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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.
Salt in Roman times was an extremely valuable commodity, mainly due to the fact that it was used for food preservation. This, in turn, encouraged the Roman authorities to impose large taxes on salt or after the monopolisation of the market. Pliny claims that Roman legionaries sometimes received pay in the form of salt allocation. Therefore, the phrase “worth one’s salt” is commonly used in English.
The ancient Romans might have been less promiscuous than the Greeks, what does not mean that in the public sphere they did not allow themselves to make sexual comments. For example, in Pompeii, graffiti made on the walls of buildings can still be read today. One of them: “Weep, you girls. My penis has given you up. Now it penetrates men’s behinds. Goodbye, wondrous femininity!”
Almost every Roman lady dyed her hair. Some have oxidized and lightened, others have darkened. For example, for dark hair, the prescription was taken over from the Egyptians, for whom black color on the head was an expression of beauty. In order to darken the hair, a mixture of lead oxide, slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and water was used. A paste was thus obtained, which was then rubbed into the head.
The Flavian Amphitheater was an amazing construction for ancient times. The engineers took care of every detail to such an extent that they even anticipated the possibility of spreading a special canvas roof that was stretched over the stands on hot days. It was referred to as velum or velarium. The audience could also count on another form of coolness.
The performances of wild animals in the Roman arenas certainly aroused excitement in the viewers. Roman politicians were able to get support from the crowds by bringing huge amounts of animals, which then offered entertainment to the crowds. We know many stories and ways to create a spectacle. Some of them were really inhuman.
Tabularium was a Roman state, military, temple, city archive, etc., in which the most important documents and legal acts were stored and legal acts written on tablets, rolls of papyrus and parchment. Such an archive was initially administered by censors, and later by specially appointed curators.
The army of ancient Rome could use the so-called dog tags, which would contradict the popular opinion that they were used for the first time in history during the Civil War. The Roman dog tag was called signaculum and every legionnaire was to receive one after being recruited.
Roman names consisted of three parts. Name (praenomen), family name (nomen gentile) and nickname (cognomen, usually also hereditary).
The photograph shows the killer of president Abraham Lincoln – John Wilkes Booth (left) – as Mark Antony and his brothers: Edwin Booth as Brutus and Junius Brutus Booth Jr. as Cassius.
