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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 women lubricated their faces with lead paste, which whitened their skin (pallor was extremely fashionable). Lead has often been used as a sweetener and food preservative. It is believed that using a large amount of defrutum (sweet wine) badly affected the health of the Romans. However, it should be mentioned that in ancient times no one knew about the harmful meaning of this element.
Most people talk about Roman fun and entertainment, paying particular attention to gladiator fights, libraries, theatre, etc. The above-mentioned entertainments were undoubtedly of great value to the ancient Romans, but they took place only once in a while. So how did they fill this waiting time?
The slave revolt under Spartacus, in the years 73-71 BCE, was finally suppressed by Marcus Crassus and partly by Pompey Magnus. It was the largest slave uprising in ancient Rome. Most of the insurgents were killed in direct fighting. However, six thousand prisoners captured by Crassus’ legions were crucified on the Appian road from Rome to Capua, where the rebellion began.
When, in the first century CE, during the reign of emperor Claudius, the Romans invaded the British Isles. The hordes of Celtic warriors, despite fierce and courageous resistance, finally had to succumb to criminal and well-trained legionaries, and “Pax Romana” quickly became an accomplished fact on the islands. However, not everyone liked the Roman occupation. The most numerous group in the anti-Roman opposition were druids, whom the Romans ruthlessly persecuted. But who were the druids?
The first real Roman circus was Circus Maximus built for chariot racing. In 329 BCE, the finish, stables and coach houses were fixed for the first time. In the middle, statues of deities were placed, e.g. Pollentia (Overpowered Strength), and a system for marking stages in the form of large wooden eggs – septem ova, which moved on a pole – spina – marked the stage of the run.
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.
