Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

The tomb of Alexander the Great was already a cult object and a destination for expeditions in antiquity. To this day, it is not entirely clear where he was. Supposedly, in 48 BCE Julius Caesar visited the tomb in which the body of the great Macedonian leader was buried. Following in his footsteps, following the death of Cleopatra, his adopted son, Gaius Octavian followed. The chroniclers mention that he placed a bouquet of flowers on the conqueror’s grave and ordered a golden tiara to be placed over his head.

Publishers of Roman books tried to prevent their private copying by “throwing to the market” multiple copies at once. It wasn’t just about the competition, but more about keeping the text correct.

A married Roman woman who had intercourse with someone other than her husband had committed adultery under Roman law. According to ancient accounts, if she was caught red-handed, her husband or father had the right to kill the woman.

There was also a post office in ancient Rome. It was called cursus publicus (“the way of the states”) and was a state post office, resulting from the territorial development of the Empire that required efficient communication and administration.

Proscriptions (proscriptio) in Roman law consisted in entering into the list of outlaws – political opponents and, consequently, their property and sentencing to exile. The children and grandchildren of the proscribed person were marked by infamy, that is, shame.

The worst crimes in ancient Rome included kidnapping, adultery, arson, bigamy, forgery, incest, rape, sexual assault, theft and treason.

Cato the Elder, author of the work De agri cultura, recommended the use of cabbage to compress wounds, swelling, burns and even bone dislocations. In turn, for arthritis, he recommended chopped, raw cabbage mixed with coriander and cured cabbage mixed with vinegar and honey.

Via Salaria (literally “the salt road”) is one of the oldest roads in Italy and is even older than the Eternal City itself. The 242 km long road connected the capital of the Empire with the Adriatic Sea.

The Byzantine Empire was a continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, which was created as part of the division of the Roman Empire in 395 CE, on the initiative of Emperor Theodosius I. It was also thanks to this ruler that Christianity became a state religion that began to have an increasing influence on the centre of power. The fall of Rome in 476 CE and the return of the insignia of power to Constantinople meant that the continuity of the Roman state was based only on the emperors from the east.