Most of the objectors to Denzel Washington’s accent are men who think too much about the Roman Empire. Here’s how the accent has changed throughout cinema.
Sarah E. Bond
Sarah E. Bond is associate professor of history at the University of Iowa. She blogs on antiquity and digital humanities, and is the author of Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professions in the Roman Mediterranean and the forthcoming Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire (Yale University Press, February 2025).
Posted inBooks
The Enslaved People Who Wrote Down the New Testament
Art history has long concealed the scribes who put swaths of the Bible and early Christian writings on paper.
Posted inNews
New Research Questions the Existence of Early Christian “House Churches”
A new study challenges long-held beliefs about the physical spaces of Christian worship, proving that the emerging religion’s story is not immutable.
Posted inFilm
A Glimpse Into Pompeii’s Terrifying Final Moments
In the last episode of PBS’s new docuseries, archaeologists discover remarkable graffiti and shrine offerings that bring the ancient city — and its extinction — into view.
Posted inFilm
Can Archaeologists Locate Pompeii’s Survivors?
The second episode of Pompeii: The New Dig follows the search for those who escaped Mount Vesuvius’s lethal eruption.
Posted inFilm
New Docuseries Digs Up Pompeii’s Lost Histories
Pompeii: The New Dig on PBS follows a group of archaeologists involved in the largest excavation at the ancient site in a generation.
Posted inOpinion
Discovery of 8,600-Year-Old Bread Gives Rise to Half-Baked Claims
Turkey’s narrative surrounding “the world’s oldest bread” raises questions about how archaeological heritage is used for nationalistic ends.
Posted inArt
The Modern Resurrection of the Antichrist
Since antiquity, periods of political uncertainty have generated spurious proclamations of the Antichrist, from Nero to Taylor Swift.
Posted inNews
Did Archaeologists Discover Pliny the Elder’s Famous Roman Villa?
News that researchers may have found the site where Pliny watched the eruption of Mount Vesuvius epitomizes the pressure to tie discoveries to well-known narratives.
Posted inNews
Unearthed Clay Seals Shed Light on Ancient Roman Archiving Practices
The finding of such a large number of document seals is a window into daily life in the Roman city of Doliche in modern-day Turkey.
Posted inArt
As a History Professor, This Is How I Use AI in Class
Instead of assigning my routine Gladiator review, I asked students to query ChatGPT about the film’s historical inaccuracies.
Posted inNews
2,000-Year-Old Grave of Roman Doctor Unearthed in Hungary
The discovery of a skeleton and medical tools sheds light on the relationship between doctors and metal artisans in antiquity.