Rome has a deep history that spans the triumphant battles for entertainment to the colorful characters in time, such as Nero, Spartacus, and Heliogabulus. In this article, you will learn a few interesting facts , some you may have already heard of and others that will clearly be news to your ears.
While attacking Rome, Hannibal had only one eye after he lost the first to a disease that he contracted during his battles.
During the ancient times of Rome, it was considered a valued attribute to possess a crooked nose at birth, as this was viewed as a sign that you would one day turn into a great leader.
Did you know that the first ever volume of recipes was published in 62 AD by Apicius, who titled his book De Re Coquinaria, which went into detail about the feasts that Emperor Claudius was accustomed to?
The last words of Nero were “Qualis artifex pereo,” which roughly translates into “What an artist dies in me”.
More than 5,000 animals were slaughtered during the hundred days of opening games that the Colosseum in Rome (in 80 AD). This included an interesting collection, which spanned giraffes, elks, hyenas, elephants, tigers, lions, and even hippopotamuses.
It’s highly unlikely that Heliogabulus will win any awards as the best Roman Emperor in history, as by the age of fourteen, he was considered a god. He gained the title of high proest at the pantheon of Baal. His mother is the real reason he was able to gain such feats, as she was pretty good at scheming. Heliogabulus was known to set off numerous practical jokes, he spent money like water, and was quite gluttonous with food. When he held a banquet, they always cost more than 100,000 sesterces (the equivalent of around $10,000). Sometimes, he would make it a habit to pay up to 3,000,000 sesterces. In time, the people had enough and Heliogabulus was assassinated in 222.
In 73 CE, Spartacus was head of a revolt that included the Roman slaves and gladiators.
Before an election, all people who wanted a place in office (during the times of the Roman Empire) were made to wear a particular white toga for one year.
It is believed that one of the reasons that the Roman Empire met its demise was attributed to their use of slave labor. The ancient Greeks spent their time creating wondrous scientific achievements, as well as many accomplishments in math. However, the Romans didn’t succeed in much in the way of discoveries, as they relied on slave labor, which was rather inexpensive. By the end of the 2nd century AD, the ancient world lacked industrial technology. The military and civilian population of the Roman Empire greatly suffered as a result.
When sweetening some of their foods, the ancient Romans actually used lead, which was poisonous.
During ancient times, Cyprus was known as one of the most important mining centers in the world. However, the Romans stopped their operation and sealed the tunnels for reasons still a mystery. Numerous tunnels have since been located and were reopened in the 20th century. At the time of the discovery by a mining engineer from America , support timbers were still intact, as well as useable oil lamps.