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Curiosities of ancient Rome (Society)

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.

Slaves in Rome

The prevailing view is that slavery is one of the darkest sides of Roman civilization. From our perspective, this is a reasonable opinion, but on the other hand, it must be remembered that slavery was a common phenomenon at that time, so when condemning it, one should probably also take into account the different state of social development, different mentality of people, etc.

Fresco from the so-called House of Agrippa on the Tiber in Rome

Beards in ancient Rome

In ancient Greece, the main type of beard was a lush full beard. In Sparta, this is a complicated issue. Spartans are generally said to have had beards without mustaches. However, every depiction in art does not support this except in figurines where the beard is carved and the mustache is not.

Legion musicians - cornicines, cast from Trajan's Column, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Dowry hunters in Roman Empire

Surely some of us have heard of a situation where someone married someone to take over his property. It turns out that such a wicked way of getting rich was practiced long ago, in ancient Rome. Men who commit such acts are now known as bounty hunters. Interestingly, this was quite common in the early centuries of our era.

Fragment of the Dioscuri Sarcophagus, 2nd half of the 19th century 4th century CE, Musée départemental Arles antique, France

Shops of ancient Romans

What is a store and what is done in it probably everyone knows. It may come as a surprise to some that shops already existed in ancient Rome.

Trajan's halls in Rome

Travel cart

It may come as a surprise to many that the Romans ran cart rentals, but it’s true!1

Reconstruction of a Roman carriage, Romano-Germanic Museum, Cologne

Children’s games in ancient Rome

That the ancient Romans liked to have fun is no secret to anyone with even the faintest idea of ​​Roman history. Great famous buildings like Flavian Amphitheater, Circus Maximus, Pompeii Amphitheater and many other lesser-known buildings of this type where numerous events took place such as naumachias, gladiator fights or chariot races, only confirm this. But what about children? Did they have fun too? If so, what kind? Did they have their own toys?

Kids wrestling and peanut games

Urine in ancient Rome

In ancient Rome, urine was a versatile and valuable commodity that had many uses, from medicine to cleaning to manufacturing. While some of these uses may seem strange or even repulsive today, it’s important to remember that the Romans were skilled and resourceful people who used every resource available to them.

Public latrine in ancient Rome

Elderly people in ancient Rome

Elders played an important role in Rome, based on the privileges granted to them by Roman law. The Romans both criticized and admired the old. They treated them individually and without referring to the whole problem of old age. Problems with old age were noticed independently: demographic, political, social, as well as psychological and medical.

Bust of an elderly man - the so-called patrician of Torlonia

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