If you have found a spelling error, please, notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
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.
Silphium, that is, the sylphion was a plant that enjoyed extraordinary popularity in ancient times. Its juice was one of the main exports of the ancient Greek colony of Kyrene (today Libya), and it was known and used throughout the Mediterranean. To this day, it has not been possible to identify it unequivocally.
Massive Roman table made of marble and bronze. Object dated to the 1st century CE. The table was probably used in public areas of the household, such as an atrium, to impress guests. It is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Roman terracotta toy and a baby bottle in one, in the shape of a pig.
Trenching was an important method of siege warfare in antiquity. According to legend, during the siege of the Etruscan capital Veii in 396 BCE, Roman soldiers digging the tunnel heard a bard over them proclaiming that the victory would be given to the side that offered the gods first to sacrifice the sacred parts of the sacrificial animal.
Partially preserved marble sculpture of a certain Diadumenos, who adorns his head with a headband after winning an athletics competition. The object is dated to the 1st century CE; is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The ancients were keenly interested in the past. The stories of the mythical Trojan War and the return of the heroes from Troy to their homes throughout the epoch were a source of entertainment for both aristocrats and ordinary bread eaters, and inspiration for sculptors and poets.
Roman bronze statue probably depicting Hercules as a young man. The eyes of the sculpture are made of blue glass. According to researchers, once a figure could hold a bow and an arrow. The object was most likely discovered in Tivoli, in central Italy. The sculpture is dated to the 1st BCE – 1st century CE. Currently, the artifact is in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Denmark.
Fragment of a Roman mosaic showing the goddess Luna on a chariot. The object is dated to the 3rd century CE and was discovered in Orbe-Boscéaz, Switzerland.
Fragment of a Roman relief from Hadrian’s Mausoleum depicting Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It is located in Glyptotek Ny Carlsberg in Copenhagen.
