Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)
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Feast of Pollio and Augustus’ intercession
Publius Vedius Pollio was a Roman equestrian and friend of the first emperor, Octavian Augustus. His father was a freedman; Pollio made a huge fortune by managing the province of Asia on behalf of emperor; i.e. he owned a huge ... Read more
Expedition of merchant Alexander
From the beginning of the 1st century CE, Roman society, and especially aristocratic families demanded more and more luxury goods imported from India. Among the Romans, pepper, ginger, all kinds of spices and exotic animals in the form of elephants ... Read more
Misunderstanding of Caesar’s speech
According to Suetonius, when Julius Caesar in 49 BCE crossed the Rubicon, he decided to appear at a rally in front of his soldiers and speak to them to prove his point. During the speech, Caesar gesticulated intensely, often lifting ... Read more
Trick of young defender from Jerusalem
The siege of Jerusalem, defended by Jewish insurgents against the Romans, lasted for several months in 70 CE. The defenders were deceptive many times, and he did not fail to mention Josephus – our main source of information about those ... Read more
Galerius – tricky cabbage seller
In 294 CE king of Persia – Narseh, son of the great Shapur I, led a surprise invasion of the Roman Empire. Galerius in the office of Caesar, with the help of smaller forces, delayed the Sassanid attack while awaiting ... Read more
Unusual legionary Aquila
During the war between Macrinus and Elagabalus, the Battle of Immae in 218 took place. The Praetorians were to face the famous Legio II Parthica. This battle was unusual from the beginning: Cassius Dio reports that the emperor ordered his ... Read more
Trajan’s dream
Trajan is considered one of the best Roman emperors in history. During his reign, the Roman Empire reached its military and territorial peak. What distinguished Trajan was the fact that he greatly respected the Senate, what after years of the ... Read more
Discussion of Julia Domna and wife of Argentocoxus
Cassius Dio tells about an interesting discussion between the wife of Septimius Severus – Julia Domna, and taken captive wife of the Caledonian chieftain, Argentocoxus, which is not known from the name. The conversation was supposed to take place during ... Read more
Hadrian on visit to public bath
The Romans appreciated the possibility of relaxing in the baths. Of course, the full pleasure of bathing could be experienced thanks to special additives such as oils or scrapers. A slave or bathman (balneator) hired for an appropriate fee could ... Read more
Tragic games of elephants
Elephants were exotic animals that often appeared in the arenas of Roman amphitheatres and circuses. The enormous size and unusual appearance made the Roman crowd loved to watch them. They first appeared in Rome in 275 BCE, after Roman legions ... Read more
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