Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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Cesspits – source of knowledge about Romans
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. Scientists are still studying its content. Droppings ... Read more
Laurel wreath – powerful plant
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 ... Read more
Did Ancient Romans wear socks to sandals?
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 ... Read more
Too abundant Roman feasts
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. This is evidenced by, for example, ... Read more
Caesar, Antony, Augustus – family connections
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 ... Read more
Colossus near Colosseum
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. The statue was supposed to be huge and was supposed to be 30 meters ... Read more
Senators in Egypt
Octavian Augustus imposed on senators and higher rank of eques (equites inlustres) banned entry to the province of Egypt without explicit consent and established the prefect Egypt an eques, not a senator (as was adopted in other provinces). Historians argue ... Read more
Hypocaustum – heated floors and central heating of Romans
Romans invented heated floors and central heating. They called the system hypocaustum, and it was used for heating homes and public and private baths with hot air. The word literally means “inferno,” from the Greek word hypo – below or ... Read more
Wonderful Gardens of Maecenas
The famous “Gardens of Maecenas” ( Horti1 Maecenatis), as the name suggests, arose on the initiative of Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, patron of art and culture in ancient Rome at the end of the 1st century BCE. They were one of ... Read more
Sub rosa – meaning “secret”
Rose in ancient times had a very important symbolic meaning. This flower was associated with numerous religious rituals, imposing the obligation of secrecy on all persons participating in the ceremony. In ancient Egypt, the rose represented, among others Horus, whom ... Read more
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