If you have found a spelling error, please, notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.

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.

Different opinions about Nero

Already ancient s had different opinions about Emperor Nero; some even gave some “positive” feedback. When asked by the flatterers, the philosopher Apollonius of Tyana replied, “I think of him better than you, for you think he should sing and mine should be silent”¹.

8 September 2022

Holy water in antiquity

Holy water is associated with the Christian faith. It is used in baptisms, blessing and expelling evil. Few, however, realize that the holy springs occurred in other religions, including the ancient Greeks and Romans.

7 September 2022

Roman wall fresco depicting Silenus and fight of Amor with Pan

Roman wall fresco depicting Silenus, the god of nature, watching Amor and Pan fighting each other. The struggle itself is interpreted as a rivalry between love and desire. The object adorned the walls of the Meleager House in Pompeii. Currently, the artefact is in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Fresco is dated to the 1st century CE.

5 September 2022

Roman wall fresco depicting Silenus and fight of Amor with Pan

Roman multiplication table and counting lesson

In ancient Rome, students learned the multiplication table by repeating after the teacher the words: bis bina quattuor – decantare, which means “two times two, four – speak”.

5 September 2022

Guardian of lion on Roman mosaic

Roman mosaic showing a man who was probably the guardian of a lion. The mosaic adorned a Roman villa in Nennig, in southwest Germany.

4 September 2022

Anomalies in nature

Ancient Romans were often interested in anomalies in nature. Therefore, Octavian Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE) received an armless person from India – a boy 60 cm tall. Such persons were held for entertainment (they were also shown in public).

4 September 2022

Mark Antony’s legion emissions

They say you need three things to fight a war: money, money, and more money. Regardless of whether or not we accept this sentence as true, money undoubtedly helps in war. Of course, it was no different in ancient times. In ancient Rome, troops were paid primarily with silver denarii, sometimes, in exceptional circumstances, and also with gold coins, i.e. aureus.

3 September 2022

Silk and Seres – Romans about Chinese

Chinese were referred to by the ancient Romans as the Seres¹. The Romans associated this people far east of the borders of the Empire primarily for the beautiful silk fabric, on which the Chinese held a monopoly. The Middle Kingdom for centuries had enormous profits from the sale of silk, which was very much in demand by the Roman aristocracy.

3 September 2022

A green Roman glass goblet from a Guangxi tomb (bordering today's Vietnam, southern China). Dated on the 1st-3rd century CE

Roman support system for poorest

Ancient Romans knew that if a society was to be economically viable, it had to be well fed. Therefore, there was a social welfare system that guaranteed the distribution or sale of grain at reduced prices (the so-called frumentationes).

3 September 2022

Fresco from Pompeii showing a bread seller

Distant islands in Ocean – world through eyes of Romans

Ancient Romans often mentioned in their works the mysterious islands that were located far in the ocean and at the very end of the world. Names like Fortunatae (Canary Islands), Taprobane (Ceylon) and Hibernia (Ireland) appear.

2 September 2022

Curiosities of ancient Rome

Different opinions about Nero

Holy water in antiquity

Roman wall fresco depicting Silenus and fight of Amor with Pan

Roman multiplication table and counting lesson

Guardian of lion on Roman mosaic

Anomalies in nature

Mark Antony’s legion emissions

Silk and Seres – Romans about Chinese

Roman support system for poorest

Distant islands in Ocean – world through eyes of Romans

Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors:

Your comment (optional):

Curiosities of ancient Rome

Support IMPERIUM ROMANUM!

Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors:

Your comment (optional):