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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.

Roman coin with three imperial images

Roman coin with three imperial images. The object is dated to the 3rd-4th century CE. The artifact was found in the remains of ancient Viminacium, near the city of Kostolac, in eastern Serbia.

Roman coin with three imperial images

Amazing Grotto of Catullus

Grotto of Catullus is the name given to the ruins of a powerful Roman villa built at the turn of the eras, at the very end of the peninsula overlooking Lake Garda, in Sirmione. In the Renaissance era, ruins of ancient buildings, which were overgrown with lush greenery, were defined as “grottos”.

Grottoes of Catullus

Beautiful Roman mask from Serbia

Beautiful Roman mask – of a ceremonial nature – which is part of the helmet. The object dates to the 2nd century CE. The artifact was found in the Roman castrum in Kostol, near the remains of the Trajan’s Bridge, in eastern Serbia.

Beautiful Roman mask from Serbia

Nepotism in ancient Rome

The political career in ancient Rome followed a strictly defined pattern, the so-called Cursus honorum. The first stage was a 10-year military service in the Roman legions or alongside the general who was a relative or friend of the family.

Scene from the movie "Rome"

Geta and Caracalla – evil brothers

Geta and Caracalla were sons of emperor Septimius Severus. Both, according to the will of the dying father, were to share power in the Empire, without a clear division of powers and territory. This fact alone hindered cooperation between them. However, the deeper cause of the conflict that was about to break out between the brothers was the sincere hatred they had had since early childhood. They were not even prevented by the consent forced by their father’s grave, to which their mother Julia Domna urged her co-emperors.

Geta and Caracalla

Ancient Roman baths

Nowadays, we associate stays in thermal baths with biological regeneration and that’s basically the end. And how was it in antiquity?

Fyodor Bronnikov, In Roman Baths

Trajan depicted as pharaoh

Emperor Trajan depicted as a pharaoh. To the left of the character are hieroglyphic names, preceded by the titles of King of Upper and Lower Egypt and Son of Ra. The object is located in Dendera (Upper Egypt), in the temple complex.

Trajan depicted as a pharaoh

Second bottom of calendar reform

The office of the high priest of Rome “Pontifex Maximus” offered great opportunities. One of the functions was taking care of the calendar, which involved, for example, setting the next month. This explains why in 46 BCE the calendar December was in September. Influencing the calendar was to even shorten or extend the duration of the term of office of other officials.

Roman agricultural calendar

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