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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.
Julian the Apostate – pattern of morality
Julian the Apostate ruling from 361-363 CE was an exceptional paradox in his time. He was a man of immense intelligence who returned to traditional beliefs and who wanted to modify in parallel with changing world. Although he did not like constant expand of Christianity, he did not persecute the Church and only wanted to lower his rank to one of the many cults in the Empire.
Elagabalus transsexual
Emperor Elagabalus was famous for his transsexual-orgiastic behavior. For example, he wanted to undergo a sex change surgery that was unmanageable at that time.
Roman fresco from Herculaneum
Roman fresco from Herculaneum. The original yellow color, under the influence of high temperature caused by the Vesuvius eruption in 79 CE, changed its color to red-orange.
Lucius Verginius Rufus – Roman role model
Lucius Verginius Rufus was the personification of a faithful soldier and the old Roman virtues. In 68-69 CE, during the so-called “The Year of the Four Emperors”, when he was the commander of the Upper Germania army, he repeatedly rejected offered to him by the army purple.
Division of Romans into honestiores and humiliores
Together with the introduction in 212 CE the so-called edict of Caracalla (Constitutio Antoniniana) all free Romans (apart from peregrini dedicti – free foreigners) have been granted civil rights. It seemed that the emperor from that moment ruled over one and a common category of subjects. However, this is not true.
How did ancient Romans deal with heat?
Ancient Romans lived in a Mediterranean climate that is characterized by warm and dry summers. The roughest period in the year was called by Romans as dies canincula. Romans were looking for different ways to cool themselves.
