Curiosities of ancient Rome

In pop culture, Rome is often recognized more quickly by its gesture than its name: the ruler sits above the arena, a red robe flowing from his shoulder, a laurel appears above his head, and the defeated disappears beneath the sand or into the jaws of a beast. A few such signs are enough to make the alien planet resemble an imperial amphitheater. The eleventh episode of the anime “Dragon Ball Z” uses this shortcut particularly prominently when Vegeta and Nappa arrive on Arlia, ruled by the Moai King. An arena operates in the tyrant’s palace, warriors battle before his throne, and the losers fall into a pit where the enormous monster Yeddy awaits.

After nearly two thousand years, scientists have used artificial intelligence for the first time to recreate the appearance of one of the Pompeii residents who died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The reconstruction was based on archaeological research and allows for a better understanding of the dramatic events that unfolded in the final hours of the city’s existence.