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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.
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 signs indicates that it was an astrological device.
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. Seventeen-year-old Caesarion, after invasion of Roman army on Alexandria, was sent by his mother, Cleopatra, to the south, where Cleopatra’s ships stood by the bay of the Red Sea.
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 know the amount of its circulation.
In Roman times, hunters while tring to catch tigers1 avoided direct fighting. Instead, they used a trick to steal small tigers from the lair.
Caesar’s death in 44 BCE was a huge shock for Roman society. As if sensing his fate, the dictator decided to write down his will earlier, probably trying to prevent fights for supporters, property, power and heritage. The act of his last will was deposited in the temple of Vesta and it was publicly read by the last father-in-law of Caesar – Lucius Calpurnius.
What kind of pleasures Romans had thanks to the wine – prof. André Tchernia, a French historian, archaeologist and researcher of ancient wines, tied to find it out. He produced a liquor according to a recipe from the Roman Empire.
The rich Romans looked after their clients. The client was in a literal sense of the word parasite, which in exchange for protection he was ready every morning, according to the custom, at dawn, to appear at the patron’s house to greet him and offer his services. Sometimes the patron had to remind customers of their duties. Readiness to provide services gained great value during the election campaign.
In popular culture, we can hear about Roman generals fighting side by side with legionaries. It must be clearly stated that this was not entirely true. The Roman leaders were commanders, not warriors. Only in exceptional situations, when it was necessary, the commander was involved in the fight.
The Roman Empire gave birth to some truly outstanding philosophers such as Seneca the Yougher or Marcus Aurelius. That does not mean, however, that the Romans, like the Greeks, considered meditation an important aspect of life. First, according to the Romans, philosophy was a Greek invention, and as they were conquered by the “sons of She-wolf”, it was not worthy for the Roman to deal with the matter invented by the Greek.
