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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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An ancient tombstone of a gladiator named Quinto Sossio Albo. The man was born in Aquileia and fought in the arena as a murmillo. The man was depicted on a stone with a full three-part name and not just a nickname, proving that he was an auctoratus, a free person who voluntarily agreed to fight in the arena in exchange for fame and money.
According to Polybius1, during the period of the Republic, Roman legionaries in formation had about 180 cm of space (both depth and width), which was 3.24 square meters. A more reliable source of information – Vegetius2 – is to indicate a width of 90 cm and a depth of 200 cm, i.e. 1.8 square meters.
The Romans were very superstitious. For example, Consul Lucius Aemilius Paulus before embarking on the Macedonian War with king Perseus (in Latin Perseus or Perses) came to the house, where his daughter told him: “Perses is dead” – it was about their dog named Perses. The overjoyed consul took this as a favourable omen.
Roman coin (sestertius) showing Emperor Hadrian on the obverse. The coin was intended to emphasize the ruler’s actions to strengthen the border in Germania, and was minted in Rome at the end of his reign (117-138 CE).
Most Roman marriages (especially in the above sphere) were entered into out of reason, not love. Political rivals, through the union of their children, could forge a lasting alliance between the houses and pursue politics together.
A restored Roman temple with an Ionic-style colonnade can be admired in Garni, east of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It is the only building of this type in Armenia and the entire former Soviet Union and the highest of all known Roman temples (1396 m above sea level).
Thanks to the preserved work of Pliny the Elder – “Natural history” – we get to know many interesting observations that people had in ancient times regarding many animals. A great example of “unusual” behaviour is information about elephants.
Under Roman law, the woman who got married was still in her father’s family (but that was not the rule) and not just the spouse. With the divorce, she lost parental rights over children who were only among her father’s family.
