Daily Roman History: THIS ONE IS A TWO PARTER. SO, TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR THE SECOND PART. ITS JUST TOO LONG TO FIT INTO ONE. In the Byzantine capital of Constantinople sports were taken VERY seriously. So much so that the supporters of the teams of chariot racers, called demes, were organized enough to project actual political influence within the city. They would yell their position on current issue, from theological reform, to imperial succession, between the races, and the city guard had to co-opt the street gangs from each to help keep the peace. In 531/532CE a number of prominent members from the two biggest factions, the greens and the blues, were arrested related to recent murders. Most were executed, but two managed to escape and claim sanctuary in a nearby church. Wanting to de-escalate the Emperor Justinian I reduced the sentence to imprisonment, but the supporters wanted them freed. When that was refused the Nika riots began. The blues and greens joined into a faction called 'Nika', meaning victory, and even proclaimed their own Emperor, Hypatius. These riots lasted for around one week, and in it 30000 citizens were killed and over half the city burned. They were eventually ended when the blue side was able to be bribed and convinced to leave, with the Imperial army coming in and wiping out the remaining rebels. #history #rome

GOOD MORNING ☀️ #NOSTR Bird of the Day: Snowy Owl The snowy owl is well equipped for hunting; they can see and hear much better than humans. Their luminous yellow eyes have rings of feathers around them that help to reflect sound to their ears. These birds are great judges of distance, which helps them to swoop down on prey with great accuracy. #birdstr #Gm

Daily Roman History: One of the Caesars life long enemies was Cato the Younger, a descendent of Cato the Eldar of "CaRtHaGe mUsT dIe" fame. During the Catalin conspiracy, where Lucius Sergius Catalina tried to overthrow the sitting consuls and seize sole power, Cato was adamant that Caesar, then an up and coming senator, was involved though the evidence was scant. During one such debate on the Senate floor Caesar received a message and began to read in private. Sure this was linked to the conspiracy Cato demanded it read aloud. Caesar deflected, saying while it wasn't incriminating, it was not a message meant for the Senate. Unrelenting Cato seized the letter and began to read it out. True to Caesars word it was not anything malicious, but rather a salacious letter from Cato's half sister, a married woman at the time, whom Caesar had taken as a mistress earlier the year. Once he realized what he was reading Cato crumpled the note and threw it back at Caesar exclaiming "Keep it, you drunk!" #history #roman

#memes Welcome to my life

Bird of the Day: australian owlet-nightjar Owlet-nightjars are insectivores and eat a variety of insects, either during flight or on the ground. In the wild: They are harder to find with a torch or spotlight than most of Australia's other nocturnal birds because their large brown eyes do not reflect the light. They are also very small. #birdstr

Daily Roman History: With the death of King Prasutagus in 60 or 61 AD of an semi-independent kingdom within Roman Britannia he left his realm to be split between his daughters and the Empire. The Empire refused this agreement and claimed the land as their own, afterwards pillaging the land, raping the daughters, and having his wife Boudica, flogged. Using this outrage Boudica gave a speech to her fellow tribes dedouncing the Roman occupation and roused a rebellion. The rebel army first struck and destroyed Camulodunum, then headed south. They were met and defeated an army lead by Gaius Suetonius Paulinus at the outpost of Londinium forcing the Roman retreat. After the further destruction of Londinium and Verulamium the tribal army met a regrouped Roman army in the west midlands where despite being heavily outnumbered, some estimates say the Romans had 10000 men vs a rebel army of 230000, the Romans claimed victory. Boudica was either killed in the fighting or committed suicide shortly after, but was hailed as a beacon of resistance to Roman occupation. #history #rome

GOOD MORNING #NOSTR Bird of the day: Azure Tit It is a resident, and most birds do not migrate. It nests in a tree hole, laying about 10 eggs. The bird is a close sitter, hissing and biting when disturbed. Its food is insects, seeds, small invertebrates, larvae of bugs, and eggs. #birdstr

Daily Roman History: Antoninus Pius was the third of the 'Five Good Emperors', yet not much is known about his reign. He was selected as a stop gap to allow the young Marcus Aurelius to come of age, however even though taking the throne at the advanced age of 52 he went on to have a 23 year rule, the longest since Augustus. One explanation for the lack of information is the historians we use for Roman history we're alive during his reign, so prudence encouraged them to not critized the sitting Emperor. Aside from that, his rule saw no major military actions, or usurpations, and even established contact with the distant Han Empire in China. This 'Pax Romana' was said to be so safe one could walk from one end of the Empire to the other with a bag of gold and not be accosted once. #history #roman

Bird of the day: Bearded Reedling Bearded reedlings are very skillful birds; they can feed upside-down and extract the seeds not only with the bill but also with the foot. When on the ground, they run quickly, scratch the soil, and turn over the leaves searching for insects. At night, mated pairs often sleep together perched on a reed stem. #birdstr

Bird of the day: Roseate Spoonbill Fun Facts Spoonbills fly in long diagonal lines with their necks and legs completely stretched out. It is thought that the roseate spoonbill receives its bright coloring from the pigments of the crustaceans that it eats. When it walks, the roseate spoonbill swings its head back and forth in a sideways motion. #birdstr

Daily Roman History: Though he was never the intended heir since his relations to the Imperial family was that of Augustus' step-son, Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus was forced to come out of retirement and named heir after the untimely deaths of Augustus' two grandsons in 4AD. His reign would prove to be a rocky one, always at odds with the Senate, and allegedly having his popular nephew Germanicus poisoned when he was viewed as a threat to usurp him. With the sudden death of his son and heir Drusus in 23AD Tiberius became aloof and withdrawn leaving most of the administration of the Empire to his Pretorian Prefect Sejanus. So reliant on Sejanus that Tiberius would begin calling him "Partner of my labours". This too eventually turned sour as Sajanus' corrupt leadership lead to him being murdered on Tiberius' orders in 31AD. For the last few years of his reign the Empire functioned essentially without a head, as Tiberius became even more paranoid and reclusive. He died in 37AD, some reports saying he was either smothered to death, poisoned, starved, or just left to waste away. Upon hearing of his demise mobs in Rome took to the street shouting "To the Tiber with Tiberius!", refering to criminals usually being thrown in the Tiber River rather then buried. Ultimately, his body was cremated and placed in the Mausoleum of Augustus. #history #rome