Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

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Unknown Facts are curiosities revealing little-known, surprising, or rarely discussed information from the world of ancient Rome and antiquity. This category includes unusual details, curiosities, and facts that offer a less obvious perspective on the Roman Empire.

Signaculum – Roman immortals?

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…Więcej

Nickname Caesar

Roman names consisted of three parts. Name (praenomen), family name (nomen gentile) and nickname (cognomen, usually also hereditary). Interesting is the genesis of the nickname Gaius Julius Caesar. There is a supposition that he comes…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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…Więcej

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.…Więcej

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…Więcej

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