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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.
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.
Roman altar, now called the Carrick Stone, which is located in Scotland. The object is dated to the 60s of the 2nd century CE. It is located halfway between Glasgow and Falkirk, close to Antoninus’ wall.
Tourism and holidays are not just modern inventions. Already in Roman times, the inhabitants of the Empire often travelled and went on vacation. The Romans began to travel on a massive scale during the reign of Octavian Augustus (reigned 27 BCE – 14 CE).
Roman civil wars in the 1st century BCE, they harmed the good name of the nation and the state to such an extent that the first emperor – Octavian Augustus ordered the destruction of all documents related to this fratricidal fight.
Elders played an important role in Rome, based on the privileges granted to them by Roman law. The Romans both criticized and admired the old. They treated them individually and without referring to the whole problem of old age. Problems with old age were noticed independently: demographic, political, social, as well as psychological and medical.
Roman marble bust of a man. The object is dated to the 3rd century CE. The sculpture was improved in the 4th and 6th centuries. The artifact was discovered in the agora in Thessalonica. The object is in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (Greece).
Plutarch recognizes Gaius Gracchus as the person who, for the first time in the Roman Republic, ordered small stones to be placed by the road so that the horseman could, without any help, mount his horse.
Roman fresco showing a group of nymphs with a crowned and seated Bacchus, the god of wild nature, vines and wine. The object is dated to the 1st century BCE and was discovered in Pompeii. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
The Latin phrase – furor teutonicus (“Teutonic fury”) – was used to describe the aggressive actions of the Germanic peoples. It first appeared in Lucan’s Pharsalia to convey the qualities he attributed to the Teutons: cruelty and battle frenzy. At the end of the 2nd century BCE northern Italy was invaded by the Germanic tribes of the Teutons and Cimbri, whose invasion threatened Rome’s sovereignty.
