Curiosities of ancient Rome (Society)
This page is also available in: Polish (polski)
Roman woman who got married still belonged to her father’s family
Under Roman law, the woman who got married was still in her father’s family (but that was not the rule) and not just the spouse. With the divorce, she lost parental rights over children who were only among her father’s ... Read more
Man ruled in Roman house
A man ruled the Roman house, but he often entrusted his wife with some duties, for example, looking after the treasury or managing slaves. Traditionally, it was considered that the only work a free woman could do was spinning wool. ... Read more
Roman women did not have unique names
Roman women did not have unique names. They usually took the female form of the family name. This is how Julia came from the Julius family, and for example, the daughter of Marcus Tullius Cicero was called Tulia. This name-surname ... Read more
Hair coloring was popular among Roman women
Hair dyeing was extremely popular among Roman women. The most famous colours were red, black and blonde. The latter was popular thanks to the Germans and Gauls with whom the Romans began to come into contact. Prostitutes were even legally ... Read more
Lack of slave equated to poverty
In ancient Rome, not having at least one slave meant living in poverty. It is worth mentioning that about 25% of the population of ancient Rome was enslaved at the end of the existence of the Republic.
Romans approached magic very seriously
As it turns out, the Romans took magic very seriously, because they even regulated its use legally in their famous 12 tables. There was Roman law (found in the famous Law of XII tables) that forbade the use of magic and ... Read more
Romans wore wigs
Wigs were worn in ancient Rome. Julius Caesar reportedly wore a wig and a laurel wreath to hide his progressive baldness. The Emperor’s wife herself Marcus Aurelius – Faustina the Elder (c. 100-141 CE) – had an impressive collection of ... Read more
Superstitions of Romans were really strange
Romans were very superstitious. They believed in many things that they could not logically explain. For example, the old superstition was known – kissing a female mule in the nostrils cured hiccups and a runny nose. It was also believed ... Read more
Price of slaves in ancient Rome
The price of slaves in ancient Rome varied greatly. After a victorious military campaign, in which many slaves were captured, the price was naturally low due to the multitude of goods. Plautus (c. 250 BCE – 184 BCE) mentions that ... Read more
During mourning, Roman family of deceased did not cut their hair
During mourning, the family of the deceased did not cut their hair and beard, wore black clothes and did not wear any ornaments. The mourning time for the men was about a few days; when for women it was about ... Read more
IMPERIUM ROMANUM needs your support!
If you like the content I collect on the website and share it on social media channels, I will be grateful for your support. Even the smallest amounts will allow me to pay for further corrections and improvements on the site and pay for the server.
Support IMPERIUM ROMANUM!
Discover secrets of ancient Rome!
If you want to be up to date with the newest articles on the website and discoveries from ancient Rome, subscribe to the newsletter, which is sent each Saturday.
Subscribe to newsletter!