What’s left to say about ancient Rome at this point? They spend about all of high school trying to teach you the ins and outs of their society, politics and architecture – mostly to the point where the average kid in school simply doesn’t care anymore. We knew that society better than we know our own.
There’s still a few fun facts that they tend to leave out of the classroom, however. Let’s take a look at some facts about ancient Rome that might respark your interest in this subject.
Founded By Two Brothers Raised By She-Wolf
Okay, I’ll admit, you probably knew that one. Rome was founded by two brothers, Romulus and Remus, that were raised by a she-wolf. As always in Roman mythology, they ended up disagreeing on who would get to rule this new city so Romulus killed Remus and named the city after himself.
No Wearing Purple
People in ancient Rome didn’t wear purple, and the reason for it is pretty easy: purple dye was ridiculously expensive. It was made from snails and cost about half of your average soldier’s annual salary. And we should mention that not everyone had a soldier-level income back then.
Wine O’Clock All Day Long
While these days drinking wine every day turns you into an alcoholic, in ancient Rome people were convinced that a glass of wine a day indeed kept the doctor away. It was seen as a necessity and was even available to the lower classes and slaves in some shape or form.
Selling Sons into Slavery
Those colosseums aren’t going to fill themselves. If you were looking for a quick buck and/or a son to get rid of, it was pretty common practice to sell your son into slavery for him to either become a laborer for some rich person – and hopefully get an education – or just flat-out become a gladiator.
Underground
Nicknamed the Eternal City, Rome was actually originally mostly built underground. This helped with the idea that no matter what would happen to the rest of the world, Rome would stand firm and survive everything.
Flamingo Diet
Ancient Rome was mostly known for its decadence and food was definitely no exception. Exotic birds like flamingoes were seen as a delicacy and were eaten pretty often by the upper class of Roman society. Parrots and ostriches were also occasionally part of the menu.
Washed Clothes in Urine
Not only did Romans was their clothes in (some) urine, they actually considered old urine to be better for washing purposes. Imagine keeping a bottle of your urine somewhere in the house so you can whip it out the next laundry day. Thank God we have detergent now, right?
