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Curiosities of ancient Rome (Events)
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.
Mithridates VI – victim of Roman imperialism?
In Roman sources, Mithridates VI Eupator appears to us as the leader of the wars that the Romans had to wage for about 25 years in the East. Mithridates was to strive to create a regional power from Pontus and displace Roman influence from the territories of present-day Turkey. But can we really speak of Mithridates as an aggressor, or rather a victim of Roman imperialism?
First proposal of life imprisonment
In 63 BCE Cicero, who was the consul, gave his famous speech at a Senate meeting against Lucius Sergius Catilina, a member of an impoverished old patrician family, whom he accused of a planned coup.
Where said – “the die is cast”?
Alea iacta est – this saying, literally meaning “the die is cast”, knows probably everyone who had any contact with the European Civilization, which arose, among others, from the Greco-Roman traditions. But where – in what place – Gaius Julius Caesar uttered (if not the apocrypha) those memorable words?
Great defeats with Persians and Empire’s rematch in 3rd century CE
The greatest defeat in Roman history is considered to be the battle with Hannibal at Cannae in 216 BCE. There are also known hecatombs in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE and under Adrianople in 378 CE. However, a little known fact is that in the 3rd century CE, during the reign of Emperor Valerian, the Empire suffered two major defeats with the Persian state of King Shapur I. At Barbalissos and Edessa, two large Roman armies of around 60,000-70,000 were probably defeated and destroyed. people. The empire suffered the greatest humiliation in its history – the emperor became a prisoner of the Persian ruler. The Romans did not forget about the rematch – as early as 282, Emperor Carus conquered Mesopotamia with the Persian capital Ctesiphon, and only his unexpected death stopped the further march of the legions to the east.
Third century CE was time of great crisis in Roman Empire
The third century CE was a time of the mighty crisis of the Roman Empire. The crisis of the 3rd century is also called the “age of anarchy” by historians; the “intermediate period”, the “epoch of the emperors-soldiers” and the “military monarchy”. The need to defend the borders against the invasions of Germanic tribes and the Persian army forced the emperors to excessively expand the army, whose maintenance costs increased and the Roman economy was unable to bear them.
Nika riots
Riots from supporters of chariot-racing teams in 532 CE almost brought down Constantinople. Chariot racing party riots in 532 CE nearly brought Constantinople down.
Hasdrubal’s fall
Hasdrubal was during the period of III Punic War the commander-in-chief of the city’s defence forces – Carthage. When the troops of Scipio destroyed the Carthaginian army outside the city, the city was cut off from the outside world, and all food delivery ceased. Residents of the city and few soldiers were at the mercy of Scipio. Hasdrubal, who was in charge of defence, asked for peace, but Scipio was merciless (or received explicit instructions from the Senate) and in the spring of 146 BCE stormed the city.
