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Curiosities of ancient Rome (Army)

The world of ancient Romans abounded in a number of amazing curiosities and information. The source of knowledge about the life of the Romans are mainly works left to us by ancient writers or discoveries. The Romans left behind a lot of strange information and facts that are sometimes hard to believe.

Evolution of patronage in late Roman Empire

In Roman society, the existence of a patron-client relationship was common. Most often, a poor citizen or a liberator submitted to a higher-ranking Roman who, through his position and property, could act in favour of the client. In return, the client was the patron’s support and support, e.g. during elections. Moreover, having many clients aroused respect and strengthened the position of the patron in society. In the 4th century CE however, patronage (patrocinium) changed and the patron-client relationship began to hit the state directly.

Roman mosaic floor

Attempts to reorganize front in Dacia and trick

At the end of the 80s of the 1st century CE, the Romans fought the Dacian kingdom, which, led by Diurpaneus, inflicted two defeats on the Roman legions. The fear of losing Rome’s prestige caused Domitian to withdraw from further plans to conquer Britain and focus on the Danube border.

Fight between Romans and Dacians

Prohibition of service in Roman legions

In the light of social norms or Roman law, from the earliest years of its existence, the Roman state limited access to military service. Only Roman citizens (cives Romani) had the right or duty to serve in the legions, and foreigners (peregrini), slaves (servi) or criminals were not.

Battle of Argentoratum in 357 CE

Camp life of Romans

In each Roman military camp, latrines were built, fed with running water from nearby streams. The analysis of the contents of the septic tank rinsed from these sanitary facilities allowed archaeologists to reconstruct the diet of Roman soldiers (it turns out that not only digging in the ground but also in… excrement can be extremely beneficial for science). The thing is, there are some remnants of the digested seeds there. Here in cold Britain, on the line of fortifications known as Hadrian’s Wall, products such as olives, figs and dates were often eaten, although apples were also not scorned.

Roman camp

Greedy Roman legionaries

Many of us think the Roman legions were brave, disciplined, tough and well-trained soldiers It is true. However, the Romans were like us and they had their own weaknesses. For example greed.

Roman legionnaires

War gases in ancient times

Combat gases are associated primarily with the First World War and their terrible effectiveness. It was then that chemical weapons were used on a massive scale, but this method of fighting was not new at all. The ancients were so ingenious that they used chemical weapons on the battlefield as early as the 3rd century CE.

War gases in ancient times

War of Roman Empire with Bosporan kingdom in 45 – 49 CE as attempt to shed dependence on Rome

The Bosporan Kingdom was a political power that was established at the beginning of the 5th century BCE. as a result of an alliance of several dozen cities and towns located along both shores of the Kerch Strait (Crimea Peninsula) for joint defence against nomadic peoples. From the end of the 1st century BCE, the Bosporan Kingdom fell under the influence of the Roman Empire, which was interested in controlling the situation in the northern part of the Black Sea region and the provinces nearby.

Territorial development of the Bosporan Kingdom

Roman tent in Scotland

Tents were in use already in ancient times. The ancient Romans used them mainly in marching camps (castra aestiva), which were pitched during military campaigns every day. We owe much information about their construction to the excavations at Vindolanda or Newstead, where leather materials have been preserved. Information about the use of tents by the Romans in war is also provided by reliefs from Trajan’s column in Rome, where selected moments of the Dacian War are depicted.

Roman exhibition at National Museum of Scotland

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