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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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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.
The third wife of Emperor Claudius, Valeria Messalina, was a nymphomaniac. According to Roman historians, she once decided to compete with a professional prostitute. The women were to confirm who would be able to hold more lovers in one night. It is said that Messalina, who made love with 150 men, was to win.
Roman golden ring that belonged to a child. The object was found in Aalen (southern Germany). The inscription CRESCAS is engraved on the ring, which translates as “May you grow” – probably the ring was given to the child by his parents.
Fragment of the Roman floor mosaic showing Emperor Hadrian (ruled 117-138 CE). It adorns the Venus bath in Baiae (southern Italy).
A man ruled the Roman house, but he often entrusted his wife with some duties, for example, looking after the treasury or managing slaves. Traditionally, it was considered that the only work a free woman could do was spinning wool.
The Romans accused Christians of many crimes. For example, they believed that early Christians were practising cannibalism. They probably thought so because they heard about Christ’s followers eating his flesh and drinking his blood. But where does the negative attitude of the Romans towards the followers of Christ come from?
Roman miniature (4.7 cm high) head sculpture Emperor Octavian Augustus, made of black glass with a turquoise-green coating. Object dated to the beginning of the 1st century CE.
The Romans invented the calendar, which we most use to this day. The so-called Julian Calendar is a solar calendar developed at the request of Julius Caesar by the Greek astronomer Sosygenes and implemented in 709 AUC (45 BCE) as the calendar of the Roman state.
Roman women did not have unique names. They usually took the female form of the family name. This is how Julia came from the Julius family, and for example, the daughter of Marcus Tullius Cicero was called Tulia. This name-surname was the first member of the name of a woman, and for a very long time, until the end of the republic, the only one.
