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The world of the ancient Romans was rich in extraordinary, and sometimes even surprising, facts. We draw our knowledge of Roman daily life, customs, and mentality primarily from works left by ancient writers and historians. It is thanks to them that we discover information that is astonishing today – sometimes even hard to believe. Below are some interesting facts that reveal a lesser-known and less obvious side of the Roman world.
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The mosaic of Pan and the Hamadryad, found in Pompeii, is a fascinating example of Roman art. Such works were popular among Roman householders, who were eager to decorate their villas with mythological scenes, often imbued with erotic or metaphorical symbolism.
Inscription on the wall of the House of Lovers in Pompeii: “Amantes, ut apes, vitam melitam exigunt”, meaning “Lovers, like bees, lead a life sweet as honey”.
Glass vessel with intact stopper and contents; probably olive oil from Pompeii. The object is in The British Museum.
Aulus Cornelius Celsus was a Roman scholar and encyclopedist of the 1st century CE, best known as the author of De Medicina, one of the most important sources of medical knowledge in antiquity. In his work, he described various methods of treating general illnesses, including recommending bloodletting (sanguis mittendus) as a preventive measure in the event of the body becoming overloaded with excess “fluids”.
Pliny the Elder in his “Natural History” (Book XXXVII, Chapter 12) described the electrostatic properties of amber. He noticed that when rubbed with the fingers, under the influence of heat, it attracted light objects such as chaff, dry leaves and fibers. This observation of Pliny shows how ancient scholars observed and described natural phenomena that were not explained scientifically until many centuries later.
Pliny the Elder described in his “Natural History” that ostriches would bury their heads in a bush to hide from danger. This belief has persisted to this day as a popular myth, despite the lack of evidence for this behaviour in these birds. In reality, ostriches would place their heads low to the ground to hide, which may have given the impression that they were “burying it in the sand.”
Today, lettuce is a light appetizer or side dish, but for the ancient Romans it was much more functional. They considered it a medicinal plant — especially helpful for sleep and digestion problems.
The ruins of Horrea Piperataria – former storehouses used to store valuable spices from Asia and Egypt, such as pepper, cardamom and anise – are located in the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo in Rome. These buildings also housed incense, which played a crucial role in religious ceremonies and medicinal practices.
Bust of Roman matron. The sculpture is in the British Museum.
In ancient Rome, there was a praegustator – usually a slave- whose job was to taste food intended for important people (patricians or emperors) to make sure it wasn’t poisoned.
