Articles (Society)

Roman jokes have been preserved mainly due to ancient writers. Many of them were born of real stories, which were mentioned by lawyers like Cicero, which is worth adding, over two thousand years ago he was considered a prankster and “playful”.

Ancient Romans caught wild animals mainly for the needs of organized games and hunting in amphitheatres (the so-called venationes). Exotic animals were imported from many lands and provinces, and most often caught by natives who were familiar with their trade and the surrounding area.

Hardly anyone wonders how the ancients once closed their homes, chests or cells. As it turns out, a modern key or lock is an ancient invention. For example, castles made of strong wood were already used in Egypt or Greece. However, most of the locksmith’s “patents” come from Rome, which largely took over knowledge from the Etruscans.

Starting from the founding of Rome, the father of the family had extensive, almost unlimited power in relation to his family – literally the life of the offspring was in his hands. He had the right not to accept a child, regardless of his sex, even if he was healthy. The law of the Twelfth Tablets adopted in the early stages of the republic (450 BCE) even demanded the elimination of sick or weak children: “A dreadfully deformed child shall be quickly killed” (Table IV).

The upper social strata of Rome paid attention to how they dressed and what fashion prevailed at that time. Roman clothes owed a lot to Greeks, but it should be emphasized that the Romans created their own style and cut of clothing (you can say more sophisticated).

Ovid, a Roman poet of the Augustan era, in his work Medicamina Faciei Feminae—a short treatise on the care of the female body—presents the ideal of female beauty: pale complexion, rosy cheeks, dark eyes, and skin free from unnatural odors.

Ancient Romans, who had huge tracts of land under their control, certainly had to deal with the black population daily. Interestingly, the white to black race ratio was not always beneficial only for the former.

The issue of sexual excesses in ancient Rome has undoubtedly become a legendary one. We have reliable sources about sexual practices of the third wife of Emperor Claudius, Valeria Messalina. This fun-loving nymphomaniac has undoubtedly put Roman public opinion on its feet.

Physical culture has long been one of the key aspects of our lives. Since the dawn of time, people have benefited from the benefits of body training.