Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)

A Roman spectacle began long before the first roar of the crowd, before the arena gates opened, before the animals, gladiators, and condemned prisoners were brought into view. It began behind the scenes, in corridors, holding rooms, and cells, where men were counted, searched, stripped of anything that might be used as a weapon, watched closely, and made to follow the rhythm of the coming show. Everything had its place and its appointed moment, because Roman disciplina extended far beyond military drill or the orderly running of public offices. It also governed those who were expected to die for the entertainment of the audience.

During the First Punic War (264-241 BCE), the Roman commander Marcus Atilius Regulus was said to have fought – according to Pliny the Elder – an extraordinary battle not with the Carthaginians, but with a giant serpent (this is suggested as the first mention of a dragon in Roman culture) on the Bagradas River in Africa (present-day Tunisia).

One of the most famous athletes of the ancient world was Milo of Croton. He was a Greek, and his fame even reached Rome and survived for centuries. Milo was a legendary wrestler who lived in the 6th century BCE and was a six-time winner of the Olympic Games and a six-time winner of the Delphi Games. His strength and skills were so impressive that his figure became an inspiration in Roman culture, and his exploits were even written about in Rome.

It is true that every new monarch ascending the throne must take into account the danger of a potential attack on his life. As history shows, there has never been a shortage of people who were able to raise a hand against their own ruler. These cruel practices were already known in antiquity, and Roman emperors often had to face attacks on their own lives. Octavian Augustus himself, generally considered a rather good ruler, did not avoid conspiracies and attacks aimed at taking his life or power.

Octavian Augustus used some characteristic phrases: instead of “stupid”, he used “dumb”; to describe the speed of acting, he used the phrase “faster than asparagus cooks”; instead of saying “crazy”, he used “mad in the head”.

Emperor Domitian was extremely suspicious towards the end of his reign and sensed conspiracies everywhere. He was also reluctant to refer to senators. According to Cassius Dio, once the ruler invited a group of influential senators to dinner at his residence. The drawing room where the feast was to take place was painted entirely black.