If you have found a spelling error, please, notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.

Curiosities of ancient Rome

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.

Fighting wild animal on mosaic

Fragment of a mosaic floor from a Roman villa in Nennig (western Germany), showing a fight with a wild animal, probably a bear.

23 August 2020

Family of Julius descended from Venus

Roman mythology is said to be a carbon copy of Greek and Etruscan beliefs. This is true in many cases, although there are interesting exceptions.

23 August 2020

Reconstruction of Ratae Corieltauvorum

Reconstruction of Ratae Corieltauvorum, a Roman city in Britain, in the place where is now located English Leicester.

22 August 2020

Reconstruction of the Ratae Corieltauvorum

Roman mosaic showing tiger

Roman mosaic showing a tiger/lion with a bizarre appearance. This detail is part of a larger composition that shows little Bacchus, the god of wine and fun, sitting on a tiger and drinking wine. Object was found in the House of the Faun in Pompeii. Currently in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

22 August 2020

Bust of Agrippa Postumus

A bust of Agrippa Postumus, which is believed to be in the Louvre and was created around 4 CE. Agrippa (12 BCE – 14 CE) was born Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Postumus and was the son of Marcus Agrippa – the famous commander of Octavian Augustus – and Julia, daughter of the emperor.

21 August 2020

Giant Roman emperor Maximinus Thrax

Ancient sources, both the unbelievable ones like “Historia Augusta” and those more sensible (Herodian), mention the Roman emperor Maximinus Thrax as a man of enormous size. According to “Historia Augusta”, his height was 250 cm.

21 August 2020

Blackbird on Roman fresco

Blackbird on a Roman fresco from Pompeii. The blackbird is a bird in the Turdidae family that often eats soft fruit. It was certainly well known among Roman vineyard workers.

21 August 2020

High-quality Roman vessel

A high-quality Roman bronze vessel. Dated to the 1st century CE.

20 August 2020

Aeneas and Dido on mosaic

Roman mosaic showing Aeneas and Dido found at Low Ham Roman Villa in Somerset (south-wester England). Currently, the object is in the Museum of Somerset.

19 August 2020

Moralia – collection of Plutarch’s texts

Plutarch of Chaeronea (c. 50 – c. 125 CE) is a Greek historian whose most famous work is the collection of lives of famous figures of the ancient world – the so-called Parallel Lives. His other speeches and contents, collected under the name of Moralia, have also survived to our times.

18 August 2020

Curiosities of ancient Rome

Fighting wild animal on mosaic

Family of Julius descended from Venus

Reconstruction of Ratae Corieltauvorum

Roman mosaic showing tiger

Bust of Agrippa Postumus

Giant Roman emperor Maximinus Thrax

Blackbird on Roman fresco

High-quality Roman vessel

Aeneas and Dido on mosaic

Moralia – collection of Plutarch’s texts

Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors:

Your comment (optional):

Curiosities of ancient Rome

Support IMPERIUM ROMANUM!

Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors:

Your comment (optional):