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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.
Interesting Roman mosaic showing chariot race performed by children
Interesting Roman mosaic showing the chariot race performed by children. The boys drive two-wheeled chariots drawn by birds. The colours of the teams were marked not only by the colour of the boys’ tunics but also by the species of birds: Whites have geese, Reds – flamingos; Blue – gallinula; Greens – pheasants.
Superstitions of Romans were really strange
Romans were very superstitious. They believed in many things that they could not logically explain. For example, the old superstition was known – kissing a female mule in the nostrils cured hiccups and a runny nose. It was also believed that some people were capable of hurting others just by looking at them. Such superstition was called the “evil eye”.
Price of slaves in ancient Rome
The price of slaves in ancient Rome varied greatly. After a victorious military campaign, in which many slaves were captured, the price was naturally low due to the multitude of goods. Plautus (c. 250 BCE – 184 BCE) mentions that the conservative Cato the Elder was willing to pay between 500 and 1500 denarii for a slave.
Impressive reconstruction of city walls of Lilybaeum
Lilybaeum (today’s Marsala) was an ancient city founded on the initiative of Carthaginians, who considered the southwestern coast of Sicily as their base of operations on the island. The walls were connected in a straight line and separated a fragment of the area with the fortress.
Roman helmet of provocator
Roman helmet once belonged to a gladiator of type provocator. Object dated to the 1st century CE and is on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Education of Roman boys and girls
Roman children (both boys and girls) were home-schooled Latin, elementary reading, writing and arithmetic. During this period of their lives, their most important teachers were their parents, who were to prepare them for life in the state.
Predicted fate of Cassius Parmensis
Ancient source texts very often convey stories in which the tragic events for the heroes were previously heralded by various strange events. Valerius Maximus tells us the story of a certain Cassius Parmensis, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar in the ides of March 44 BCE.
