Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)

The popular opinion is that young Gaius Octavian, the future Roman Emperor, was cowardly and weak. However, we know the message about how Octavian enters the area of a military camp to talk to rebel soldiers. In the camp, he could see the body of a murdered emissary who was also looking for a dialogue. Nevertheless, Oktavian did not give up the daring decision.

Porcia, the daughter of Cato the Younger, has gone to history as the second wife of Caesar’s murderer, Marcus Junius Brutus. He trusted his young wife so much that he even betrayed her the plans to kill the dictator. According to some historians, the Porcia could even be actively involved in the conspiracy. According to Plutarch, Porcia was to catch Brutus from attempting to consider what to do with Caesar.

In 46 BCE, during his triumph, Julius Caesar announced a competition for playwrights for writing. The two most important participants were Decimus Laberius and Publilius Syrus.

After the victory over Pompey, in 48 BCE at Pharsalus and his death, Caesar became the sole master of the Roman world. Cleopatra VII, expelled from Alexandria by her brother Ptolemy XIII, was looking for every way to regain power and rebuild the power of Egypt under her rule.

Roman emperor Caligula was known for his jokes. Once, during offering the victims, he was given a hammer to stun the animal. The priest standing next to him waited for this moment, then to cut the animal’s throat. Caligula, however, suddenly burst into the head of the priest who lost consciousness.

Seneca the Younger mentions an interesting story of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the Roman governor of Syria and Roman politics (44 BCE – 20 CE) who was to get angry when he heard that only one of the two soldiers returned from a leave of absence.

Herennius Etruscus was the elder son of Emperor Decius and ruled from May to June 251 CE. From the beginning of the reign of Herennius, the gothic tribes (under the so-called Kniva) crossed the Danube and looted Moesia and Dacia. An expedition of 20,000 Romans was organized against the invaders, in which father and son took part.

Alexander the Great and his conquests have always passed into the memory of posterity. Ancient Romans were a people who very often referred to the feats of the Macedonian leader – especially the generals.

Augustus while tring to cut the fights in the arena by replacing it with sports competitions, he was also believed to invent an exceptionally cruel spectacle. In order to exemplify the punishment of one of the convicts, Selouros, he ordered to erect a pillory on the Forum, to which then hungry panthers and leopards were released.

When Augustus married Livia Drusilla, she was in advanced pregnancy. Her youngest son was born three months after the wedding with the ruler of Rome. The malicious people in the Eternal City used to say that the lucky ones are having children already born after three months.