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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.
Fragment of a wooden Roman barrel found in Oberaden in western Germany, on the site of a former legionary camp. The object is dated to the 1st century CE. Wine was transported in the barrel, which was intended for the soldiers in the camp. Scientists, apart from traces of wine, found traces of pepper that came from distant India.
Stone axe blade from antiquity (the so-called Keraunia or “thunder stone”). The object is dated to the 2nd-3rd century CE.
Cup from Emona. A glass cup was discovered in one of the graves in a cemetery near the Roman castrum (now Ljubljana, Slovenia). It was made of glass in the millefiori technique (an Italian term meaning a thousand flowers). It is a method of obtaining multi-coloured glass, which consists in combining glass paste (in the form of tubes) into decorative patterns, cutting it into slices and then melting it into the surface of the vessel.
Roman fresco on which (probably) the husband and wife sit side by side in the banquet hall (triclinium). The man is shown as a naked, muscular hero, and the woman as an exemplary housewife, pondering. This is a typical depiction of people in antiquity. The object is dated to the 1st century BCE; discovered in the villa of P. Fannius Synistor in Boscoreale (Italia). The artifact is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Roman tombstone of Severius Acceptus, a soldier of the legion VIII Augusta, who probably belonged to a separate special unit of vexillatio. The man died at the age of 26 after 6 years of service in the Roman army. On the tombstone, we can see the image of a man and some of his attributes. The object is dated to the 3rd century CE. The tombstone was found in northwestern Turkey and is on display in a museum in Istanbul.
Roman ring with the inscription MATRI PATRI, meaning “to Mum and Dad”. Object found in Vindolanda, England.
Massive Roman table made of marble and bronze. Object dated to the 1st century CE. The table was probably used in public areas of the household, such as an atrium, to impress guests. It is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Roman terracotta toy and a baby bottle in one, in the shape of a pig.
