Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)

After the overthrow the last king of Rome in 509 BCE – Tarquinius Superbus, the first consuls were chosen by Lucius Junius Brutus, leader of the uprising against Tarquinius and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, who mourned after the suicidal death of his wife Lucretia, raped by son of Tarquinius Superbus.

Emperor Probus around 280 CE was supposedly told to transform the Circus Maximus arena into a forest to which hundreds, if not thousands, of animals were released: capricorn, sheep, ostrich and others. As soon as the improvised forest was filled with herbivores, the mob was let into the arena, where they could hunt. The gracious emperor agreed that each Roman could keep his trophy and take it home.

Emperor Carus in the summer of 283 CE, during one of the military expeditions during a strong storm, was probably struck by lightning.

It was believed that the gladiator’s blood could heal epilepsy or infertility. The blood was collected and sold to the crowd. When the body of the death gladiator was taken out of the arena, the “sellers” collected still warm blood and sold it to the crowd.

The most famous story about the ghosts in which the ancient Romans appear. It relates to the event of February 1953 in the city of York, England. That day, the plumber Harry Martingale installed new central heating in the basement of Treasuerer’s House, when he unexpectedly heard the sound of a horn that came from a long distance.

After expelling Cicero from Rome, Clodius still had to prevent him from returning. The presence of Cato the Younger – Cicero’s ally made it very difficult to implement these plans. To get rid of him from Rome, Clodius offered him to get Cyprus for Rome.

Roman general, Gaius Marius, was extremely resistant to suffering. He was the first to treat leg varicose veins without being tied up.

Emperor Claudius once issued a feast on which one of the invited senators, not wanting to offend the ruler, withheld the gases, what led him to death.

Julius Caesar, according to Suetonius, throughout his life had to deal with unsavoury jokes about himself. These comments were associated with an infamous adventure, which more than twenty-year-old Caesar had at the court of King Nicomedes in Bithynia.

Interestingly, this custom was derived from the story that took place in 390 BCE. At that time, Capitol relied on the invasion of Gauls from the Padus valley.