Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

The map showing the greatest territorial extent of the Roman Empire is well known, as is the history of the Roman legion in China. But how far south did the Romans travel on their African expeditions?

The Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, despite his brief reign (361-363 CE), contributed more to internal reform than any late- roman emperor. One of his decisions was to curb the bureaucracy and to reform the palace service, which was excessively large. Apparently, the reason for the reorganization of the palace structures was some funny event. Once Julian, who was growing his beard at that time, called for a barber. A wonderfully clothed dignitary surrounded by a swarm of helpers entered the room.

Gaius Julius Caesar introduced many reforms, the effects of which are still felt today. Many people will think of the calendar at this point, but no less important was the decision to grant citizenship to the inhabitants of Pre-Alpine Gaul.

As Italy’s last points of resistance were dying out in the war against allies, and Rome was calming down after the recent civil war, the king of Pontus, Mithridates VI Eupator, thrust a knife into the back of the Empire, attacking its eastern fringes. Pontic troops spread over the province of Asia defeating the Roman army.

Paul Zanker in his book “Apoteoza cesarzy rzymskich. Rytuał i przestrzeń miejska” accurately describes the ritual of apotheosis, also known as consecratio. At the same time, he comes to interesting general conclusions, comparing the apotheosis with contemporary mass events, such as the Oktoberfest. He explains that since the dawn of time, man has preferred to be in a community with certain rules and unique values. A Roman watching the solemn “Ascension” of the Emperor felt proud, a Pole who participated in the Independence March celebrations was proud.

In 1897, in Rome, on the right bank of the Tiber, the remains of a magnificent Roman villa were found. As it soon turned out, its perfect condition and decorations surpassed the beauty of the already known houses in Pompeii, or Herculaneum.

On the occasion of the ongoing Olympic Games, it is worth mentioning that the plant that is directly associated with the everyday life of ancient Romans is the noble laurel (Laurus nobilis). The image of the winner of the Olympics is a figure of a man with a proudly raised head, on which there is a laurel wreath, decorated with laurel leaves. What if our image was not true and instead of the characteristic lanceolate leaves we would see pinnate oak leaves adorning his temple?

William Shakespeare, the famous English playwright, known to schoolchildren mainly as the creator of Hamlet and Macbeth, wrote many plays about the lives of historical figures, mainly of the old English kings. Among his works, however, there are also some directly related to ancient Rome, such as the drama about the life and the death of Julius Caesar. How faithfully did the writer render the events of March and the days after them? Did he change and colour the story, or did he base his work on detailed accounts of ancient historians?

There are many examples of marital fidelity in ancient Rome. Often, when one of the parties died, the other often took her own life in a gesture of despair.