Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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Lincoln’s killer, was Roman?
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. The picture was taken in 1864 during the ... Read more
Counting on fingers in ancient Rome
In source messages, we can find information that confirms how widespread and important to ancient Romans was counting on the fingers. An example is Quintilian, who mentions that knowledge of numbers is needed not only for speakers but also for ... Read more
Tironian notes – Roman system of shorthand
Tironian notes (notae Tironianae) were a Roman system of rapid writing, which appeared in the last years of the Roman Republic. It assumed usage of shorthand. According to Plutarch, they were developed by Marcus Tullius Tiro, secretary of the Marcus ... Read more
Sexually transmitted diseases in antiquity
People had to deal with sexually transmitted diseases in antiquity. One of them was, for example, herpes, for which the Romans invented two, not very popular methods of treatment. The first major plague epidemic appeared during the reign of emperor ... Read more
Custom spolia opima
Spolia opima (“great loot”) was a martial custom in republican Rome. According to it, the person who defeated in the direct duel the general of the hostile army was granted the honor of putting the armor drawn from his body ... Read more
Pollice verso
Pollice verso (also referred to as verso pollice) was a gesture condemning the defeated gladiator in ancient Rome to death. Contrary to common beliefs and the image disseminated by cinematography, it is uncertain whether in ancient Rome this gesture was ... Read more
Slaves fought at funeral of rich Roman
During the funeral of a wealthy Roman slaves had to fight with each other. This was done because it was thought that the blood calms the gods, and the show relaxed a family in mourning. This custom was initiated by ... Read more
Emperors’ funeral ceremonies
With the rise of the empire, the first person in the Roman state became the emperor, who gradually became equivalent to the Roman gods. Therefore, in the second century CE, there was created the whole funeral ceremony, was aimed at ... Read more
“Exception that proves the rule” – where does the saying come from?
“Exception that proves the rule” (Exceptio probat regulam) – these were the words that come up during the defense of Cornelius Balbus in ancient Rome. Cornelius Balbo was not a Roman by birth but received Roman citizenship. This decision was ... Read more
Perversions of Emperor Tiberius on Capri
Emperor Tiberius is judged very differently by posterity. The reign of Tiberius was a period of peace and good management for ordinary people in the provinces but for the spheres of the Roman aristocracy a time of increasing tyranny and ... Read more
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