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Places are curiosities dedicated to locations related to the world of ancient Rome and antiquity. This category features lesser-known facts, interesting details, and unusual information about the cities, ruins, monuments, and archaeological sites of the Roman Empire, revealing their history and significance in the ancient world.
Casa Sannitica, or Samnite House, is one of the oldest and best-preserved houses in ancient Herculaneum. Built in the 2nd century BCE, its architecture is an excellent example of a stately residence belonging to a wealthy family of the Republican period. The house’s name refers to its decorations, inspired by the art of the Samnites, a people who inhabited southern Italy before Roman domination.
The amphitheater in ancient Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, was built in the second half of the 2nd century CE. It was one of the most important public buildings in the city, intended for hosting gladiatorial fights, wild animal hunts, and other public spectacles.
Qasr Bashir in Jordan is the well-preserved ruin of a Roman fort built during the reign of Diocletian (284-305 CE). During this time, the Romans constructed smaller but better fortified strongholds than before.
“Béziers Antique” is the reproduction of the city of Béziers (south of France) as it was in Roman times, highlighting the techniques and methods used during Antiquity. Starting in 2028 for at least 30 years, workers and craftsmen will be working on this huge construction site open to the public. Various trades and crafts will be showcased during the visit. Activities, shows, and demonstrations will be offered throughout the year.
The ruins of Horrea Piperataria – former storehouses used to store valuable spices from Asia and Egypt, such as pepper, cardamom and anise – are located in the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo in Rome. These buildings also housed incense, which played a crucial role in religious ceremonies and medicinal practices.
Roman thermae in Bath, England, known as Thermae Aquae Sulis, was an important center of social life in ancient times. It was created around 60 CE, around natural thermal springs that the Romans considered sacred, dedicating them to the goddess Sulis Minerva. Interestingly, the water flowing from these springs has a constant temperature of around 46°C and comes from rain that penetrated the geological layers even 10,000 years ago. Today the baths are one of the best-preserved Roman buildings in Britain and attract tourists from all over the world.
Preserved remains of a nymphaeum or spring that was located near the Roman bath. The discovery was made in 1891. The object is located in the NT The Weir Garden in Swainshill (West of England).
Aquis Querquennis is a Roman military camp located in northwestern Spain, in Galicia, on the Limia River. It is one of the most important archaeological sites of the region, providing fascinating information about Roman expansion into the Iberian Peninsula and the lives of Roman legionaries in the province of Gallaecia.
Porta Portuensis was one of the monumental gates in the defensive walls of ancient Rome, built during the times of Emperor Aurelian in the 3rd century CE. The gate was located in the western part of the city, near today’s Trastevere, and led to the Roman Port, one of the main trading centers of antiquity, located at the mouth of the Tiber River. The gate was rebuilt in 403 CE, during the reign of Honorius.
Domus Transitoria is a very mysterious palace, about which much less is known than about other residences of Roman emperors. Other palaces of the Caesars: Domus Augustea, Domus Tiberiana, Domus Augustana, and Domus Flavia, Domus Severiana and even Domus Aurea) can still be admired on Palatine Hill or extensive ruins nearby. Meanwhile, surprisingly little is known about Nero’s first palace. Suetonius writes in the Lives of the Caesars that Nero built it to connect various residences inherited from his ancestors on the Palatine, Velia, Oppius and Esquiline. But this palace was destroyed during the great fire of Rome in 64 CE. Nero did not rebuild it, and on its ruins, he soon built Domus Aurea.
