Elagabalus 218-222 AD The emperor known to history as Elagabalus takes his name from the sun god of Emesa, for which he was made a high priest on May 16th, 218 AD. Elagabalus was actually born about 205 AD as Varius Avitus Bassianus and later became known as “Marcus Aurelius Antoninus,” the formal name found […]

Caracalla 198-217 AD Son of Septimus Severus Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, originally named Julius Bassianus, was born at Lugdunum, Gaul, on April 6th, 188 AD. He was the elder son of Septimius Severus and Julia Domna. His original name, Bassianus, came from the Syrian side of his family. Following the Civil War in the aftermath of […]

Abscissa – the horizontal baseline of a chart, x-axis. Ad Valorem Tax – A tax levied as a fixed percentage of the value of a particular item. Aggregate Demand – Total planned or desired spending in the economy as a whole in a given period. It is determined by the aggregate price level and by influences such as […]

  Marcus Aurelius 161 – 180 AD Born 121 – died 180 AD, age 59 MARCUS ANNIUS VERUS, the stoic philosopher, was born in Rome in 121 A.D., the son of Annius Verus and Domitia Lucilla. Hadrian recognized the fine qualities of the youth, and he was originally betrothed to the daughter of Aelius Caesar. After […]

Hadrian 117-138 AD Born January 24th, 76 – Died 138 AD, Age 62 Publius Aelius Hadrianus, was born in Rome on January 24th, 76 AD although his family had settled in Italica (Spain) nearly 300 years prior when that region was first opened to Roman colonists. In 86 AD, Hadrian lost his father at the […]

Trajan Emperor, 98 – 117 AD Born 52 – Died 117 AD, Age 65 Marcus Ulpius Trajanus was born in Italica in Spain about the year 52 AD. His family was originally from Umbria in Italy. His father, of the same name, was a senator and had served as consul. He was also governor of […]

NERO (54 – 68AD) Born 37 – Died 68 AD, Age 31 Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (Nero) was born on the 15th of December at Annum, a small Italian seaside community, in 37 AD. He was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina Junior., daughter of Germanicus, sister of Caligula, and fourth wife to Emperor Claudius. Nero’s […]

Tiberius 14 – 37 AD born 42 BC – died 37 AD, age 78 Tiberius Claudius Nero was born on November 16, 42 BC, the elder son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia. Tiberius was most likely born on Palatine Hill in Rome where he and his younger brother Nero Claudius Drusus, spent much of their early childhood. However, his early childhood […]

 Marcus Junius Brutus Imperator, 44 – 42 BC Born 85 BC – Died 42 BC, age 43 Marcus Junius Brutus, perhaps the most famous assassin known to history, descended from a long line of distinguished Roman Republican ancestors. According to Roman tradition, one of these, Lucius Junius Brutus, the so-called “Founder of the Republic” and Consul in 504 BC, took a […]

Is this the Next Great Depression? Bond Defaults from 1931 By Martin A. Armstrong August 27, 1998 Copyright Princeton Economic Institute The collapse of Russia is having a profound impact upon the entire global financial markets from stocks, commodities and gold to currencies and bonds. Of all the great financial panics in history, this one […]