Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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Battle of Aquae Sextiae – great victory of Romans
Battle of Aquae Sextiae (southern France) in 102 BCE was one of the greatest and most important victories of the Roman legions. Rome had to defend itself against the invasion of two Germanic tribes: Teutons and Cimbri, who at Arausio ... Read more
Old women in Rome
Roman writers and the upper Roman classes in general, despite their privileged position, were afraid to go too far in criticizing women, as it could cost them a lot (women were treated with some respect, nevertheless, especially as long as ... Read more
First dentures
From about 700 BCE the Etruscans, people who lived in Etruria (today’s Umbria and Tuscany in Italy), were the first able to create dentures and artificial teeth. The teeth were either from another person or from an animal such as ... Read more
What did Vesuvius look like in ancient times?
View of Vesuvius through the gate at Palestra Samnitica, in Pompeii. What is worth emphasizing, the mountain was not as visible as it is now. The inhabitants of Pompeii and the Herculaneum painted frescoes with Vesuvius, although they did not ... Read more
Roman glass
The glass was not an invention of the Romans. In many ancient lands, efforts were made to find light-transmitting material that could be used to cover window openings, previously covered with wooden blinds. Various materials were experimented in the Hellenic ... Read more
Woman – sophist?
Sophists were concerned with making speeches that moved crowds, although they often concerned fictional situations or events from the past. It wasn’t necessarily what the rhetorian said, but how he says it. Speaking skills were highly valued in both the ... Read more
Tax exemption decree and Cleopatra VII’s signature?
Is there any document or work whose author was Cleopatra VII preserved to our times? According to later Arab sources, the last queen of Egypt, apart from her beauty, was also distinguished by intelligence and broad knowledge. She was reportedly ... Read more
Nero – organist
When Ctesibius, a 3rd century BCE Alexandrian mathematician, was constructing his hydraulis, the first water organ in history, certainly no one predicted him great successes. The instrument, intended as a syringa with a mechanical blast, initially functioned only as a ... Read more
Xylospongium – Roman progenitor of toilet paper
Xylospongium was used by the Romans to clean the anus, the Americans made it a device for cleaning the toilet. Xylospongium or tersorium, also known as a sponge on a stick, was a hygienic device used by the ancient Romans ... Read more
Summa rudis – referee of gladiatorial fights
In the arena between the gladiatorial fighters there was a referee (summa rudis) who supervised the fight and could stop it if any of the gladiators were seriously injured or used illegal “plays”, to encourage gladiators to fight bolder or ... Read more
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