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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.

Roman mosaic showing chessboard

Roman mosaic showing a chessboard in the shape of a circle. In the corners of the object we can see decorations in the form of ducks. The object is dated to the 1st BCE – 1st century CE. The artifact was discovered in Pompeii, in the so-called Mosaic House with Doves. The object is in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Roman mosaic showing chessboard

Roman mosaic showing struggle of Theseus with Minotaur

Roman mosaic showing struggle of Theseus with Minotaur in the labyrinth. At the back of the stage, we see women watching the fight in horror. The object dates back to the 1st century BCE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Roman mosaic showing struggle of Theseus with Minotaur

Unidentified man on Roman statue

Unidentified man on Roman marble statue. The object is dated to the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14-37 CE). The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Unidentified man on Roman statue

Farnesian Atlas

Roman sculpture that depicts the mythological Atlas holding the celestial vault on his shoulders. According to mythology, the titan Atlas was condemned for participating in a conspiracy against the power of Zeus. The “Farnesian Atlas” is a Roman marble copy of a Hellenistic original; dated to the 2nd century CE

Farnesian Atlas

Slaves in Rome

The prevailing view is that slavery is one of the darkest sides of Roman civilization. From our perspective, this is a reasonable opinion, but on the other hand, it must be remembered that slavery was a common phenomenon at that time, so when condemning it, one should probably also take into account the different state of social development, different mentality of people, etc.

Fresco from the so-called House of Agrippa on the Tiber in Rome

Roman wall painting depicting pygmy feast

Roman wall painting depicting a feast of pygmies, a fight with a hippopotamus and sexual acts. The object is dated to the 1st century CE and was discovered in the Doctor’s House in Pompeii. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Roman wall painting depicting pygmy feast

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