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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.
Roman portrait showing a woman. This incredibly realistic portrait was made using mosaics and dates back to the 1st century CE. Artifact discovered in Pompeii; the object is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
You have certainly come across many interesting visualizations on the Internet showing what Rome might have looked like in the times of the Empire. Impressive, right? However, it is always worth considering how much truth there is in these beautiful graphics. And I don’t mean only whether the structure of individual buildings was correctly drawn by a graphic artist, because the question of the architecture of the buildings in ancient Rome will always be a matter of interpretation of archaeological data, hypotheses, etc. I rather mean whether the appearance the city as a whole is realistic.
Roman sculpture depicting Homer. The object is a Roman copy, from the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 CE), of a Greek original from the 4th century BCE. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Roman fresco showing a pair of dancing centaurs. The object dates back to the 1st century CE; discovered in Stabiae. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Preserved fragment of a wall from Pompeii with an enigmatic engraved message. We read: “If you ever had the opportunity to remark with how much talent the young Sepumius plays the snake game, whether you are a spectator of the theatre or have a passion for horses, may you always keep the pans of the scale in balance, wherever you are”.
Panorama of Pompeii from the defensive walls. Pompeii (Pompeii), also called Pompeii, was considered one of the most attractive cities of ancient Rome. The buildings were built with harmony and beauty.
Roman sculpture depicting Alexander the Great or another Hellenic ruler. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Roman street in Pompeii, with still well-preserved cobblestones. The construction of Roman roads was a true masterpiece of Roman engineering. The road-building technique was taken over by the Etruscans and initially closely imitated. Over time, new technologies began to be adopted.
Fragment of a Roman fresco with black inscriptions. The painting was found on the left wall of the corridor leading to the ludus gladiatorius. As it turns out, the text had pleasant content: “To Popidius Rufus, unsurpassed organizer of gladiator games, to the protectors of the colonists, with well wishes”. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Castellum Aquae in Pompeii was a water dispenser that supplied water to the entire city. The building was located at the highest point of Pompeii (42 meters) and was connected to the Serino aqueduct.
