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Eunuchs in Ancient China
Eunuchs were powerful political players in ancient Chinese government. Originating as trusted slaves in the royal household they were ambitious to use their favoured position to gain political power. Advising the emperor from within the palace...
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Constantius II
Constantius II ruled the Roman Empire between 337-361 CE. He was the second son of Constantine the Great and Fausta. Constantius was a devout follower of Arianism Christianity. Ruling for 24 years, he was the longest reigning son of Constantine...
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Constantine I
Constantine I, aka Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from 306 to 337 CE. Realizing that the Roman Empire was too large for one man to adequately rule, Emperor Diocletian (284-305 CE) split the empire into two, creating a tetrachy or...
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Galla Placidia
Galla Placidia (388-450 CE), the future empress, was the half-sister of the Westen Roman emperor Flavius Honorius (r. 395-423 CE), and the daughter of Theodosius the Great (r. 379-395 CE). She was taken hostage by Alaric during the sack of...
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Battle of Red Cliffs
The Battle of Red Cliffs (also known as the Battle of Chibi, 208 CE) was the pivotal engagement between the forces of Northern China led by the warlord Cao Cao (l. 155-220 CE) and the allied defenders of the south under the command of Liu...
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Constantinople
Built in the seventh century BCE, the ancient city of Byzantium proved to be a valuable city for both the Greeks and Romans. Because it lay on the European side of the Strait of Bosporus, the Emperor Constantine understood its strategic importance...
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The Mandate of Heaven and The Yellow Turban Rebellion
Throughout history, in order for a government to be respected and obeyed, it must possess some form of legitimacy recognized by the governed. Governmental systems have relied on a number of models for legitimacy, among them the dynastic form...
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Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus
Marble head of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus (r. 305-306 CE) who was the father of Constantine the Great. (Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen)
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Roman Emperor Constantius II
An engraved amethyst ring of Roman Emperor Constantius II, c. 360 CE (British Museum, London)
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Constantius Chlorus (Facial Reconstruction)
A photorealistic facial reconstruction of Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus (r. 305-306 CE), the father of Constantine the Great (306-337 CE). Based on coinage and busts from the reign of Constantius Chlorus.