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The world of the ancient Romans was rich in extraordinary, and sometimes even surprising, facts. We draw our knowledge of Roman daily life, customs, and mentality primarily from works left by ancient writers and historians. It is thanks to them that we discover information that is astonishing today – sometimes even hard to believe. Below are some interesting facts that reveal a lesser-known and less obvious side of the Roman world.
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Roman stamp used to mint Roman coins. This is an extremely rare artifact of this type that has survived to this day. The object was discovered in Lugdunum (now Lyon, France), on the site of a former mint. Dated to 14-37 CE.
Roman sculpture depicting Philip II, king of Macedon from 359-336 BCE, who was the father of the famous Alexander the Great. The object is a copy of a Greek original from the 4th century BCE. The artifact is located in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen (Denmark).
Mummified child’s hand holding a Roman coin. Currently kept in the Denon Museum in Chalon-sur-Saône, France.
Sculpture of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. The object dates back to 30-20 BCE. The artifact is located in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen (Denmark).
Although both the municipality and the Roman colony refer to forms of urban organization in ancient Rome, they differed significantly in terms of administrative structure, autonomy, and relations with central authority. Understanding these differences is crucial for a fuller comprehension of the functioning of the Roman legal and administrative system.
Domus Transitoria is a very mysterious palace, about which much less is known than about other residences of Roman emperors. Other palaces of the Caesars: Domus Augustea, Domus Tiberiana, Domus Augustana, and Domus Flavia, Domus Severiana and even Domus Aurea) can still be admired on Palatine Hill or extensive ruins nearby. Meanwhile, surprisingly little is known about Nero’s first palace. Suetonius writes in the Lives of the Caesars that Nero built it to connect various residences inherited from his ancestors on the Palatine, Velia, Oppius and Esquiline. But this palace was destroyed during the great fire of Rome in 64 CE. Nero did not rebuild it, and on its ruins, he soon built Domus Aurea.
Elderly woman on a Roman sculpture. The object dates back to the reign of Octavian Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE). The artifact is located in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen (Denmark).
Roman sculpture from around 40 BCE, which depicts an unnamed man. The artifact is located in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen (Denmark).
The battle of Philippi (43 BCE) in the far north of Greece, lost by the optimates, put an end to dreams of restoring the republic. Brutus and Cassius were dead, and soon after Cicero’s beheaded head was hung on a Roman rostra. The road to the empire led through Actium (31 BCE) and the victory of Augustus, or perhaps Gaius Octavian, over Antony and Cleopatra.
A giant 3D replica of Emperor Constantine is located near the museum, which houses the original fragments of Constantine’s giant feet, hands and head, discovered by archaeologists.
