Curiosities of ancient Rome (Ancient stories)
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Flavius Clemens and Flavia Domitilla – accused of atheism
Cassius Dio mentions that Domitian (ruled 81-96 CE) did not shy away from spilling blood among his family as well. On his order, Flavius Clemens was related to him, grandson of Titus Flavius Sabinus (brother of Vespasian, and uncle of ... Read more
Claudius the judge
Emperor Claudius was once a judge of a man accused of an unlawful preaching Roman citizen. According to Suetonius, the ruler was to make brilliant decisions. The emperor stated that the accused should hear the charges in Greek clothes and ... Read more
Marcus Agrippa – example of breech birth
Breech birth (a child is born with legs and buttocks facing the birth canal) has been considered dangerous since ancient times. Pliny the Elder defines those born in this way as agrippae, meaning “born with difficulty”. Due to the many ... Read more
Mimic competition in 46 BCE
In 46 BCE Julius Caesar defeated the still opposing optimates (including Cato the Younger) under Thapsus. To celebrate the victory in Africa, Caesar’s supporters decided to organize games (ludi), during which mime competitions were to be held. Ancient mimicry was ... Read more
Cleopatra tried to cure Caesar’s baldness
Cleopatra tried to heal baldness of Julius Caesar. The famous Roman physician Galen (2nd century CE) claimed that Cleopatra recommended a paste of burned mice, rags, horse’s teeth for this condition; bear fat; deer marrow and reed stalks. The ingredients ... Read more
Cato the Younger method to save wealth
Cato the Younger, a Roman politician from the 1st century BCE, fearing losing the enormous wealth he had with him, amounting to seven thousand silver talents, figured out a way to secure his belongings on a long sea voyage. In ... Read more
Cato the Younger was respected in youth
Cato the Younger (95-46 BCE) was known as an outstanding politician of ancient Rome in the 1st century BCE. He was the great-grandson of Cato the Elder and imitated his way of being, which was ideal for him. He belonged ... Read more
Mothers dying after Cannae
Titus Livy reports that reportedly the mother of a Roman who managed to escape from the Battle of Cannae in 216 BCE and return to Rome, she died in the hands of her son. Another mother, hearing about her son’s ... Read more
History of Holy Legion
Roman emperor from the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, Maximian, co-ruling with Diocletian, became famous as persecutors of the followers of Christianity. Maximian was once to order the decimation (decimatio) of a legion (the so-called Theban legion, ... Read more
Cato the Elder insisted on bathing children in warm urine
The Roman statesman, Cato the Elder insisted that children should be bathed in warm urine, made by adults who have eaten cabbage before. On the other hand, if the child does not feel like falling asleep, put goat fertilizer in ... Read more
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