Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)

Once upon a time, an envoy from Laodicea came to Rome. He was to ask Julius Caesar himself for freedom for his country. Before that, however, he met Cicero. He was supposed to say to him:

The wife of Octavian Augustus – Livia – took great care of her body, caring for both its beauty and health. She reportedly had a large number of hairdressers, masseuses, dressmakers, and jewellers among her servants.

Emperor Octavian Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE), while lying on his death bed, asked his friends if they thought he had played his the drama of life. Finally, he was to say in Greek:

Suetonius tells us that the famous Roman commander Julius Caesar was known for his moderation in drinking wine. Hence the famous words of Marcus Cato the Younger: “Caesar was the only man who undertook to overthrow the state when sober”.

One day at Octavian Augustus a citizen of Furnius appeared, who wanted to ask the emperor’s forgiveness for his father, who during the civil war was a supporter of Mark Antony. Octavian agreed and spared the man.

Emperor Hadrian (76-138 CE) often competed with teachers and philosophers in prose or poetry.

It is said that one day the emperor Octavian Augustus ordered a spoiled young man – a man named Herenius – to leave the Roman camp.

According to the Historia Augusta, during the reign of Gallienus (253-268 CE), a Roman merchant who traded in fake jewellery was captured and led to the arena, where he had faced a bloodthirsty lion. As the gate opened, a chicken entered the arena.

Two ministers of Emperor Claudius (ruled 41-54 CE), his freedmen Pallas and Narcissus, made huge fortunes from their offices. Claudius was known for his trust in his freedmen, who often decided the country’s politics and palace intrigues.