Best 2ND Century
The Golden Ass, also known as Metamorphoses, is a Latin prose narrative attributed to Apuleius, a writer from Roman North Africa, and generally dated to the second century CE. It follows Lucius, a young man whose curiosity about magic leads to his transformation into a donkey and a series of comic,...
The Farnese Hercules is a massive Roman marble statue carved in the early third century CE by the sculptor Glykon, copying a lost Greek bronze original by Lysippos. Discovered in 1546 at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, the sculpture depicts a weary Hercules leaning on his club, which is draped with...
The Tetrapylon at Aphrodisias is a monumental Roman gateway constructed around 200 CE in the ancient city of Aphrodisias, located in modern-day Turkey. This four-sided archway served as an elaborate entrance to the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, the city's patron goddess, and featured intricate architectur...
The Porta Nigra is a monumental sandstone gateway located in Trier, Germany. Constructed around 180-183 AD during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it represents one of the best-preserved Roman triumphal arches north of the Alps. Its scale and intricate carvings offer valuable insight into Roman...
The Oxyrhynchus Papyri represent a vast collection of ancient Greek manuscripts discovered in Egypt. Dating primarily from the 2nd century CE, these papyric texts include religious writings, literary works, administrative documents, and personal letters. Their significance lies in providing invaluab...
Trajan was Roman emperor from 98 to 117 CE and the second ruler conventionally included among the Nerva-Antonine emperors. His campaigns resulted in the annexation of Dacia and territories in Arabia, Armenia, and Mesopotamia, bringing the Roman Empire to its greatest territorial extent, although som...
The John Rylands Papyrus P52 is a small Greek papyrus fragment containing portions of John 18:31-33 and 18:37-38. Commonly assigned to the 2nd century on paleographic grounds, it is often described as the earliest surviving manuscript fragment of the New Testament, although its precise date remains...
Papyrus P52, also called the Rylands Library Papyrus, is a small Greek fragment from a codex of the Gospel of John. It preserves parts of John 18:31-33 on one side and John 18:37-38 on the other, concerning the questioning of Jesus by Pontius Pilate. Often dated to the 2nd century through handwritin...
Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 CE, ruling first alongside Lucius Verus and later alongside his son Commodus. His reign was marked by warfare on the empire's frontiers, the Antonine plague, and the administrative demands of governing a large imperial state. He is also known for the...
The Trajan’s Column dedicatory inscription is a lengthy Latin text carved into the column's reverse face. It recounts Emperor Trajan’s military victories in Dacia (modern Romania) from 101 to 102 CE. The inscription provides invaluable insight into Roman imperial propaganda and military campaigns. S...
The Arch of Trajan stands in Benevento, Italy, as a remarkable example of a second-century Roman triumphal arch. Constructed around 114 AD, it commemorates Emperor Trajan’s military successes and political triumphs along the Via Traiana. The structure showcases Trajanic architectural style and is an...
The Arch of Trajan at Leptis Magna in present-day Libya was erected around 109-110 CE to honor Emperor Trajan's visit to the city. The single-bay arch features elaborate relief sculptures depicting scenes of imperial ceremony and local notables. Leptis Magna, the birthplace of Emperor Septimius Seve...
Hadrian was Roman emperor from 117 to 138 CE and a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. Rather than pursuing sustained territorial expansion, he traveled extensively through the provinces, inspected the army, and strengthened imperial frontiers. Construction of Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain be...
The Limes Germanicus was a fortified frontier line of the Roman Empire, stretching approximately 550 kilometers between the Rhine and upper Danube rivers across modern-day Germany. Constructed progressively from the 1st century CE, it comprised palisades, ditches, earthen walls, watchtowers, and app...
The Library of Celsus is a remarkable Roman monument located in Ephesus, Turkey. Constructed around 117-120 CE, it served as a grand mausoleum and library dedicated to the Roman senator Tiberius Julius Celsus. The impressive façade represents Celsus himself and showcases the extensive collection tha...
The Arco de Medinaceli is a Roman triumphal arch located near the town of Medinaceli in Soria province, Spain. It was constructed in the 1st century AD and features two arched openings rather than the single bay more typical of Roman triumphal arches. The monument stands at the edge of a plateau and...
Hadrian’s Villa, located near Rome in Tivoli, Italy, represents the sprawling residence and retreat of Emperor Hadrian. Constructed during the 2nd century AD, it showcases a remarkable synthesis of Roman architectural elements with influences from Greece, Egypt, and Persia. The complex includes bath...
The Arch of Hadrian is a Roman triumphal arch located in Antalya, Turkey, constructed in the 2nd century AD to commemorate a visit by Emperor Hadrian around 130 AD. The structure features three passageways and remains one of the most intact Roman monuments in the city, which was known as Attalia in...
Dau Pagoda (Chùa Dầu), located in Thanh Khương commune, Thuận Thành district, Bac Ninh province, is among the oldest Buddhist temples in Vietnam. It is traditionally dated to the late 2nd or 3rd century CE and is associated with the Luy Lâu center of early Buddhism in the Red River Delta, where Indi...
The Monumental Arch at Palmyra, often called the Arch of Triumph, was a Roman-period ornamental gateway on the city's main colonnaded street in present-day Syria. Constructed around the turn of the third century, it used an angled plan to connect two differently aligned sections of the street and wa...
Italica is an ancient Roman archaeological site in the municipality of Santiponce, near Seville, Spain. Founded in 206 BCE as a settlement for wounded veterans of the Second Punic War, it later became a highly developed colony. The site is distinguished by its extensive, well-preserved ruins, which...
The Topes of Manikyala are a collection of ancient Buddhist stupas located near Rawalpindi in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Situated in the historic Gandhara region, these monumental mounds date primarily to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD during the Kushan Empire. The main stupa was famously excava...
The Arch of Hadrian is a Roman triumphal arch located in the ancient city of Gerasa, now known as Jerash, in modern-day Jordan. It was constructed around 129 AD to commemorate the visit of Emperor Hadrian to the city during his tour of the eastern provinces. The structure features a triple-bay desig...
The Roman Arch of Medinaceli is a triumphal gateway located in Soria, Spain, dating to the 1st or 2nd century AD. It is distinguished as the only surviving triple-bayed arch of Roman origin on the Iberian Peninsula. The structure was constructed from large ashlar blocks without mortar and features d...
Timgad is a ruined Roman colonial town located in the Aurès Mountains of modern-day Algeria. Founded by Emperor Trajan around 100 CE as a veterans' colony, the settlement is distinguished by its strict orthogonal grid plan, which was modeled on a Roman military camp. Among its most notable surviving...
The Arch of Trajan in Ancona, Italy, is a Roman triumphal arch constructed around 115 AD by the Roman Senate. It was erected to honor Emperor Trajan for his expansion of the city's harbor facilities. The marble monument features a single arched passageway and is noted for its well-preserved state, s...
Septimius Severus was Roman emperor from 193 to 211 and the founder of the Severan dynasty. Born at Leptis Magna in Roman North Africa, he gained power during the civil wars that followed the assassination of Commodus and strengthened the political position of the army. Late in his reign he campaign...
Tipasa is an ancient archaeological site on Algeria's Mediterranean coast, originally founded as a Phoenician trading post and later developed into a Roman colony. The site preserves ruins of Roman forums, baths, and amphitheaters along with several early Christian basilicas dating from the 4th and...
Aquincum was a Roman military and urban center in the area of present-day Óbuda, in northern Budapest, Hungary, on the Danube frontier. After Roman administrative changes in the early second century AD, it became the capital of the province of Pannonia Inferior and developed around a legionary fortr...
The Arch of Hadrian is a Roman marble monument in Athens, Greece, erected around 131 or 132 CE near the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It spans an ancient route between the older city and the area developed under Emperor Hadrian, and its two-sided inscriptions distinguish the traditional city associated w...
