Curiosities of ancient Rome (People)
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Hero of Alexandria – genius of ancient technology
Hero of Alexandria, one of the most famous scientists of the ancient world, became famous as a brilliant inventor and mathematician whose works are still admired today. He lived in the 1st century CE and operated mainly in Alexandria, which ... Read more
Defender of Roman tradition who was afraid of women in forum
Cato the Elder, a tenacious defender of Roman values, became famous, among others, for his opposition to the repeal of lex Oppia. It was then, in one of the first mass demonstrations by women in Roman history, that Roman women ... Read more
Atia the Elder – mother of first emperor of Rome
Atia the Elder, known primarily as the mother of Octavian Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. Born in 85 BCE as the daughter of Marcus Atius Balbus and Julia the Younger, sister of Julius Caesar, Atia was part of one ... Read more
Hamilcar Barkas – father of brilliant strategist Hannibal
Hamilcar Barkas is a figure who is strongly embedded in the history of the ancient world, although his son Hannibal became more famous as a great Carthaginian commander. It was Hamilcar, a fearless general and statesman, who built the foundations ... Read more
Cecilia Paulina – wife of brutal emperor Maximinus the Thrax
Cecilia Paulina was the wife of Maximinus Thrax, the Roman emperor who reigned in the years 235–238 CE. Although her character remains somewhat mysterious and we have little information about her in historical sources, we can learn some interesting facts ... Read more
Narcissus – wrestler and trainer who killed Commodus
Narcissus was a Roman wrestler and gladiator who went down in history for participating in a conspiracy to kill Emperor Commodus (reigned 177-192 CE). He was the emperor’s wrestling coach, but as Commodus became increasingly tyrannical and unstable, a conspiracy ... Read more
Gaius Julius Caesar the Elder – who was Julius Caesar’s father?
Julius Caesar’s father, Gaius Julius Caesar the Elder (Gaius Julius Caesar), was a Roman politician from the influential Julius family (gens Julia), which in turn traced its origins to the legendary Aeneas and the goddess Venus. He held several public ... Read more
Will we ever find image of Julius Caesar?
Will we ever find the image of Julius Caesar? The question may seem strange, but have we ever wondered how we can be sure that the busts of the most famous Roman are actually the image of Caesar? If so, ... Read more
Polybius square
Polybius square is (known also as Polybius checkerboard) a type of monoalphabetic cipher (the hidden letter corresponds to the open letter), which owes its name to the famous ancient historian and writer – Polybius. As Polybius himself tells us in ... Read more
Caligula and slaughter on Palatine Hill
The circumstances of the death of the third emperor of Rome are seemingly clear. Caligula was assassinated on January 24, 41, after reigning for less than four years. The very fact of the murder of the emperor is beyond doubt, ... Read more
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