Whenever a movie or book has an army, there’s almost always some kind of elite group that serve as the guardians of the leader, whether good or bad. And they’re usually called the Praetorian Guard. The real Praetorian Guard (cohortes praetorianae) was an elite unit of the Imperial Roman army. They were part bodyguard, part secret police, part soldier. Originally, the Praetorians were elite guards …
10 Interesting Facts About Roman Housing
The ancient Romans created magnificent buildings, both public and private. Here are 11 facts you might not have known. Architecture up to this point had yielded buildings that were beautiful, but necessarily on a smaller scale due to the weight of the materials. Roman concrete, the innovation of the arch, and vaulting allowed the Romans to build truly beautiful, massive buildings. As far as …
She is Clothed with Strength and Dignity
In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought we’d learn a little about mothers in Rome in general, and a couple of the more famous mothers. Matrimonium has in it the word mater—mother. The supreme purpose of marriage in ancient Rome was to produce legitimate children—citizens who could serve Rome. Everything else in society revolved around this idea. Women received only a …
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
My next two books take place in the first century AD. I’m sure you know Rome ruled the world then. The Roman Empire is almost a character itself in these books, so I thought I’d share a little bit about it today. Here is the 5-minute recap of 2200 years. Long before the Empire, there existed the Roman Kingdom, starting …
Be Afraid, Be very … No, Don’t. Really.
For Christmas, John gave me this coffee mug. It’s a fair warning. In the last month, I’ve googled daggers vs swords, and how to sharpen a sword blade. Poisoning. Torture. How bruises change color over the days. Alternative medical treatments for deep lacerations. Here are a few of my actual search requests: rome ancient arrest interrogation crime colony duumvir ancient rome imperium death …
Of Mice and Sand
The Negev is a desert covering over half of Israel’s total land area. Rocky mountain ranges are broken by wadis (dry riverbeds that fill after a rain), and three enormous, craterlike makhteshim (box canyons). It is an inverted triangle bordered on the west by the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, and on the east by the Arabah valley. The word negev comes from the Hebrew root denoting “dry.” In the …
The Art (Supplies) of War
I’m a Navy brat, but I’ll readily admit I have no idea how to wage a war. Between writing this book and the next, I’ve learned an awful lot about late Bronze age weaponry and warfare. There are two dates proposed for the Exodus, and therefore for Joshua’s conquest of Canaan. I have chosen the “late date” theory, which …
The Ultimate Kindness – It’s Not What you Think
Like little children, we often dislike rules. But God’s rules show us how much God values us, and His relationship with us. The many laws and regulations in the Old Testament were meant to teach the Israelites the same thing. All the clean/unclean and holy/unholy rules were designed to illustrate that a person could not even touch something that was …
D is for Digging In
There are two things that begin with D that I am very grateful for that I’ve already written about. One is diversity, and the other is Delta jets. There are several other smaller D words I thankful for. One is denim. I love jeans; I hate dressing up. I don’t mind dresses or skirts, as long as they’re comfy. Comfort …
Why Can’t Hallmark Publish My Book?
I love the TV show Castle. I love the mysteries they solve each week. I love the logo, with the pen that slices down into the A, releasing blood, that looks more like a book cover than the opening of a TV show. What I don’t like is the unrealistic way they portray the life of a writer—the way he …