Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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Cybele – saving of Rome
The appearance in Roman mythology of Cybele is associated with defeats during the Second Punic War. In 205 BCE The Senate called on a college of priests to consult the Books of Sibyl about the results of the ongoing war. ... Read more
Roman salute in time of Romans
In ancient Rome, a Roman salute performed with the right hand (called dextera or dextra) meant trust, friendship and loyalty or simple greeting. The Roman salute used in recent history (especially among national movements), according to many, comes from ancient ... Read more
Roman doctors knew anesthetics
Roman doctors knew anesthetics. Especially recommended herbs were: henbane and opium poppy. Nevertheless, the most important thing was to perform the operation as soon as possible, not to relieve the patient’s pain. The surgeon also needed to have good and ... Read more
Huge ransom for Gauls
After defeating the Romans, led by consul Marcus Popilius Lenas, the Gauls captured and plundered Rome in July 387 or 386 BCE. Gauls agreed to leave the city subject to the payment of a huge ransom by the Romans, amounting ... Read more
Governors with wives
In 20 CE The Senate debated the proposal that provincial governors should not be allowed to take their wives with them to the provinces. Women were believed to be weak and prone to the hardships of travel, which could have ... Read more
How it was written in ancient Rome?
Ancient Romans used ink, usually made of rubber and soot, to write on papyrus and parchment. They used red ink to better visualize the titles. The ancients also knew the “likeable” ink. Pliny the Elder mentions the tithymalos plant (known ... Read more
How much did gladiatorial fight cost?
Gladiator fights were one of the most popular events for Roman society. The custom of gladiatorial fights derives from the Etruscan custom of worshipping the dead through fighting, rather than sacrificing human beings. In Rome, gladiatorial fights (munera, privately organized; ... Read more
Don’t lie to Roman woman
In ancient Rome, it was allowed passive participation of senatorial sons in the deliberations of the senate, which was also part of the educational program. Of course, they were to be kept secret. Well, when one of these young people, ... Read more
Roman fresco showing daily expenses
We learn a lot about the expenses of ordinary citizens of course from Pompeii. It was there in one of the houses that the Roman “graffiti” survived; the resident calculates his expenses on the wall for the next five days ... Read more
Mullet – delicacy of ancient Romans
As reported by Pliny the Elder1, who lived in the middle of the 1st century CE, one of the most eaten fish among the ancient Romans was the red mullet. As he himself points out, the fish has a “double ... Read more
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