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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.

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Curule chair

Curule chair (sella curulis) is a folding stool with crossed straight or curved legs, originally backless. It was known to many ancient cultures of the Mediterranean basin, including the Greeks and Egyptians (it reached China via the Silk Road). The ancient Romans most likely adopted it from the Etruscans.

Wooden curule chair

Ancient Roman bronze stylus

This ancient Roman bronze stylus, discovered in Tiel (central Netherlands), is a small, elongated writing instrument used during the Roman Empire. Made of bronze, it has a slender shape – one end is pointed, while the other is flattened or slightly flared.

Ancient Roman bronze stylus

Gold necklace with goddess medallion

Gold necklace with a medallion depicting a goddess is an example of jewelry from the period when Egypt was under Roman rule (30 BCE – 300 CE). This unique piece combines jewelry craftsmanship, religious symbolism, and the multicultural identity of the era.

Gold necklace with goddess medallion

Marcus Aurelius on horseback

The monumental figure of Marcus Aurelius, depicted on horseback, evokes the ideal of the philosopher-ruler: composure, dignity, and inner strength. The piece is located at the Museo Frédéric Marès in Barcelona.

Marcus Aurelius on horseback

Bronze fork from Roman times

The collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna include an inconspicuous, yet extremely telling monument of Roman culture – a bronze fork, dated to the 2nd/3rd century CE.

Bronze fork from Roman times

Roman bronze bell

Roman bronze bell (tintinnabulum) found in a tomb was associated with funeral rites. This artifact is in the collection of the Civic Museum of Crema (northern Italy).

Roman bronze bell

Funerary relief of Roman couple from Via Appia

The funerary relief of Publius Aiedius Amphion and his wife Aiedia Faustra Melior is a moving example of Roman funerary art from the turn of the ages – dating to around 30 BCE. It comes from Rome, from the area of ​​the famous Via Appia, one of the most important arteries of the ancient world, along which the tombs of elites and freedmen were built.

Funerary relief of Roman couple from Via Appia

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