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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 coin was minted in honour of Octavian Augustus’ victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE. Octavian and his friend and commander Marcus Agrippa are depicted on the obverse. On the reverse, there is a crocodile pinned to a palm branch, which symbolizes the joining of Egypt with Rome.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
Roman mosaic showing a man who was probably the guardian of a lion. The mosaic adorned a Roman villa in Nennig, in southwest Germany.
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).
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.
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.
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).
