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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.
The best friend of Marcus Tullius Cicero was Titus Pomponius, called Atticus. Even though they were often apart, Cicero and Atticus exchanged letters over the years that reveal a friendship of rare devotion and warm affection.
Suetonius (c. 69 – after 122 CE), a Roman historian is known in history as the author of the biography of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Domitian, including Julius Caesar – the first of the “Caesars”. This work is “The Twelve Caesars” (De vita Caesarum).
Appian of Alexandria (c. 95 – c. 180 CE), a Greek historian, devoted a large fragment of his “Roman history” work comparing Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. In the ancient world, many generals wanted to gain achievements similar to the young Macedonian king. The same was with Caesar.
The great work of the Roman writer and scientist Pliny the Elder was “Naturalis Historia” – an ancient encyclopedia. Interestingly, it was the writer’s only surviving work.
The “Augustan History” (Historia Augusta) is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman Emperors from begining of rule of Hadrian (117 CE) to death of Numerian (284 CE). This is one of the historical sources around which, however, still are many doubts.
The position of a slave in the Roman world is well illustrated in a fragment of the work – Satyricon, whose authorship is attributed to Gaius Petronius – the first-century expert in good taste and artistic values. The author describes how one of the characters in the work, a certain Trimalchion – a liberator who achieved freedom and wealth with hard work and perseverance – clicks on his slave with his fingers. The slave brings a potty, which master can use for defecation. Then he brings a bowl of water to wash his hands.
