Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)

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Ancient stories are curiosities revealing lesser-known, surprising, or unusual episodes from the world of ancient Rome and antiquity. This category includes short stories about events, people, and situations that don’t always make it into classical works, yet allow for a better understanding of the realities and mentality of the era.

Gladiator who refused freedom

In fact, unlike duplicated myths, gladiators did not always fight until they died, and gladiator schools rarely allowed death and life duels because of the very high costs of training such a warrior. Many gladiators…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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 Claudia 1 Interestingly, the other fate of…Więcej

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,…Więcej

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.…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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