Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)

As Petronius claims, one of favorite plays of Romans was imitating animal voices, and people of certain professions, giving away their movements, gesticulations or way of speech. It seems that the barbers or hairdressers were very well-suited due to their verbosity.

Did the ancients cipher messages? Of course – they used the so-called Laconian cane for this purpose (scytale).

Cicero on symbiosis of species:

Cicero about astronomy:

The knowledge of the ancients had to be enormous. How close to many discoveries were the ancients, we see on the basis of the knowledge of Cicero, which refers in this case to Aristotle. Cicero and theory of relativity:

Cicero on religion and superstitions:

Cicero is known as the most famous lawyer of ancient times and belongs to the most eminent speakers, lawyers of all time.
We know him less as a philosopher and, as we would say today, a scientist aware of the discoveries also in other areas of knowledge. Natural sciences were called at the time of Cicero as physiology.

Suetonius claims that emperor Augustus worshiped only old and permanent cults, i.e. cult of Ceres – he participated in the her mysteries. As he learned some secrets about the mysteries, he later settled the dispute between the participants of the rituals by removing the other judges from the tribunal.

Gaius Octavius, known also as Augustus, during his rule followed divination regarding certain days. He never left he city on the day after the day of the fairs. He also did not start anything in Nonae, explaining that he was willing to “avoid the bad omen from the name”. Nona in Roman mythology was the name of one of the Moirai – Clotho (Greek mythology), spinning thread of human life, and at the same time a goddess helping the nursing.

The ancient Romans realized the power of science and its importance. Gaius Petronius in one of his works (Banquet of Trimalchio) praises the power of knowledge in following way: