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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.
Although gladiator fights were officially banned by Constantine the Great in the year 325 CE they were held until 404 CE. That year, on January 1, the Western Roman Emperor Honorius finally and irrevocably abolished these bloody games.
In Roman sources, Mithridates VI Eupator appears to us as the leader of the wars that the Romans had to wage for about 25 years in the East. Mithridates was to strive to create a regional power from Pontus and displace Roman influence from the territories of present-day Turkey. But can we really speak of Mithridates as an aggressor, or rather a victim of Roman imperialism?
Pliny the Younger began his clerk career under Emperor Domitian, but withdrew from public life, discouraged by the universal terror. He returned to politics under Emperor Trajan, who trusted him and entrusted him with the governorship of the province of Bithynia and Pontus in 109 CE. At that time, he proposed to the ruler an extremely ambitious and interesting project – the construction of a navigable canal for Nicomedia, which would bypass the Bosphorus. It was also planned to build a series of aqueducts.
Strabo, a Greek geographer and historian from the 1st century BCE in his work Geography mentions the people of Cantabria with whom Rome was at war in the years 29-19 BCE They were finally defeated only in 19 BCE by the troops of Marcus Agrippa. The war was the last phase of the Roman conquest of Spain.
The later dictator of the Roman republic, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, also known as Felix because of his allegedly favourable fortune throughout his life, could start a political career thanks to his acquaintance with a person through whom his contemporary political career could rather collapse completely.
Currently, the Mediterranean area is heavily deforested. Deforestation during the Roman period was the result of the Empire’s territorial expansion, population growth, large-scale agriculture and rapid economic development.
Murder of Commodus at the end of 192 CE it ended the reign of the Antonine dynasty and certainly the best period of the existence of the Roman empire. He was succeeded by Pertynax, a respected senator and efficient leader of Marcus Aurelius, chosen by the conspirators. Unfortunately, however, the financial and internal discipline that Pertinax tried to impose in Rome led to his murder by the praetorians in March 193 CE.
Certainly, the Roman shoemakers (sutor) were very good artisans and their products were widely worn throughout the Mediterranean. Most often, the inhabitants of the Tiber wore the most ordinary sandals (sandalia or soleae). Shoes (calcei – from the word calx meaning “heel”) were also popular, apparently, they looked best with a toga and thus were worn by the upper classes.
Demand for prostitutes was on the agenda and relatively high. The earnings of prostitutes were subject to taxation by the state, which also, thanks to appropriate legislation, secured the money invested in the lupanaras of that time.
