Wang Mang's head was kept in the imperial treasury for 273 years. Rebels captured him when Chang'an fell, killed him, cut off his head, and preserved it as a trophy. He'd seized the throne in 9 AD, ending the Han dynasty, and ruled for fourteen years. His radical reforms collapsed the economy. The treasury burned in 295 AD, destroying the head. The Han dynasty he'd interrupted was restored two years after his death.
October 6, 23
2003 years ago
What Else Happened on October 6
The Cimbri annihilated two Roman armies at Arausio, killing 80,000 soldiers and 40,000 camp followers. It was Rome's worst defeat since Cannae. The disaster hap…
Two Roman armies suffered a catastrophic annihilation at the hands of the Cimbri and Teutones near the Rhône River, losing an estimated 80,000 soldiers. This di…
Roman legions under Lucullus shattered the Armenian army at the Battle of Tigranocerta, dismantling the regional hegemony of King Tigranes the Great. This victo…
Tigranes the Great watched his army collapse from a hilltop. He'd brought 250,000 men to fight Lucullus and his 18,000 Romans outside Tigranocerta. The Romans c…
October 6 was an unlucky day in Roman superstition—the anniversary of the Battle of Arausio. Lucullus attacked Tigranes anyway and routed an Armenian army five …
Empress Eudoxia was 27 and pregnant with her seventh child when she miscarried. She died from complications hours later. She'd been married to Emperor Arcadius …
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