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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.
Part of a Roman wall mosaic showing a boxer on a podium. The man has antique gloves (caestus) on his hands. Below it is a panel depicting a rooster approaching a shelf with a pine cone and a fig. The object was discovered in one of the ancient cities destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 CE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
When members of the Roman Senate came to Julius Caesar to inform him of the award of special distinctions, he did not get up at the sight of them, as was customary, and did not show respect to the esteemed body. This behaviour of Caesar was one of the main reasons for the decision to assassinate the dictator.
Fragments of a fresco showing Maenad and Satyr. Object dated to the 1st century CE. Discovered in Pompeii; the artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Titus Livius mentions an interesting clash. In 349 BCE Roman Republic was still conducting numerous wars with its neighbours, aimed at gaining dominance in Italy. There were also fights with the Gauls – from the beginning of the 4th century, the deadly enemies of Roma. When the Romans were encamped near the Pontic marshes, columns of Gauls were about to approach them.
Impressive Roman sculpture showing Hercules at rest. It is a copy, dated to the 2nd-3rd century CE, of a Greek original from the 4th century BCE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
The emperor’s biographer Octavian Augustus, Patricia Southern, is convinced that the first emperor had a specially delegated group of specialists who took care of the ruler’s good image and publicity.
Roman locks that were discovered in cities destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 CE. The objects are made of bronze and date back to the 1st century CE. The artifacts are in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
As we know, the ancients were extremely promiscuous in their paintings and other works of art. There are many examples of Roman frescoes with visible phallus or inscriptions referring to sexual matters. As it turns out, the Romans also liked to use sexual comparisons in colloquial speech.
Roman tombstone of Marcus Antonius Trophimus and his wife. The images of the deceased couple were placed on the stone. The man was a merchant in woolen coats and belonged to the Augustales college, which honored the memory of Emperor Augustus. Object dated to the reign of Hadrian (117-138 CE).
Haruspices were priests who were active long ago. Originally, they appeared in the state of Mari (northern Mesopotamia) and the Hittites. Then the haruspices appeared in Etruria. Etruscans were taken over by the ancient Romans. Haruspices began to appear in Rome during the Punic Wars (mid-3rd century BCE). Haruspices gave advice to both the state and individuals.
