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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.
Under the so-called “London Wall”, which dates back to Roman times, there is a sculpture of Emperor Trajan (reigned 98-117 CE). The sculpture was made of bronze in the 20th century. It is a copy of a Roman original from the 1st century CE in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Aphrodite (Venus) on a Roman sculpture that is a replica (2nd century CE) of an original from Greek times. The object is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (Italy).
Sculpture showing a standing lion; made of limestone. The Roman object dates back to the imperial period; discovered in northern Italy. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Aius Locutius is a mysterious deity of unknown origin and appearance. In Roman mythology, it appears only once and in the form of a voice.
“Lives” are one of the most fascinating works of antiquity. Its author, Plutarch of Chaeronea (ca. 46 – ca. 120 CE), compiles the profiles of famous Greeks and Romans. When describing these characters, he focuses mainly on their actions, character and anecdotes related to them. His work, however, is not devoid of very interesting digressions about the people and events of his contemporaries. One of them is an interesting mention of Emperor Domitian, whose reign was 81-96 CE. Although Plutarch writes his work several years after the emperor’s murder, he probably remembers the times of his reign and expresses his short opinion about this princeps.
Roman fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii, showing a griffin. The scene shows a member of the Arimaspa people stealing gold from a griffin. The object dates back to the mid-1st century BCE. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Roman glass vessel in the shape of a gladiator’s helmet. The object was made in the Rhineland in the 3rd century CE. It is currently in the British Museum.
Brutality and cruelty are often associated with ancient Rome, and one of the most horrific customs was the practice of using convicts as “human lanterns”. What did this cruel way of punishment look like and what does it say about the mentality of the Roman empire? More about this in the article below.
Roman sculpture of a woman’s head, probably the goddess Juno Sospita (savior). Its attributes were a goat’s skin with horns, which was on the sculpture’s head. The preserved head was part of a larger composition. The object dates back to the 1st century BCE and is made of marble. The artifact is located in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen (Denmark); probably discovered in Tusculum (Italy).
In ancient Rome, one of the most intriguing customs was fate, i.e. the concept of fate, which was closely related to divine will. It was believed that the goddesses of fate, known as the Trinity of Fatum – Nona, Decima and Morta – had control over each person’s life.
