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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.
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 they were able to bear children). Old women were an exception because of their social and moral consent. As the position of women grew, there were these old women portrayed as mischievous wags and witches.
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 an ox – they were placed in a golden rim with a metal pin/tang and fitted to the remaining teeth. Only the rich could afford such a “dentist”.
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 know how much of a threat this mountain had to them1.
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 world: grease-soaked cloth, thin plaster tiles, mica and a horn. For hundreds of years wealthy people have advised you in this way. However, as glass was learned over time, it began to displace other materials.
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 Greek and Roman worlds.
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 the author of works on medicine, pharmacy, toxicology and cosmetology. Naturally, however, none of the works has survived to our times. However, we have another very interesting archaeological material.
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 technical curiosity. However, it took only two centuries for the music flowing from metal pipes to make a Mediterranean career – organ music is already mentioned with approval by Cicero himself (Tusc. III. 43).
Xylospongium was used by the Romans to clean the anus, the Americans made it a device for cleaning the toilet.
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 to convey the decision to win to the sponsor of the games (editor).
In ancient Rome, infanticide was a common practice. A child’s first days in the world have always been uncertain; in antiquity, many children did not survive even a few days due to heavy childbirth, diseases and poor health. Hence, they waited to give a name to the child. At times, the child may have been deliberately rejected by the parents.
