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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.

Elephants in Roman army?

Romans rarely used elephants in battle. Several pieces captured on Pyrrhus were present at the triumph of Manius Curius Dentatus in Rome in 275 BCE. However, it is not known what happened to these animals later. Perhaps they shared the fate of about 140 elephants captured by Lucius Metellus Pontyfex in Sicily in the battles with the Carthaginians, who died in the arena after the triumph of the victorious leader. As you can see, the chiefs of the city on the Tiber did not initially appreciate the value of these animals. At the turn of the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE

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19 October 2022
Roman elephant

Roman marble bust showing bearded man

Roman marble bust showing a bearded man. The Roman is wearing a military coat that has been thrown over his bare chest. The artifact is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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18 October 2022
Roman marble bust showing bearded man

Husband and wife in ancient pose

Roman fresco on which (probably) the husband and wife sit side by side in the banquet hall (triclinium). The man is shown as a naked, muscular hero, and the woman as an exemplary housewife, pondering. This is a typical depiction of people in antiquity. The object is dated to the 1st century BCE; discovered in the villa of P. Fannius Synistor in Boscoreale (Italia). The artifact is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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17 October 2022
Husband and wife in ancient pose

Mother of Gracchii

Valerius Maximus, a Roman writer from the 1st century CE, author of a collection of anecdotes in 9 books about famous deeds and sayings Factorum et dictorum memorabilium libri novem mentions one interesting anecdote from his life Cornelia, mother of the famous Gracchi brothers. Well, one day she hosted a patrician who flaunted her rich jewellery at every step.

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17 October 2022
Gracchi brothers

Roman tombstone of Severius Acceptus

Roman tombstone of Severius Acceptus, a soldier of the legion VIII Augusta, who probably belonged to a separate special unit of vexillatio. The man died at the age of 26 after 6 years of service in the Roman army. On the tombstone, we can see the image of a man and some of his attributes. The object is dated to the 3rd century CE. The tombstone was found in northwestern Turkey and is on display in a museum in Istanbul.

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15 October 2022
Roman tombstone of Severius Acceptus

Porphyry

Porphyry has been used since ancient times to make sarcophagi, sculptures and a host of other items as well as architectural features. The most widely used type of porphyry was red porphyry, or rather porphyry andesite, characterized by the purple colour of the rock.

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14 October 2022
Red porphyry

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