Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

It seems that the stadium riot is an invention of our time. However, 2,000 years ago, ancient Romans had similar problems. The account from Tacitus about some tragic event has survived to our times. 

Roman social relations were based on the existence of two values. For example, a Roman woman who remained loyal to her husband and proved herself as a good wife was referred to as casta, meaning “pure”. THe phase castitas allowed a man to commune with the gods and make sacrifices.

The dictator and the great Roman general, Julius Caesar, was murdered on March 15, 44 BCE in Ides of March, in the middle of the month, which was devoted to the war god – Mars. Everyone knows that. The question is, however, where and what is there now?

The snake was often depicted in Roman art and jewellery. According to Roman beliefs, it secured the family’s prosperity.

In 63 BCE a Senate meeting took place regarding the Catiline conspiracy. It was attended by all prominent politicians of Rome, including Julius Caesar and Marcus Portius Cato, called Cato the Younger.

According to Roman law, marriage could be concluded when a man turned 14 and a woman 12. Some Greek authors mocked this caesura, claiming that early marriage is the only guarantee of the bride’s virtue. Moreover, according to Roman law, the husband was not obliged to observe marital fidelity.

In ancient Rome, as today, there were traffic jams, which the authorities tried to remedy in various ways. The streets of Rome were crowded with both pedestrians and sledges. The Eternal City was problematic in terms of traffic because of: irregular city buildings, high population density and warm climate, which encouraged people to leave their homes.

Caritas Romana (“Roman Charity”) is the story of a woman named Pero, secretly breastfeeding her father Cimon after he was condemned to death by starvation. After the discovery of the daughter’s dedication (pietas) Cimon was pardoned.

Emperor Vespasian was known for his intelligence, sympathetic manner, and commanding skills. In the case of natural disasters, he supported poorer senators or equites. Generally, he was generous towards writers and rhetorics, who were paid 1000 gold a year. The first to receive such a grant from the ruler was Quintilian – a public teacher. Pliny the Elder, in turn, his main work “Natural History” was written during the reign of Vespasian, and he dedicated it to the son of the emperor, Titus.