When did Rome begin to fall into ruin?
Whenever I look at the ruins of ancient Rome, I wonder: how could these magnificent buildings be allowed to perish? Why have they not survived to our times? What a pity you can’t see them today…
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Curiosities of ancient Rome
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.
I encourage you to submit your own suggestions and to report any corrections or inaccuracies.
Bronze ears were found in central Italy
In central Italy, near the village of San Casciano dei Bagni, unusual finds were discovered in the area of a former Etruscan pool fed by hot springs. Among the discovered artifacts are bronze ears that ancient Romans put on – according to researchers – to ask the gods to hear their prayers. The finds also include sculptures showing body parts, e.g. phallus, womb, breasts, leg or arm.
Roman fresco from bedroom in country estate
Roman fresco from a bedroom in a country estate in Gragnano (south of Italy). The object dates back to the 1st century CE.
Marcia – how one adulteress saved Christians
A rescript issued by Emperor Marcus Aurelius in 176, prohibiting the practice of foreign religions, confirmed the persecution of Christians. The greatest intensity of persecution in that period occurred in 177 in Lugdunum, where Bishop Poteinos, who was over 90 years old, was killed. Saint Justin was martyred in Rome itself.
Lagotto Romagnolo – dog breed that accompanied Romans?
There is a view that Roman civilization is a continuation of Etruscan civilization1. From this view, and from the history of the lagotto romagnolo breed2, it can be concluded that the ancestors of today’s truffle hunters already accompanied the ancient Romans.
Roman mămăligă
One of the founding myths of the Romanian nation is its direct descent from those conquered by the Romans in the 1st century CE Dacians. To what extent is this true? An alternative theory is the origin of the Vlachs, the ancestors of the Romanians, from Romanian-speaking communities from the areas of today’s Albania, who fled from the Turkish threat to the north, to the Carpathians (participating in the ethnogenesis of our Boykos, Lemkos and Hutsuls) and to the Danube lowlands – let linguists and geneticists decide. The fact is that to this day, only in Romania can parents name their children Decebalus, Hadrian, Trajan or Ovid (the famous poet is buried in Constanta on the Black Sea).
Legend of Silvester
Certainly many of us celebrate the last day of the year, called New Year’s Eve. But how many people know exactly where this name actually comes from?
Roots of Nero, or bloody games between Agrippina the Younger and Gnaeus Domitius
Agrippina the Younger became famous, among others, as Nero’s mother. She was the daughter of Germanicus – an outstanding Roman leader and Agrippina the Elder. She was born around 16 CE in a city located on the Rhine. Her husband, whom she married at the age of 13, was Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus.
Roman decoration in shape of black man
Roman decoration in the shape of a black man, made of bronze. The object is on display in a museum in Herculaneum (Italy).
Roman fresco showing half-naked woman
Roman fresco showing a half-naked woman. Object discovered in the 1st century CE, in Pompeii. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
