Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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Felix Bull – archetype of “good” bandits
Bull Felix was a legendary Italian bandit operating in the years 205-207 CE, during the reign of Septimius Severus. He gathered under his command a band of about 600 men: escaped slaves, freedmen and former soldiers of the praetorian guard ... Read more
Disability was valued in ancient Rome
In Ancient Rome, with the increasing prosperity and splendor, fashion was born for all kinds of curiosities of nature. Plutarch mentions that in his time the highest prices at auctions were obtained for slaves with infirmities. With time, a separate ... Read more
Premature suicide
During the Civil War in 49 BCE Caesar besieged Corfinium. The defense was commanded by Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, consul for 54 BCE. Despite Ahenobarbus requests, Pompey did not send him support, what was one of the reasons for the fall ... Read more
Corocotta, robber in Spain
Corocotta was an Iberian highwayman from today’s Cantabria, who in the first century BCE according to Cassius Dio invaded Roman territories and wreaked havoc. The damage he was doing was so large that Augustus wanted to reward anyone – with ... Read more
Rich Romans organized wonderful feasts
Rich Romans organized extremely decadent and extravagant feasts that lasted for hours. Unable to swallow the next dishes, the slaves teased their palate with a pen so that they could then vomit the contents of the stomach. In this way ... Read more
Rex bibendi – Roman king of feast
Roman feast (cena) preceded the choice of a specific king of feast (rex bibendi). It was either the host himself or a person known and recognized by fellow-members. The selection was made with a roll of dice: the best throw ... Read more
Antikythera Mechanism
Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient mechanical device that most scientists believe was designed to calculate the positions of celestial bodies. It was originally thought to be some kind of ancient computer. However, the discovery of numerous Greek inscriptions and zodiac ... Read more
Only son of Caesar
Caesarion was the only child of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra VII. After the death of his father, he remained at the side of his mother, who, together with her lover, suffered a defeat in the civil war with Gaius Octavian. ... Read more
Acta Diurna – Roman newspaper
A first and only newspaper of the ancient world was founded by Julius Caesar in 59 BCE. It was called Acta Diurna – “Events of the Day” and, unfortunately, no copy has been preserved so far, and we do not ... Read more
How did Romans hunt tigers?
In Roman times, hunters while tring to catch tigers1 avoided direct fighting. Instead, they used a trick to steal small tigers from the lair. The hunter on the horse was heading to the ship, knowing that the mother would certainly ... Read more
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