more
Hand a hedonistic, dull-witted lout control of the world’s most powerful empire. Make everyone obey his every wish. Surround him with conniving people and sycophants. Let him indulge his fantasies and delusions of grandeur. What could possibly go wrong? As it turned out, nearly everything. Everyone’s seen Gladiator, right? Commodus certainly comes across as a … Read more
Of all the wives of Henry VIII, Katherine Parr may be the one most interesting to modern women and quite possibly the most intelligent. Brilliant, charming, politically astute, and deeply educated, Katherine was a true Renaissance woman whose court became a hub of intellectual and religious debate. History often remembers her simply as the wife who … Read more
The nude has always carried a charge. It can signal beauty, power, vulnerability, seduction, even rebellion. And artists have used it for all of those things. From idealized Greek athletes to Michelangelo’s swaggering David and more provocative modern takes, the greatest nude artworks do far more than show an unclothed body. They test ideas about perfection, desire, … Read more
Amsterdam is a cultural jackpot, absurdly rich for a city its size. Art lovers can move from Dutch Golden Age masterpieces to radical contemporary installations in the span of a few blocks. One moment you’re standing before Rembrandts and Vermeers, the next you’re ogling Van Goghs. They’re wildly different experiences and few cities let you cover that much artistic … Read more
The once formidable Oxford Castle saw sieges, standoffs, and one very good escape story. Now it’s barely there. It stood on Castle Street. Today, you’re left with a mound and St. George’s Tower. The tower began as part of the castle’s church, was later absorbed into the prison, and now sits within a mixed-use complex that … Read more
Oxford University didn’t appear fully formed. There’s no founding moment, no neat origin story. It grew slowly, unevenly, and without much coordination. Scholars were gathering here by the 10th century. But the first purpose built colleges didn’t arrive until the mid-13th century. From there, the place expanded in fits and starts, shaped by wealthy patrons, … Read more