Will we ever find image of Julius Caesar?
Will we ever find the image of Julius Caesar? The question may seem strange, but have we ever wondered how we can be sure that the busts of the most famous Roman are actually the image of Caesar?
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Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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.
Cultural transformation: Influence of Greek sculpture on art of ancient Rome
Greek influence had a huge impact on Roman culture. In one interesting example, we can see this in the field of art.
Forgotten hippodrome of mad emperor
When we think of chariot races in ancient Rome, the first thing that comes to mind is Circus Maximus. But the “Great Circus” was not the only racetrack existing in ancient Rome. Many of you probably remember that Emperor Caligula also started building his hippodrome in the Vatican (the work was finally completed by Nero). A memento of him is the obelisk currently standing on pl. St. Peter. Recently, I also wrote about the Maxentius Hippodrome on the Appian Way.
Victim or aggressor – Christianity in ancient Rome
In the popular consciousness, there are only two facts in the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity: first, the persecution of Christians (especially during the reign of Nero in the 1st century CE and Diocletian in the early 4th century), and then the adoption of Christianity by Constantine the Great, who made the whole the empire had converted to a new faith. The triumph of Christianity seems as sudden as it is obvious and historically just.
Spoliarium – place where corpses of gladiators were kept
In front of the entrance to the arena of Roman amphitheatres, there was a special space – the so-called spolarium. In this place, the corpses of fallen gladiators were kept, which were deprived of weapons and armament. The weapons and equipment of the fallen were given to the slave owner or to the local armory (armamentarium).
Dictator and magister equitum – a unique case
In Roman Republic there could be only one dictator. But for a short time in the most turbulent period in the history of Rome a single exception took place. Commander of the cavalry appointed by Quintus Fabius Maximus gained power equal to that of the dictator.
Polybius square
Polybius square is (known also as Polybius checkerboard) a type of monoalphabetic cipher (the hidden letter corresponds to the open letter), which owes its name to the famous ancient historian and writer – Polybius. As Polybius himself tells us in his “Histories”, the author of the cipher are the Greeks – Cleoksenos and Democletus – but it was he who undertook to improve the mechanism.
Pugilatio – bloody sport of antiquity
Probably everyone who was in Rome and visited the Palazzo Massimo Alle Terme museum drew attention to the famous “Qurinal boxer” – a bronze sculpture found near the ruins of the Baths of Constantine. A naked, muscular man in a sitting position looks to the side, slightly up. The more attentive would have noticed deep, bloody wounds on his body.
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.
Galen and mental problems
Galen was a Roman physician of Greek descent who lived in the 2nd century CE. He was considered in his time to be a great expert in human anatomy and a physician. Interestingly, he also dealt with mental health disorders.
