Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)
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Honorary Otho
Marcus Salvius Otho went down in history as a ruler who would rather give his life than compete for the throne when it would involve a fratricidal war Romans. In a situation where his troops suffered heavy losses but were ... Read more
Fortune-telling events
Valerius Maximus in his work Factorum et dictorum memorabilium libri novem presents interesting events in the history of Rome, in which omens and the superstition of the Romans were to play an important role. One of the stories tells of ... Read more
Examples of honorable Romans
Valerius Maximus, a Roman writer from the 1st century CE, tells us the stories of courageous and honourable Romans throughout history, on which successive generations should follow. Great examples are Publius Crassus and Scipio Metellus. In one of the fragments ... Read more
In antiquity, skills of horses were greatly appreciated
Pliny the Elder in his work “Natural History” describes horses and their ability to cooperate with humans. It highlights their learning ability and obedience to people. Horses make their riders understand that they understand their commands and that they are ... Read more
Heroic capture of Carthaginian camp near Beneventum
Valerius Maximus, a Roman author from the 1st century CE, in his work about famous deeds and sayings mentions, among others, the story of the heroic conquest of the Carthaginian camp near Beneventum in 212 BCE. Valerius Maximus was one ... Read more
Oracles of Astrampsychus
It is a known fact that in the world of ancient Romans, the poorer bourgeoisie could not count on the rights that wealthy Romans had only from being born into an eminent family. Unfortunately, plebeians tried unsuccessfully to fight for ... Read more
Trauma after defeat of Varus
In 15 CE, a Roman punitive expedition, led by Aulus Cecina, returning to bases on the Rhine, was surrounded by the Germans. The legionaries, despite being highly disciplined, were also very superstitious and quickly associated the facts. They realized that ... Read more
Quintuplets in message of Gellius
It is difficult to imagine that more children than two / three could be born and survived in the world at one time in antiquity. Mostly multiple babies are premature babies, and the more babies there are, the more difficult ... Read more
Raven adored by Romans
Pliny the Elder in his work “Natural History” tells us an interesting story about a raven that was held in high esteem by the Romans. The bird lived during the reign of Emperor Tiberius; as a chick, it fell out ... Read more
Fish at Octavian’s feet
Pliny the Elder tells us in his work “Natural History” an interesting story that was to herald Octavian’s victory in the war against Sextus Pompey, son of the great leader Pompey the Great. After Julius Caesar’s death in 44 BCE ... Read more
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