Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

According to historian Cassius Dio, Nero decided to write a huge, epic work about Roman history. Only one question occupied his mind – how long should this work be?

Pliny the Elder mentions in his encyclopedic work Natural History that a herd of elephants surrounded by hunters position themselves in such a way that the individuals with the smallest fangs were at the front. In this way, they supposedly want to convince people that it is not worth trying ivory.

The technical advancement of the Romans in terms of latrines and sewage systems was achieved again in Europe only in the 19th century. It is believed that the first sewage system in Rome was built between 800 and 735 BCE. The Roman sewer system was extremely extensive in ancient Rome.

Lucretius – Roman poet and philosopher from the 1st century BCE – in his work De rerum natura (“On the Nature of Things”) made various philosophical and scientific considerations. He believed that early humanity used all sorts of wild animals on the battlefields, including lions and wild boars.

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, a consul for 137 BCE, was so obese that any movement and effort over time became a great problem for him. Due to his physical condition and clumsiness on the battlefield, he was given the nickname Porcina (“Pig”).

Galen (Aelius Galenus) was a Roman physician of Greek descent, who lived in the 2nd century CE he was regarded in his time as a great expert on human anatomy. Roman law forbade autopsies from 150 BCE. Thus, Galen relied only on dissections of animals (mostly monkeys and pigs).

Self-immolation was a way of taking one’s own life that had been used since ancient times. Most often it showed the courage of the unfortunate and expressed a kind of protest against injustice.

Gladiators were taught to kill and die stoically. Defeated, who failed to obtain the so-called missus or grace, could choose the way of death. He could kneel on the ground in front of his opponent, lean over and wrap his left arm around his left knee, thus exposing his neck. One quick cut to the throat severed the major arteries and ensured a quick but bloody death.

When having war elephants, it was extremely important to have experienced drivers of these animals, i.e. mahouts. Their task was to take care of the animal every day: feeding, watering, cleaning, and in the event of wounds or illness, special care. In addition to caring for the elephant, the mahout’s most important function was guiding the elephant.