Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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Exile of philosophers during reign of Domitian
According to ancient sources, at the beginning of his reign, Domitian (81-96 CE) was to lead to the expulsion of philosophers from Rome and Italy and forbid the Romans to deal with philosophy. The emperor’s motives are not entirely clear; ... Read more
Form Urbis Romae – map of Rome
Form Urbis Romae also called (Form Urbis Severiana) is from the times of the Severan dynasty (193-235 CE) a map of ancient Rome. It is the only plan of this type preserved from antiquity. Form Urbis Romae was made in ... Read more
Different opinions about Nero
Already ancient s had different opinions about Emperor Nero; some even gave some “positive” feedback. When asked by the flatterers, the philosopher Apollonius of Tyana replied, “I think of him better than you, for you think he should sing and ... Read more
Holy water in antiquity
Holy water is associated with the Christian faith. It is used in baptisms, blessing and expelling evil. Few, however, realize that the holy springs occurred in other religions, including the ancient Greeks and Romans. It happened that at Greek temples ... Read more
Anomalies in nature
Ancient Romans were often interested in anomalies in nature. Therefore, Octavian Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE) received an armless person from India – a boy 60 cm tall. Such persons were held for entertainment (they were also shown in ... Read more
Silk and Seres – Romans about Chinese
Chinese were referred to by the ancient Romans as the Seres1. The Romans associated this people far east of the borders of the Empire primarily for the beautiful silk fabric, on which the Chinese held a monopoly. The Middle Kingdom ... Read more
Roman support system for poorest
Ancient Romans knew that if a society was to be economically viable, it had to be well fed. Therefore, there was a social welfare system that guaranteed the distribution or sale of grain at reduced prices (the so-called frumentationes). As ... Read more
Distant islands in Ocean – world through eyes of Romans
Ancient Romans often mentioned in their works the mysterious islands that were located far in the ocean and at the very end of the world. Names like Fortunatae (Canary Islands), Taprobane (Ceylon) and Hibernia (Ireland) appear. These islands are mentioned ... Read more
Roman actors had bad reputation
Roman actors had a bad reputation, and their morals often faced the humble and decadent lifestyle of society. Most often, the actors were slaves or freedmen from the East, due to the fact that Roman law did not see any ... Read more
Impressive geographic knowledge of ancient Greeks
The geographical knowledge of the ancient Greeks was truly impressive. Already in antiquity, prominent Greek minds held the theory of the spherical Earth as true. Moreover, numerous expeditions of discovery and information were collected, which led to the development of ... Read more
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