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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.
Reconstruction of a preserved ancient chariot that was discovered in one of the houses of Villa Civita Giuliana, located near Pompeii. According to scientists, the chariot was ceremonial and was made of bronze with silver decorations. The object is located in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
A wounded Adonis in a Roman fresco being comforted by the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite. According to Greek mythology, Adonis was a beautiful young man with whom Aphrodite and Persephone (the wife of Hades, the god of hell) were in love. Ares decided to solve their dispute by sending a boar to attack him.
The remains of another victim of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE were discovered in Pompeii. A well-preserved skull protrudes from the pyroclastic material.
Roman sculpture of Antisthenes, a Greek philosopher who is the creator of cynicism – a philosophy focusing on the analysis of virtue and considering it the most important value. The Greek lived in the 5th-4th centuries BCE.
Fragment of a Roman fresco showing Iphigenia, priestess of Artemis, with her assistants. The object dates back to the 1st century CE and was discovered in Lucius Caecilius Iucundus in Pompeii. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
When you walk around Rome, do you wonder what is hidden under your feet? Aren’t you curious how much of the ancient capital of the Empire has been preserved in its medieval Renaissance and Baroque walls?
Roman cities were carefully planned, built on a grid of streets intersecting at right angles. The Romans borrowed this idea from the Greeks. Streets divided the city into quarters, just like in some modern cities, such as New York. A wall was built around the city to mark its border. Roman cities were bustling, populous and full of large, magnificent buildings. In the 1st century BCE Rome had over a million inhabitants.
Did you know that in ancient Rome, the most sought-after cosmetic was… the sweat of gladiators? Rich ladies, in jars containing the sweat of warriors, searched for charm believing it to be the secret to eternal youth and attractiveness.
Roman dragon head, made of bronze. The object dates back to the 2nd-3rd century CE; discovered in Niederbieber (Germany). The artifact decorated the banner of the Roman cavalry and was carried by a draconarius.
An aerial photo showing the Roman road in Jordan – Via Nova Traiana. The road was built during the reign of Emperor Trajan (reigned 98-117 CE) in the province of Arabia Petraea and stretched from the city of Aqaba (present-day Jordan) to Bostra (present-day Syria).
