The history of Ancient Rome is relatively well known, thanks to the huge number of chronicles and archaeological finds (and the film "Gladiator"). However, there are interesting facts from the life of the ancient Romans that are unfamiliar to most of us.
The Romans drank the blood of their favorite gladiators
The Romans were convinced that blood is the carrier of life-giving strength and energy. Of course, the blood of powerful and invincible gladiators was considered almost a magic elixir, to the extent that it was sold after battles in small vials as a cure for various diseases.
The Romans lived long enough
Despite the fact that the average life expectancy of the Romans did not exceed 30 years, a considerable number of Roman citizens happily survived to old age. The fact is that in the empire there was a high mortality rate of legionnaires due to wars and babies due to the lack of contraception. The life expectancy of the average citizen who does not participate in wars was closer to modern indicators.
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An hour was rarely 60 minutes
Despite the fact that the day always contained 24 hours (12 hours - day and 12 - night), the number of minutes in an hour depended on how much the dark time of the day was longer than the light one. So, in winter, one daytime hour could last only 40 minutes, while the nighttime hour was about 80 minutes.
Strict choice of clothing
The main type of clothing in Rome was the toga and tunic. The tunic was available to everyone, and only free and full citizens of Rome could wear a toga. As for the color, the choice here was determined by the financial condition. Natural wool shades were worn by poor people. More expensive fabrics, especially those dyed in bright colors such as red, yellow, green, required expensive processing, so only aristocrats and wealthy residents could afford them. Only representatives of the imperial family had the right to wear purple clothes; violation of this rule was severely punished.
Monobrow indicated high intelligence
This omen migrated to Rome from Ancient Greece, where women with bushy eyebrows were considered beautiful and intelligent. Some Roman women had to go for tricks to make their eyebrows thicker, some even glued animal hairs to their own eyebrows with resin.
Advanced dentistry and medicine
Some archaeological finds suggest that dentistry was highly developed by the ancient Romans. They practiced using metal braces to straighten their teeth and also inserted "prostheses" made of bone. In places of hostilities, doctors healed wounds with a mixture of honey, vinegar and cobwebs, which is an extremely effective method of treatment, disinfection and treatment.
The Romans didn't like philosophy
Unlike Greece, where philosophers were held in high esteem among the common population, in Rome representatives of this profession were disliked. In fact, philosophy was not even considered a worthy occupation and a profession as such. The Romans were much more down to earth and more practical than the Greeks, therefore they respected those who brought direct benefits to society.
Ancient Romans were afraid of lefties
The prejudice that accompanies left-handers reached its climax in ancient Rome. They were considered unhappy, angry, and unworthy of trust. Most right-handers tried their best to avoid them. Even the word sinister, which originally meant "left" in Latin, eventually acquired another meaning - "ominous" or "terrible". The Greeks and Romans even began to wear a wedding ring on their left hand to protect themselves from the evil associated with this party.
Emperors and aristocrats drank poison
The voluntary cocktail of small doses of all known poisons gained popularity in Rome at the beginning of our era. People who feared poisoning tried to develop immunity to poisons in a similar way. The cocktail was taken from a special vessel made from the horn of a one-horned animal, be it a cow or a ram. It was also believed that the water in this vessel becomes an antidote.
Massive persecution and executions of Christians were carried out in Rome
Roman authorities justified mass executions, many of which were performed in front of crowds of onlookers or in amphitheatres as part of the performance, by the fact that Rome was founded on the principle of polytheism. Christianity denied the existence of Roman gods, so the Romans persecuted the early Christians because they were afraid to anger their gods.
The Romans deliberately caused the gag reflex during a feast
Rich feasts were held with a huge number of dishes. A single meal was not enough to taste everything, so the Romans ate to the full, then gagged, usually using a long feather to empty the stomach for the next meal. This practice was considered a compliment to the hosts of the feast.
Roman women wore wigs and dyed their hair
Initially, dyed hair was a sign of women of easy virtue, but then Roman courtesans began to wear wigs and dye their hair, followed by aristocrats and ordinary women.
Faithful horses were held in high esteem
Everyone knows the story of Emperor Caligula and his horse Incetat, for whom a palace was erected and a place in the Senate was allocated. Such an attitude was clearly beyond the bounds of reason, but was an indicator of how much loyal horses were valued in Rome. For example, Caesar believed that a faithful horse predicted his ascension to the throne. After that, Caesar did not allow anyone to mount on this horse and erected a statue for him in front of the temple of Venus.
The Romans did not use soap
In Rome, wealthy people took a bath every day, but they did not use soap. They used various oils and tinctures to rub the skin. To clean up the dirt, people who could not afford the daily water treatment used scrapers.
In Rome, urine was used as a cleaning agent for
From public and private toilets in Rome, special aqueducts led, draining liquid into vats, where urine and fecal residues were processed and purified. Due to the high ammonia content in urine, it was used to treat animal skins and to wash woolen clothes. They also rinsed the mouth with urine to whiten the teeth.