AskHistorians

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Scientists recently authenticated several 3rd century Roman coins showing an otherwise-unattested emperor Sponsian. If he did in fact exist, what was his likely fate?	441
Was homelessness a major issue in large ancient cities like Rome or Constantinople?	51
The Greens and Blues were opposing groups of chariot racing fans in Roman Constantinople who instigated numerous large-scale riots. Why did the emperors continue to tolerate them, especially after major events like the Nika riots where they nearly brought the government down?	40
Was homelessness a major problem in large ancient cities like Rome or Constantinople?	31
Why did Cicero throw his support behind the young Octavian to undermine the considerable power Mark Antony had after Caesar's death? Did he know he was simply advocating one wannabe autocrat over another?	26
Was Julius Caesar really trying to make himself King of the Romans as the conspirators who killed him seemed to think?	20
In the context of the Byzantine empire, when did Romans cease to be "Roman"? How do we create a distinction between a people who often still identified themselves as Romans from the Romans of Scipio Africanus, Augustus, or Aurelian?	18
Ancient peoples didn't have really accurate maps like we have today. How did large empires like Rome divide their lands into provinces without having an easy way to know where those boundaries were?	11
I read that recent scholarship has discredited the idea that the Marian reforms and "mercenary armies" of the late Roman Republic existed at all. So why was the Republic able to conquer vast amounts of territory in a short time period then blow itself up after centuries of relative stability?	10
So the Marian reforms never happened and the "mercenary armies" of Late Republican Rome never existed. How then did the Republic conquer so much land so quickly then destroy itself when in previous centuries it had been relatively stable?	8

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