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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.
The custom of vomiting (by skilfully manipulating a feather or a slave’s finger) during Roman feasts, although mentioned in various sources, almost always applies to only a few Roman emperors (Vitellius, Claudius, Nero; the latter helped himself with enemas); the other thing is that we know less about the figures of the lower class – few of them have their own biographies.
Commisatio was the last part of the Roman feast (cena). At that time, the revelers consumed large amounts of wine, which was accompanied (similar to the Greek symposium) by discussions and reflections.
Augustus’ daughter Julia was an example of an unfaithful wife. Although in 11 BCE she became the wife of Tiberius, she did not avoid romance and love outside the marriage bed. Julia’s scandalous conduct resulted in Tiberius leaving for Rhodes in 6 BCE.
In the middle of the 1st century BCE, the Roman republic experienced a real systemic crisis. A perfect example of this is 59 BCE when the consulate was held by Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus (son-in-law of Caton the Younger) and Gaius Julius Caesar.
Octavian Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE) like virtually every famous personage, and even more so the ruler had to reckon with numerous rumours about himself. One of them was allegedly the emperor’s adoration of deflowering virgins, whom Livia was to send him from various parts of the Empire.
Roman medicine had its high level, especially in the legions. Celsus, a Roman scholar in the 1st century CE, claims that military doctors knew human anatomy much better than their colleagues in private practice.
From the end of the 3rd century CE, the emperor ceased to be princeps to become “domine” – dominat. We owe the new type of government to Diocletian, who ruled from 284 to 305 CE. The emperor was now omnipotent, he could change the law as he pleased, and the appearance of a republic vanished.
In the Latium region to this day, one of the typical Christmas cakes is the so-called yellow bread – pangiallo. Its roots go back to the era of the Roman Empire.
