Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)
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Perseus – king who died of lack of sleep
Perseus of the Antigonid dynasty was the Macedonian king who was defeated in the Third Macedonian War (172-168 BCE) and lost power. After defeat, he fled to the island of Samothrace, where he took refuge in a temple. However, the ... Read more
Gladiator Commodus
Roman emperor Commodus, son of the “emperor-philosopher” Marcus Aurelius he was known for his love of blood and games, especially gladiatorial fights. His participation in the clashes – during the reign (180-192 CE) – was very badly received and treated ... Read more
Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus
The main characters of the historical television series “Rome” – Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus are authentic characters. They were both Roman centurions in probably the 11th legion Claudia1 (although Caesar does not indicate the legion number) of Quintus Cicero ... Read more
Caesar and mobilization
Gaius Julius Caesar is known from ancient sources as a charismatic leader and warrior able to turn the tide of battle. An example of such skills is the story told by Plutarch of Cheronei. Namely, after Caesar defeated the republican ... Read more
August not so perfect
Suetonius mentions that one of the most powerful people in the ancient world – Octavian Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE) did not impress with height and had crooked teeth. He was prone to hypochondria. He was afraid of the ... Read more
Julius Caesar – “king” of Rome
According to Plutarch, Julius Caesar was to refuse to put a crown on his head by Mark Antony after winning the civil war. Rome, however, was convinced of Caesar’s royal aspirations.. The situation was to take place during the celebration ... Read more
Emperor Augustus and talking ravens
When Augustus returned to Rome after the victory over Antony at Actium (31 BCE), a man with a raven was among those people who were greeting him. The bird greeted Octavian with the words: “Hail Caesar, the victorious commander”. August ... Read more
The highest paid athlete of all time
Gaius Apuleius Diocles was born in 104 CE in the province of Lusitania, which is located in what is now southern Portugal and southwestern Spain. He was born a free man or a slave, most likely he was also illiterate. ... Read more
Unforgettable exploits of Antony
We can mention some of the better and unforgettable feats of Mark Antony. Once he started service under the supervision of Aulus Gabinius at the age of 26, in 57 BCE he suppressed the rise of the Judaeans under the ... Read more
Caligula and his “romances”
Caligula was remembered as one of the worst rulers of ancient Rome. If we believe historians’ accounts the Emperor would have distinguished himself with controversial ‘romances’. Augustus, his great-grandfather, would certainly be shocked if he saw what Caligula is doing. ... Read more
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