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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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Company 4iG has made a computer reconstruction of a Roman floor mosaic from a luxurious Roman villa in Nagyharsány, Hungary. The visualization was made in cooperation with the conservators of the Hungarian National Museum.
It is a known fact that in the world of ancient Romans, the poorer bourgeoisie could not count on the rights that wealthy Romans had only from being born into an eminent family. Unfortunately, plebeians tried unsuccessfully to fight for their rights, but in general official legal institutions were not interested in the problems of ordinary people.
The greatest defeat in Roman history is considered to be the battle with Hannibal at Cannae in 216 BCE. There are also known hecatombs in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE and under Adrianople in 378 CE. However, a little known fact is that in the 3rd century CE, during the reign of Emperor Valerian, the Empire suffered two major defeats with the Persian state of King Shapur I. At Barbalissos and Edessa, two large Roman armies of around 60,000-70,000 were probably defeated and destroyed. people. The empire suffered the greatest humiliation in its history – the emperor became a prisoner of the Persian ruler. The Romans did not forget about the rematch – as early as 282, Emperor Carus conquered Mesopotamia with the Persian capital Ctesiphon, and only his unexpected death stopped the further march of the legions to the east.
In 1863, during the excavations, the Villa Livia was discovered – archaeologists saw chambers full of unusual frescoes. Particularly noteworthy is the room with frescoes depicting a fabulous Mediterranean garden – and really, dear reader, when looking at the paintings, we get the impression that we are in a real garden, full of flowers, palm trees, pine trees and orange and lemon trees (it makes you want to reach out and pick this fruit).
In 15 CE, a Roman punitive expedition, led by Aulus Cecina, returning to bases on the Rhine, was surrounded by the Germans. The legionaries, despite being highly disciplined, were also very superstitious and quickly associated the facts.
Bust showing a Roman, probably from the beginning of the 2nd century CE – the reign of Emperor Caracalla. This is indicated by the hairstyle and beard. The artifact is in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (USA).
It is difficult to imagine that more children than two / three could be born and survived in the world at one time in antiquity. Mostly multiple babies are premature babies, and the more babies there are, the more difficult it is to maintain the pregnancy and keep them and their mother alive after birth.
