Curiosities of ancient Rome (Unknown facts)
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Wild animals and tunnels
During the II war with the Mithridates (73-63 BCE), the Romans, headed by Lucullus to Pontus near the Black Sea coast and besieged the Pontic city of Themyscira1. According to Appian from Alexandria there was an unexpected defense strategy from ... Read more
Islamic fundamentalists destroy monuments
Islamic fundamentalists in Syria are responsible for the destruction of many ancient monuments, including Byzantine mosaics and Greco-Roman statues. They do so because showing human beings in art is inconsistent with their confession. It is believed that destroying monuments in ... Read more
Did Romans use whistles on the battlefield?
In the teritory, which was once under the rule of the Roman Empire, scientists find many interesting objects. Among them are whistles. But the question is whether the whistles, apart from everyday life, were also used in the Roman army, ... Read more
Romans are always the first
When, during the conquest of Algeria in 1850, the French general Saint-Arnaud was crossing with his army the Atlas Mountains, through the Kang Pass, he thought he was the first European to take this path. However, he was disappointed, when ... Read more
Defend master!
If the owner of the slave was attacked and threatened with death, his slave was obliged to help his master, even when he has no weapon. He had to use all means to stop the attacker: fight with his bare ... Read more
Where does habit of throwing coins into water come from?
Now, most of the tourists who come to Rome throw coins into Fontanna di Trevi, hoping to return to the city again. In ancient Rome, this custom was also present, but it was associated with the celebration of the birth ... Read more
SPQR – what do these letters mean?
Letters SPQR can be seen on many monuments, buildings and banners. They mean Senatus Populusque Romanus, meaning “Roman Senate and People”. These words were a symbol of Roman identity and official name of the Roman Empire. Abbreviation SPQR, until the ... Read more
21st century technologies shed new light on the Egyptian painting
Researchers from UCLA and the National Gallery of Art in Washington used the latest technologies to discover the process of the creation of an ancient work of art – a female Fayum mummy portrait. The portrait of a dead woman ... Read more
Emperor Vespasian’s urinary tax
In ancient times, urine was a valuable commodity and many people collected it and then delivered it for a fee to manufactories that used it to bleach the material and remove stains. Due to this practice and the desire to ... Read more
Roman tax collectors were extortioners
Roman tax collectors were apparently usually extraordinary “extortioners.” The father of Emperor Vespasian – Titus Flavius Sabinus was an exception. He was a tax collector of the fortieth part (quadragesima, port tax) in Asia. According to sources, he was an ... Read more
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