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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.
It is commonly believed that the reign of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, was a time of stabilization and peaceful transfer of power in the Roman Empire, through adoption and the choice of a sane successor. Hadrian, who took over power after the great Trajan, was not particularly favoured by him, and the adoption document could have been forged.
In ancient times, athletes used substances to increase the body’s efficiency. Sophist Flavius Philostrat – Greek biographer from 2nd-3rd century CE – remembers that the medics gave the players a decoction of mushrooms or bread with spices and poppy extract, containing alkaloids stimulating the body.
It is said that donuts were already loved by the ancient Romans, who spent the last days of the carnival partying and eating (the so-called Bacchanalia). In this way, the departure of winter and the arrival of spring were celebrated.
One of the greatest Roman emperors, Trajan, owed his military and administrative success not only to his skills but also to the people, who advised him. One of the important figures in his life was certainly Lucius Licinius Sura, comrade-in-arms, faithful friend, and trusted member of consilium – the emperor’s advisory council.
Roman inscriptions allow us to get to know many heroes of the Roman games. One of them was a certain Marcus Aurelius Mollicius, a Rome-born coachman who lived just 20 years.
In 55 BCE Cato the Younger – leader of the optimates and advocate of the return to republican virtues – has decided to run for the position of praetor. In this way, he hoped to become a consul in the future and to counteract the triumvirs.
Cataract of the eyes, a disease leading to blindness, was treated in ancient Rome. In 29 CE in De Medicinae, in the work of the Roman encyclopedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus, you can find a way to treat this disease. We also have evidence of numerous operations on the eyeball under the Romans.
In ancient Rome, the she-wolf ( magnifying glass ) was synonymous with the harlot. Hence the origin of lupanar – a synonym for a brothel. The term is also derived from the legend of Romulus and Remus.
