Curiosities of ancient Rome

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The world of the ancient Romans was rich in extraordinary, and sometimes even surprising, facts. We draw our knowledge of Roman daily life, customs, and mentality primarily from works left by ancient writers and historians. It is thanks to them that we discover information that is astonishing today – sometimes even hard to believe. Below are some interesting facts that reveal a lesser-known and less obvious side of the Roman world.

I encourage you to submit your own suggestions and to report any corrections or inaccuracies.

Roman samovar from Pompeii

Roman bronze samovar from Pompeii, dating to the 1st century CE. The vessel was used for heating and serving warm liquids, and its design utilized charcoal as a heat source. Glowing charcoal was placed in…Więcej

Gold bracelet from Pompeii

Gold bracelet from the 1st century CE, weighing an impressive 610 grams, is one of the remarkable artifacts discovered in Pompeii. The piece is adorned with a two-headed snake featuring glass eyes, which holds a…Więcej

Four people, three faces. Geta erased from the Severan family portrait.

A circular wooden panel barely 30.5 centimetres across contains four members of the imperial family, yet only three faces survive. Septimius Severus, Julia Domna and Caracalla still look out from a portrait painted around 200…Więcej

Silver mines – adeffered death sentence?

Following its victory in the Second Punic War (201 BCE) and the conquest of the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, the Roman Republic – and subsequently the Empire – began the intensive exploitation of…Więcej

Twelve faces, zero answers. The greatest mystery in Roman archaeology

The Romans left behind thousands of texts, inscriptions, and objects that allow us today to reconstruct a surprising number of details about their lives. And yet there is one object whose purpose we still cannot…Więcej

Face of Roman child from 1,800 years ago

In 1878, during archaeological work in Paris, a Roman sarcophagus containing the burial of a small child was discovered. The find comes from the area of ancient Lutetia, a Roman city that developed on the…Więcej

Divine hare

There are six species of hare found in Europe (Lepus europaeus, L. timidus, L. granatensis, L. castroviejoi, L. corsicanus, and L. capensis). Unlike their close relatives, rabbits, they have never been domesticated. Although their population…Więcej

Nero’s night watchmen. How the vigiles fought fires and crime

Densely populated Rome was a city under constant threat from fire. Tall, tightly packed residential buildings and the widespread use of fire in everyday life meant that fires ranked among the greatest dangers faced by…Więcej

“Patcham Woman” – mysterious woman from Roman Britain

The “Patcham Woman” is one of the most intriguing figures from the Roman period in Britain. Her remains were discovered in 1936 in Patcham, now part of Brighton, southern England. Bone analysis, DNA testing, and…Więcej

Emperor who invented new letters: Claudius’ forgotten alphabet reform

Emperor Claudius, regarded by his contemporaries as a harmless eccentric, a stammerer, and a reclusive scholar, surprised Rome after unexpectedly coming to power in 41 CE with a decision that even many enthusiasts of antiquity…Więcej

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