Curiosities of ancient Rome

With the rise of the empire, the first person in the Roman state became the emperor, who gradually became equivalent to the Roman gods. Therefore, in the second century CE, there was created the whole funeral ceremony, was aimed at a worthy farewell to the beloved emperor.

“Exception that proves the rule” (Exceptio probat regulam) – these were the words that come up during the defense of Cornelius Balbus in ancient Rome. Cornelius Balbo was not a Roman by birth but received Roman citizenship. This decision was contested, arguing that there are agreements prohibiting the granting of citizenship to members of certain tribes.

Emperor Tiberius is judged very differently by posterity. The reign of Tiberius was a period of peace and good management for ordinary people in the provinces but for the spheres of the Roman aristocracy a time of increasing tyranny and terror. His last years of reign have gone down in history, which he spent in isolation on the island of Capri. There, according to Suetonius, he was supposed to organize really perverse games.

Bull Felix was a legendary Italian bandit operating in the years 205-207 CE, during the reign of Septimius Severus. He gathered under his command a band of about 600 men: escaped slaves, freedmen and former soldiers of the praetorian guard expelled by the emperor. He competed with Roman legionaries and could not be caught. The story of this rebel comes from the message of Cassius Dio, a Greek historian and Roman senator, and it is believed that it became the prototype for later legends about “good” bandits like Zorro, Scarlet flower or Robin Hood.