Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

The censor Lucius Aurelius Cotta did not shy away from wine. During his tenure in 64 BCE Cicero applied for a consulate. A famous Roman orator was once thirsty for a drink of water. As his friends were standing around, he indulged in a joke:

Even though at the beginning of the empire, Roman legionaries were not officially allowed to marry, they not only started a family, but they also did not keep it very secret.

Of the first successors of Octavian Augustus, only Tiberius died a natural death. Caligula was stabbed to death, Claudius was poisoned, and Nero was forced to commit suicide. As it turns out, the emperor’s life was not easy and comfortable.

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.