Ancient Facts: Rome 2

In this article, you will encounter interesting facts that deal with great figures like Commodos, as well as the origin of a well-known phrase told to children at some point in their lives.

Commodos was a Roman emperor that made it a habit to gather all the freaks, cripples, and dwarfed individuals he could locate, where he brought them to the Colosseum. His reason? Pure entertainment, of course! Apparently, it was fascinating to watch these people fight to the death using meat cleavers as weapons.

In the gladiatorial environment, Commodus was a god, as he fought and won 1,031 battles in his lifetime.

You probably didn’t know that the phrase, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye” came from the ancient Romans. When they conducted wrestling matches, the only rule participants had to adhere to was to never gouge the eyes. All other actions were OK, but the only way disqualification came is when someone used their fingers to poke the eye out of their opponent.

The great fire that took place in Rome in 64 CE is where the infamous tale of Nero emerged, afterwards , he is said to have blamed all of the Christians for the event , the ones still living in Rome. He rounded all of them up, crucified them, covered their bodies in pitch, and set them on fire. He is then reported to have walked about his gardens , taking in the sights , which were quite lovely for him to see.

As the Roman goddess of sorcery, Trivia was also in charge of hounds and “the crossroads.”

When Julius Caesar was triumphant in Pompey, he threw a banquet that placed 150,000 guests at 22,000 tables. The celebration lasted for two days, where he exclaimed that all poor families in the Empire would not have to pay their rent for a year.

After Julius Caesar rebuilt the Circus Maximus in Rome, 150,000 were able to pile in. Once more, the space was made bigger so that an additional 100,000 people could join in on all of the fun.

The son of the well-known Roman general, Germanicus was named Gaius Caesar and although he was only a young boy at the time, he accompanied his mother Agrippina and father with the legions of Rome. He was a real hit and the soldiers gave him the nickname, “Little Boots,” which is better known as Caligula. This name would stick for the rest of his life. In later years, Caligula (21 , 41 AD) grew up to assume the position of Emperor of Rome from 37 to 41 AD. His reputation was quite deep, as he was known for being ruthless and cruel. He favored torture and executed many people. He was so feared and hated by the people that he was actually killed by the people who was supposed to be protecting him , his own guards.

Caligula’s horse was treated with great decency, as it stayed in a manger made of ivory and drank out of the same goblets made of gold that were set aside for wine.

 In an attempt to build the population of Rome, Julius Caesar actually offered rewards to couples who produced a large amount of offspring.

The largest building associated with ancient Rome is the Pantheon, which still remains intact to this day.