Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

The construction of Colosseum was financed from loot obtained during suppression Jewish uprising (66-73 CE) led by Emperor Vespasian and his son, Titus. The Colosseum is the second largest building of antiquity after the Giza Pyramid.

The ancient Romans cared for tradition and myths on which attachment to their homeland was based. Naturally, the most important founding legend of Rome was the story of the twins Romulus and Remus.

It happens that nowadays public figures abuse gestures considered obscene. “Infamis digitus”, i.e. the middle finger arranged in a manner reminiscent of male genitals was a gesture most well known in antiquity and already considered offensive and obscene.

The life of a Roman living in a insulae – tenement house – did not differ much from the one we drive today. Also, you had to remember to pay the rent, which caused a lot of stress to some and worried about whether it would land on the pavement.

The intimate life of ancient Romans is well known, among others due to discovered cloisters. Evidence of this is found in the Herculaneum place under a small complex of commercial premises and apartments.

Ancient Greeks and Romans greatly valued the noble laurel (Laurus nobilis), they considered it a noble and powerful plant. The winner of the Olympic or Pythian Games received a laurel wreath of bay leaves (a tree dedicated to Apollo) from the Tempe Valley in Thessaly, with which he then proudly walked around the city. The leaves of this plant were worn by prominent citizens, priests, poets and heroes. Worn on his head, he commanded the person’s genius.

In 2010, researchers discovered 14 military graves in North Yorkshire (Britain), in which next to the bodies of the buried Romans were the remains of sandals, including preserved fibers among rust from nails from sandals. This proves that the ancient Romans could wear socks along with sandals , and thus extravagant fashion appeared much earlier than we think.

To this day, the ancient Romans appear to us as wasteful and absorbed in abundant feasts. As it turns out, the upper social classes did not spare a penny and allowed themselves crazy feasts.

The fall of the Republic and the beginnings of the Roman Empire is a fascinating period in world history. Julius Caesar, Marek Antony and Octavian Augustus undoubtedly had a great impact on the fate of Rome at that time. It can be said that their actions have changed the world.

The common name Colosseum is not derived from its “colossal size”, but from a huge building nearby (gr. kolossos) a statue of Nero depicted as Helios.