it was nothing less than a symbol of Rome itself. To Romans, the baths proved that they were cleaner – and therefore better – than inhabitants of other countries. As the Roman Empire spread ...

As the Empire expanded ... she was also a mother and a symbol of death and rebirth. She therefore combined the duties of several Roman goddesses, including Cybele, Aphrodite and Demeter.

More than 1,500 years after its collapse in A.D. 476, the Roman Empire has seen a resurgence in the unlikeliest of settings — social media. Online users, predominantly on the video-sharing app ...