If you have found a spelling error, please, notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Roman state existed in practice for XIII centuries, being the power which was impacting the history. Therefore, I decided that I would tell the history of ancient Rome in the articles below, which will not necessarily cover only the Eternal City.
I encourage you to send articles and point out any corrections or inaccuracies.
Dobkowice is a small village in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. Why am I writing about this place on the site about ancient Rome? Thanks to the beautiful passion of Mr Jerzy Jankowski. It is thanks to its beautiful Roman sculptures and elements that this quiet provincial place has become known all over Poland.
Ancient Romans, their heritage, culture and language are considered the foundations of European civilization. As it turns out, in modern societies, one can observe extremely surprising similarities to the “sons of the She-wolf” in everyday, prosaic issues, and sometimes, unfortunately, also not very glorious. Below is a list of the 10 most interesting (in my opinion) and little-known things that do not differ much from the ancient Romans.
Spintriae were Roman tokens (tessera) depicting erotic scenes during the early empire and probably related to prostitution in brothels. However, it is worth emphasizing that to this day their function and purpose have not been fully explained and there are various hypotheses.
Probably each of us has heard about the mythical, sunken, ancient land that Plato described in his sections. Is it really just a legend? It turns out that there may have been a grain of truth in Plato’s writings. I invite you to a joint journey through the ancient, sunken city of Baiae.
Greco-Roman magic, otherwise known as ancient magic, developed in the Greco-Roman culture, i.e. as it is assumed in the period from the 1st BCE to the 5th century CE. All its manifestations, such as magic papyri, metal plates with engraved spells, amulets such as ornaments and jewellery come from this time.
When a favourite horse of Emperor Caligula, gracefully named Incitatus (Swift), was appointed senator, many pointed out his Spanish origins and the fact that his original name was Porcellus (Piglet). The benevolent lawmakers were blinded by the sight of Piglet’s golden manger, a harness studded with precious stones, and 18 servants serving the brave senator.
Probably everyone knows or has seen in many films how Rome enjoyed all kinds of shows and performances such as chariot races, gladiator fights, animal fights, and staging of famous battles (especially those where the Romans won). They took place in specially designed buildings called circuses from the Latin circus – circumference or circle.
Antiquity abounds in many colourful characters with interesting lives. Both positive and negative. There is no shortage of statesmen, warriors, chiefs as well as torturers, psychopaths and deviants. One of such characters is undoubtedly Caligula, actually Gaius Iulius Caesar Germanicus.
In ancient Rome, fashion developed more than in Greece. The main reason for this was the difference in the perception of the role of women. Roman women had other privileges, rights, and above all, they had many more freedoms and could participate in public life. Leading a rich social life, the perception of the external image of those interested changed, therefore fashion began to play an increasingly important role in their lives, and jewelry became a fantastic complement to the image of a fashionable Roman woman1.
There are many people in the history of the world whose literature has hurt or distorted our judgment of these people or created a legend that persists in the public eye despite the facts. Lieutenant Ordon did not die in the redoubt in Wola, but many years later in Florence, and the medieval model of a knight, Roland, died at the hands of Basque highlanders, not Arabs.
