Free Republic

January 25 is the feast day of the ancient martyrs, Juventius and Maximus (sometimes called Juventinus and Maximinus). These two were soldiers during the time of Julian the Apostate and suffered martyrdom at his hands, most likely in AD 363. You may remember from similar posts on this blog that although Julian had a deep animosity toward Christianity, he refrained from enacting a wholesale persecution in the style of Diocletian because he had seen that such methods failed to suppress the Faith and indeed, seemed to enhance its appeal. As a result, Julian had taken a more subtle approach to...

Roman soldiers were present in the area of Kujawy 2 thousand years ago. This is evidenced by discovered fragments of equestrian gear and legionnaire outfits. Many of them were discovered for the first time outside the borders of the Roman Empire, says Dr. Bartosz Kontny. "Among the many donated metal objects there were also numerous fittings made of copper alloy, which turned out to be decorations for equestrian gear and Roman legionaries` clothing, many of them unique in this part of Europe" -- says Dr. Bartosz Kontny from the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, who identified the objects... "This...