This page cannot be viewed in frames

Go to page

If you have found a spelling error, please, notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.

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.

There were also women gladiators in arena

The men weren’t the only ones who fought in the arenas of the Roman amphitheatres. The Romans trained arena fighting also women. They were the so-called gladiatrices, which were largely made up of volunteers. The Senate tried to minimize or forbid them to a minimum or forbid them from fighting in the arena. In 19 CE even the law Tabula Larinas was adopted, which stipulated that it was forbidden to recruit daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters of senators and equites to fight in the arena. The new law resulted from the fact that large numbers of women from well-to-do families joined the fight.

Gladiatrix

Roman inscription from Lilybauem

Roman inscription in Latin from 39-36 BCE commemorating the construction work carried out under the office of the prophet Lucius Plinius Rufus, who, on behalf of Sextus Pompey, son of Pompey the Great, commissioned the extension of the defensive fortifications in Lilybauem (now Marsala in Sicily), due to attacks by one of the triumvirs Marcus Lepidus.

Roman inscription from Lilybauem

Gneus Petreus

In the winter of 102 BCE, one of the legions was sent to the Adige valley, near today’s Trento. Consul Quintus Lutatius Catulus, with this movement, wanted to delay the movements of the incoming Cimbri – Germanic invaders from the north. Unfortunately for the legionaries, the Cimbri encircled their position and prepared to destroy the Roman forces in the valley.

Roman general surrounded by lictors and scribes

Antinous as Osiris

Antinous, lover of Emperor Hadrian, after his death in 130 CE he was deified, and the ruler ordered numerous portraits of him to be made en masse. As a result, many sculptures showing a young 19-year-old man have survived to our times.

Antinous as Osiris

Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors: