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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.
Roman fresco showing Dionysus (Bacchus) and Maenad (Bacchae), the companion of the god of wine. Also visible in the scene is a young Satyr and Silenus with a zither. Wine is poured from a vessel (rython) which is licked off by the panther. Object dated to the mid-1st century CE; discovered in Pompeii. The artefact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Roman tombstone of a gladiator named Lupercus, which was financed by his wife Theodora. The man was a gladiator of type thraex, as evidenced by his visualization.
Marble bust of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (17 BCE – 40 CE), Roman general and consul from 32 CE. He was the grandson of Mark Antony, the husband of Agrippina the Younger and the father of the future emperor Nero.
Roman ceramic drinking cups in the shape of masks with phalluses inside. The objects are on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
A fragment of a stone on which a wild boar hunting scene was engraved. The object was found in Chesters Fort, which was part of Hadrian’s Wall. It is possible that the drawing was created by a Roman soldier.
Roman sarcophagus showing four busts, probably family members. The cover imitates a tiled building. The object is dated to the mid-2nd century CE. The artefact was discovered in Thessaloniki and is now on display at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.
Petrified Roman bread from 79 CE. On the bread, there is an inscription: owned by Celer, slave of Q. Granius Verus. The find comes from Herculaneum (near Pompeii) and dates back to the 1st century CE. What is worth emphasizing, the basic ingredient of Roman’s dinner was bread.
Roman mosaic in the banqueting room (triclinium) of a villa in Antandros, northwestern Turkey. The scene in the center of the floor mosaic shows a vessel and birds. The object is dated to the 4th century CE.
Roman tombstone of a certain Gaius Popillius, who was shown on a representative chair. In front of him is probably his slaveholding a scroll and making the gesture of “horns”, thus drawing the misfortune away from his master.
