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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 camp – work of soldier

Roman camp (castrum Romanum) was characterized by excellent workmanship. It was built of wood, and the work force was legionnaires. It should be noted that the Romans were characterized by excellent building skills.

Drawing showing the marching camp of the Romans. Illustration in Florián de Ocampo's book from 1852

Bust showing young Caracalla

Bust showing the young Caracalla (188-217 CE), who was the Roman emperor reigning in the years 211-217 CE. Supported by praetorians and part of the army, he became famous for his cruelty and bloody spectacles. Caracalla was the son of Emperor Septimius Severus and brother Geta. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Bust showing young Caracalla

Bellum sociale

War of the allies (so-called bellum sociale) fought in 90-88 BCE was a conflict between the Roman Republic and its Italian allies (socii). For years, the policy of “divide and conquer” allowed to keep many cities and peoples of Italy under the rule. The controversial death of the people’s tribune, Marcus Livius Drusus, who pushed for, among other things, the granting of civil rights to all free inhabitants of Italy, as well as the division of all public lands, caused a violent outbreak of rebellious Italian tribes.

Legionaries in the graphic

Young Hercules

Roman sculpture showing the young Hercules. The object is dated to the 2nd century CE and is a copy of a Greek original from the 4th century BCE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Young Hercules

Banishment in Rome

Banishment was commonly used in ancient Rome. One of its variations was the punishment interdicere aquae et ignis (“to prohibit fire and water”). The convict was forced to leave Roman lands and automatically lost his property to the state. If the exile returned he was still treated as an outlaw; had, among others forbidden to use fire and water, and could be killed without trial.

J.M.W. Turner, Ovid Banished From Rome

Roman water engineering

Water engineering in the Roman Empire was at the highest level. Aqueduct network supplied ancient Rome in the 2nd century CE with one million cubic meters of water per day. In some places, the area around the aqueducts was drained to prevent contamination by groundwater.

Segovia aqueduct (Spain)

Roman fresco showing half-naked Maenad

Roman fresco showing a half-naked Maenad (worshipper of Dionysus). Object dated to the 1st century CE; discovered in Pompeii. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Roman fresco showing half-naked Maenad

Tertullian – knight of faith

Tertullian was a well-educated Roman orator and jurist who lived in North Africa at the turn of the 2nd/3rd century CE. In about 190 CE he was baptized and became a zealous supporter and defender of Christianity. He founded his own Tertullian sect, which preached moral rigour and forbade escape from persecution; it mandated fasts that other Christians did not practice.

Tertullian

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