Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)
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Tiberius and Apoxyomenos
Emperor Tiberius admired very much the statue of the Lysippos – showing Apoxyomenos, an athlete cleaning his body with a wooden scraper (stryngilos). The original statue has not survived to our times. The sculpture is known for its marble copy ... Read more
Disobedient son – Titus Manlius Torquatus
Livy states that during the war with Latins, Volsci and Campania in 340 BCE, Titus Manlius Torquatus, the son of consul Aulus Manlius Torquatus broke father’s order. At this time, Rome fought with tribes which used the same weapon, had ... Read more
Kill Pyrrhus!
Claudius Aelianus mentions that doctor of Pyrrhus – Cineas, wrote a secret letter to the Roman senate and demanded money, promising to murder Pyrrhus using poison. The senators rejected his offer, saying that “for Romans know how to achieve their ... Read more
Request from Augustus veteran
There is a story saying that one day, to the Emperor Augustus, came his former soldier who took part in the battle of Actium (31 BCE). The veteran asked August to defend him in court. Augustus replied that he would ... Read more
Great-grandfather of Lucius Sergius Catiline
The great grandfather of Lucius Sergius Catiline, a Roman who tried to overthrow the republic in the year 63 BCE, was the hero of the Second Punic War. He was named M. Sergius Silus. He was twice captured by the ... Read more
Bad luck of Pasitiles
Pliny the Elder mentions that in the first century BCE an artist from southern Italy named Pasitiles went to the wharf – where African animals were kept for performances in the arena – to engrave the lion there. As Pliny ... Read more
Spartacus trick
When Spartacus and his army were surrounded by Romans, he decided to do the trick. He ordered to tie the bodies of fallen comrades to poles outside the camp and arm them with available equipment. This way, he managed to ... Read more
Elagabalus married Vestal Virgin
Emperor Elagabalus (reigned in 218-222 CE) was famous for scandalous behavior. One of his worst offenses for the public was being in the relation with priestess of the Roman goddess of a home bonfire, Vesta, whose task was to uphold ... Read more
Brutus – traitor forever
Marcus Junius Brutus is still the embodiment of betrayal. Although today we know him almost exclusively as a killer of Caesar during his lifetime he was also famous as an outstanding rhetorician and expert on philosophy – for what he ... Read more
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