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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.
Many fans of Roman films are astonished by the ideas of the producers that in the Roman army they placed soldiers from different continents. The rule was that only a Roman citizen could serve in the army, i.e. in the Roman legions. However, obtaining citizenship was not an impossible task.
Roman castellum Celemantia in Slovakia, at the Danube. Castellum is hard to define unequivocally. In sources it was described as a fortification, fort or fortress, which in practice also served as a watchtower.
Castellum is a word derived from a diminutive of castrum, or Roman camp – the so-called “little fort”. This is mentioned, among others, by Vegetius: “And if no ancient fortifications are to be met with, small forts must be built in proper situations, surrounded with large ditches, for the reception of detachments of horse and foot, so that the convoys will be effectually protected. For an enemy will hardly venture far into a country where he knows his adversary’s troops are so disposed as to be ready to encompass him on all sides”1.
Puteoli or today’s Pozzuoli. Known mainly for the nearby layers of volcanic sand called “pozzolana”. Once a magnificent Roman port on the Gulf of Naples. Many different buildings have been preserved there from Roman times. One of such places is Macellum the market.
Roman bust of an elegant woman, with a hairstyle typical of the aristocracy at the turn of the 1st-2nd century CE. The high social position is indicated not only by the hairstyle, but also by the hair tiara. The sculpture is located in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Many historians consider the murder of Julius Caesar to be one of the most important turning points in the history of civilization. Some go further and ask what would have happened to Rome without the murder, or what would have happened if Caesar had survived. Thanks to the preserved texts from that time, we have some insight into Caesar’s plans, which were ultimately never realized.
Roman silver engagement ring from 2nd-3rd century CE. It was discovered in the ancient Viminacium in eastern Serbia.
Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow (Russia).
Roman bronze bowl found near Chatham in the southeast of England. The object is dated to the 1st century CE. On the inside of the artifact, there is an inscription “Africanus” indicating the craftsman.
From the beginning of the 1st century CE, Roman society, and especially aristocratic families demanded more and more luxury goods imported from India. Among the Romans, pepper, ginger, all kinds of spices and exotic animals in the form of elephants or monkeys were in demand. This resulted in a huge increase in Roman trade expeditions to India, but they focused mainly on the west coast of the peninsula.
Spartacus, the leader of the greatest slave revolt in Roman history, was most likely of Thracian origin, as evidenced by his fighting style in the arenas. He was incorporated into the Roman army as a soldier of auxiliary units.
