Young boy
Young boy on a Roman sculpture. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
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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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Lugii – ancestors of Poles?
Lugii/Longiones were a people of not entirely clear origin, just before BCE and in the first centuries CE they inhabited the upper basin of the Oder and Vistula rivers, i.e. the area of today’s southern and central Poland.
Roman bust showing man
Roman bust showing a man. Object dated to the reign of Octavian Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE); it is a copy of an original from the middle of the 2nd century BCE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Augustus’ phrases
Octavian Augustus used some characteristic phrases: instead of “stupid”, he used “dumb”; to describe the speed of acting, he used the phrase “faster than asparagus cooks”; instead of saying “crazy”, he used “mad in the head”.
Sculpture showing walking Satyr
Roman sculpture showing a walking Satyr, a mythological creature who was supposed to accompany Dionysus (Bacchus) in the retinue. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
What was legislative process in Roman Republic?
Roman Senate was an important office during the time of the Roman Republic, which decided on Roman laws. As the plebeians gradually won more democratic governments (moving away from the oligarchy), a typical legislative process in the Roman state emerged.
Bust of emperor Tiberius
Bust of the emperor Tiberius, who ruled in the years 14-37 CE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Fulvia, Pomponia – strong Roman women
The wife of Mark Antony, Fulvia, completely ignored the spinning traditions and housekeeping of a Roman woman. In addition, according to Roman descriptions, she was a strong and independent woman.
Roman fresco showing naumachia and still life
Roman fresco showing naumachia and still life. Object dated to the 1st century CE; discovered in Pompeii. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Fall of Roman Empire according to Edward Gibbon
According to Edward Gibbon (1737-1794), author of the classic work The Decline of the Roman Empire, the greatest influence on the disintegration of the Roman Empire was, among others, Christianity, the loss of civic values by the Romans, or “the great migration of peoples”.
