Preserved remains of Roman ship in Po river
Preserved remains of a Roman ship from the 1st century CE were found in the River Po in northwest Italy, near the towns of Verolengo, Chivasso and San Sebastiano.
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Curiosities of ancient Rome
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 marble portrait of young man
Roman marble portrait of a young man. Object dated to the middle of the 1st century CE. The artifact is in Gliptotek Ny Carlsberg, in Copenhagen (Denmark).
Brave Pompey the Great
Pompey the Great was famous for his courage and bravery. In 58 BCE he assumed the position of praefectus annonae, who oversaw grain deliveries to Rome. It was a unique position that the edile normally covered under its authority during the republic. However, in the event of major food crises, a special officer was appointed for 5 years.
Double of Augustus
One day a man very similar to Octavian Augustus was to come to Rome. He ordered him to be brought and asked: “Was your mother ever in Rome?”. The young man was supposed to answer in the following way.
Military diploma of Gaius Gemellus
Roman military diploma, which confirms the granting of Roman citizenship to the soldier Gaius Gemellus and his family. He served for 26 years in the sea fleet in Alexandria.
Cicero sensed Caesar’s intentions
Cicero was arguably one of the few not fooled by the polite and pleasant manner of being Julius Caesar, and who saw the fierce strength of his character. In all of Caesar’s hidden plans and all political tactics, Cicero saw autocratic plans.
Loan for use and pledge in the Roman law
Apart from loan for consumption (mutuum) and deposit (depositum) there were other real contracts in the Roman law – loan for use (commodatum) and pledge (pignus). Loan for use emerged towards the end of the Republican era as a result of the need to regulate the everyday practise of using object which belong to other people.
Roman blinds – how did Romans protect themselves from sun and take care of their privacy?
Nowadays, it is common to take care of privacy in your apartments by installing pleats, blinds or curtains on the windows. In addition, this way you can effectively reduce the heating of rooms in the summer. As it turns out, these solutions were known already in ancient times.
