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“How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” It's a question that became a viral trend back in 2023. Thanks to a Swedish influencer who curiously asked her followers to find out. Women all over were asking their men how often the ancient civilization popped into their heads. Surprisingly, many admitted to thinking about the Roman Empire a couple of times a week. Some even said "at least once a day."

Many men, and some women, have been long fascinated with what went on in Ancient Rome. There've been blockbuster movies like Gladiator and Troy, HBO’s Rome, and of course, the Netflix series simply titled Roman Empire. Whether you're someone who can't stop thinking about that ancient time in history, or you're just wondering why others are so fascinated with it, keep scrolling.

Bored Panda has put together a list of fun facts about how people lived back then. Next time someone asks you when last you thought about the Roman Empire, you might be able to impress them with some of the interesting tidbits you found here.

#1

Ancient Roman road with stone paving, featuring tourists walking along the historic site.

The Romans put white shiny stones in some of their roads to increase visibility at night catching the moonlight.

Wyzzlex , imgur Report

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Verena
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In areas where they grow, birch trees were used as "street lanterns" or to indicate safe paths across moors

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    #2

    Ancient Roman woman holding a stylus and wax tablet, showcasing Roman Empire art and writing culture.

    Trivia is a Latin word! It combines "tri-" and "via" meaning "three roads”. In ancient Rome, the term "trivia" referred to the three-way intersections where people would gather to socialize and exchange information. Over time, the word evolved to refer to common or insignificant bits of information, which is how we use it today when talking about trivial facts or details. Romans invented the word for interesting facts!

    Laurel000 , wikipedia , Joel Bellviure Report

    #3

    Ancient Roman ruins with hills and vegetation, showcasing Roman Empire history and architecture.

    There's a massive artificial hill in Rome called "Monte Testaccio" which is the result of the Romans dumping milions of used oil jars over the centuries as they could not reuse them due to the residue. The hill is still accessible today and it's literally a huge pile of thousands of layers of terracotta.

    sortaeTheDog , wikipedia , TyB Report

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    UKGrandad
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bearing in mind that terracotta means 'baked earth', the jars just went home.

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    It is said that Rome wasn't built in a day... And if you've ever delved into Roman history, you might understand why.

    According to the Franklin Templeton knowledge centre, it was an English playwright called John Heywood who first said that “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.” The site explains that in the beginning, Rome was just a conglomeration of few hamlets. It then it became a city state (a sovereign state that consists of a city and its dependent territories), and eventually a vast empire.

    "The grandeur that Rome achieved was a result of centuries of tireless effort and ceaseless energy devoted by her people. In picturing the empire that they eventually wanted, Romans did not forget that they will have to tirelessly lay each brick continuously over decades together," reads the site.

    #4

    Roman Empire statue comparison: original vs. color reconstruction, showcasing historical art details and cultural aesthetics.

    The famous “white” marble and stone statues of emperors, gods, and other individuals in most cases were actually painted and colorful. Archaeologists and art scientists found traces of the paint pigments upon closer examination in recent decades. The colorized Roman statues especially of Caligula can be quite creepy looking but it’s awesome.

    Odd_Bed_9895 , Albertis Window , Till Niermann Report

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    Chewie
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He looks a bit like a Roman Ronald Mcdonald in the second photo 🤔

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    #5

    Ancient Roman Empire stone passageway with arched ceiling, illuminated by warm lights.

    Roman concrete has chunks of calcium in it called lime-clasts - they help self-heal the concrete.

    amartin141 , Cats' photos , scientificamerican.com Report

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    WindySwede
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Material properties" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_concrete#:~:text=Material%20properties,-edit

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    #6

    Rough texture of gravel stones, reminiscent of Roman Empire construction materials.

    Romans discovered a waterproof concrete made with “pozzolana” sand (from Pozzuoli). Waterproof as in, it magically dried under water and became hard as a rock. Without that, they couldn’t have maintained the huge net of aqueducts they’re famous for, and probably couldn’t build the lasting empire we know.

    DangerousKnowledge8 , wikipedia , Jebulon Report

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    SCamp
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Do yourself a favour and check out Pont du Gard if you’re ever in Avignon. What an amazingly breathtaking piece of architecture - 50 metres high, the aqueduct had a drop of 25cm per kilometre to allow for ware to move along it. Roman engineering 😮

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    The Ancient Romans contributed a lot to society, and thousands of years later, their influence is still visible. It's in our art, architecture, technology, literature, language, and law. We

    If there's one thing the Romans were good at it was engineering. "They understood the laws of physics well enough to develop aqueducts and better ways to aid water flow. They harnessed water as energy for powering mines and mills," explains National Geographic. "They also built an expansive road network, a great achievement at the time. Their roads were built by laying gravel and then paving with rock slabs."

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    The Romans built such a massive road system that until today, we say that “all roads lead to Rome.”

    #7

    Statue of a Roman emperor in traditional armor with an outstretched arm, representing Roman Empire art.

    Emperor Octavian once bought a Raven from a merchant who taught it to say “hail Caesar!” (Ave Caesar!)

    reddit.com , imperiumromanum , Pablordas Report

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    Pyla
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Octavian was part of the triumvirate, he eventually became Augustus Caesar. Marc Antony’s implosion in Egypt aside, Augustus’s wife, Livia was a famous poisoner. We had to read Plutarch and Suetonius in school

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    #8

    Marble statue of a Roman Emperor in elaborate armor, showcasing Roman Empire grandeur.

    In the time of Julius Caesar, you could send a letter from Rome to Athens in nine days. Today, the Italian post can’t even come close.

    m_calpurniusbibulus , Louvre Museum Report

    #9

    Roman Empire artifacts: olive oil jar and ancient knife displayed side by side.

    They thought “soap” was gross and only used it for textiles and other industry! For cleaning themselves they used olive oil, lotions and perfumes then just scraped it all off with a bronze or wooden stick called a Strigil.

    Prof_Augustus , robertina , Walters Art Museum Report

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    Caroline Nagel
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In the series Rome there is a scene where James Purefoy's character has a 'wash' that way. Quite a fascinating scene...

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    The Romans were also great farmers. They managed to figure out the climate, soil, and did deep-dives into how to make their plants prosper. Today, some of the ancient Roman techniques are still used by farmers around the world. We're talking things like crop rotation, pruning, grafting, seed selection, and manuring.

    #10

    Ancient Roman Empire stone sign with Latin inscription, mounted on a rusted metal bracket.

    The Romans had road side billboards just like us. Advertising a lot of different things, including fermented fish sauce Garum!

    KamikazeKricket , Jebulon Report

    #11

    Ancient Roman Empire fresco depicting a warrior, displayed on a green background, illustrating historical art.

    Graffiti was a commonly used and popular political tool. If the Roman people were unhappy with something they would paint it on walls of buildings and it was just an accepted normal thing.

    Archereus , Codrin.B / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0 & GFDL Report

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    FlamingZombies
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Reminds me of the scene in The Life of Brian where the Roman soldier teaches Brian the difference between Romanes eunt domus and Romani ite domum.

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    #12

    Ancient Roman architecture illustration displaying grandiose arch and detailed columns under a cloudy sky.

    The Roman temple of Janus, the two-faced god, had gates closed during peacetime, and open during war. They were once open for 400 years in a row, and hardly ever closed. The rare (and brief) times they were closed were accompanied by festivals, and new coins being minted to mark the occasion.

    cjhreddit , wikipedia , The Met Report

    You don't have to be a history buff to have heard of the Colosseum. The ancient Romans built the large amphitheater somewhere between 70 and 72 CE. And today, it's one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, it's the largest amphitheater in the world, measuring 189m long, 156m wide and 50m high.

    Again, we see influences of the Roman Empire in our world today. Think about the sports stadiums that host major matches... That oval shape and the tiered seating are based on the structures the Romans built back in the day.

    #13

    Medieval painting depicting a Roman Empire scene with officials and insignia in a grand hall.

    Julius Caesar and his advisors made the calendar that we use today, with minor adjustments by Pope Gregory. It's called the Gregorian calendar nowadays but Caesar really contributed more.

    reddit.com , wikipedia , Scipio Turaminus Report

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    Kira Okah
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Those minor adjustments like being more accurate with leap years so that the calendar wasn't consistently off around one day/century - the equinoxes in the Julian calendar and observation were noticed as being off by days in the years after the First Council of Nicea in 325AD, making their calculation of Easter incorrect, which is kinda important in Christianity.

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    #14

    Roman Empire public latrines made of stone with multiple seats, showcasing ancient sanitation engineering.

    There were no stalls on Roman Bathrooms. Everyone was just sitting there staring at each other as they did their business and then cleaned themselves with community sponges.

    _whydah_ , Fubar Obfusco Report

    #15

    Historical painting depicting a gathering by Roman-era ships near a coastline, with figures in detailed attire.

    The fall of Constantinople in 1453 closed the Silk Road and other trade routes to Europe. This forced Europeans to sail west to find new trade routes and accidentally discover (/rediscover) the new world.

    MrBeer4me , wikipedia , Fausto Zonaro Report

    What's truly remarkable is that the Colosseum still stands today, thousands of years later. It's arches are made out of cement. The ancient Romans made the super strong building material with what was available around them: volcanic ash and volcanic rock. And its for this reason modern scientists believe the Colosseum hasn't crumbled.

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    #16

    White doves perched on a stone surface, reminiscent of Roman Empire symbolism.

    Romans loved doves that were in the streets and they were associated with Venus. Unlike now when we dislike their decendants the pidgeons in the cities.

    Additional_Meeting_2 , rubyphotography Report

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    Pferdchen
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "In ancient Rome, doves were often associated with various goddesses, particularly Venus, the goddess of love, and were symbols of purity and peace. In ancient Mesopotamia, doves were prominent animal symbols of Inanna-Ishtar, the goddess of love, sexuality, and war."

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    #17

    Ancient Roman storage jar with multiple holes, displayed in a museum exhibit showcasing Roman Empire history.

    Romans had special terracotta containers called Glirarium to raise dormice so they could eat them.

    wikipedia , Marco Daniele Report

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    Al Fun
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The formal English name is “ European edible dormouse”. Check Wikipedia… I don’t know any other animal which name includes “edible”.

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    #18

    A dramatic depiction of Roman Empire ruins with a colossal figure amidst smoky skies.

    The Middle Ages started with the fall of the Roman Empire and ended at the fall of the Roman Empire.

    MagicLion Report

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    "Roman underwater structures proved to be even sturdier," reports National Geographic. "Seawater reacting with the volcanic ash created crystals that filled in the cracks in the concrete. To make a concrete this durable, modern builders must reinforce it with steel. So today, scientists study Roman concrete, hoping to match the success of the ancient master builders."

    #19

    Roman Empire scene showing daily life by the sea with people handling fish and pottery.

    The roman "ketchup" Garum was used in almost everything. Very much like tomato ketchup nowadays. Only... It was made of rotten fish guts...

    Nixie_Five , wikipedia , M.Rais Report

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    nottheactualphoto
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Fermented, not rotten. It is said to be akin to Vietnamese fish sauce. Which is an incredible umami bomb; I use it in anything savory.

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    #20

    Ancient Roman cleaning tool resembling a sponge on a stick, used for hygiene.

    Recent research suggests that the xylospongium/tersorium was used as a toilet scrub. 

    wikipedia , Dickson. Herdemerten Report

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    Binny Tutera
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Found this: The xylospongium or tersorium, also known as a "sponge on a stick", was a utensil found in ancient Roman latrines, consisting of a wooden stick with a sea sponge fixed at one end. Academics disagree as to its exact use, about which the primary sources are vague.

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    #21

    Ancient Roman mosaic depicting a wolf under a tree with geometric patterns.

    The founder of Rome, Romulus, and his brother, Remus, were both supposedly raised by a wolf mother. This, of course, after being born by a human mother and the god of war, Mars. That’s the story we have at least.

    Icemayne25 , Following Hadrian , wikipedia Report

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    Lee451 Henderson
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Latin word for wolf is the same as the word for prostitute. Makes the origin story more interesting.

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    #22

    Gothic architecture with spires, bustling city scene below, reminiscent of Roman Empire grandeur.

    After 286 AD, Rome was no longer the capital of the empire. Instead, Mediolanum (todays Milan) became capital for the WRE. It was moved again in 402 AD to Ravenna.

    qndry , Chris Barbalis , wikipedia Report

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    Lyone Fein
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But of course it was Constantinople that was the actual capital of the empire.

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    #23

    Mosaic depicting two roosters fighting, with a table in the background; a glimpse into Roman Empire pastimes.

    Romans used to bring sacred chickens to battle with them and would “consult” the chickens before battle to see if they should proceed.

    reddit.com , History Skills , Mariageorgieva0802 Report

    #24

    Ancient Roman Empire ruins with crumbling columns under a bright blue sky.

    The Rostra, the platform in Rome where people would give speeches, has the Rams of enemy Warships from the Latin Wars built into it. (Rostrum = a warships ram)

    MrBeer4me , antmoose , wikipedia Report

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    sofacushionfort
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Cicero’s head was nailed to it, after Anthony’s wife jabbed the tongue with her hairpin

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    #25

    Historic map of Taprobana alongside Roman-era illustration of an elephant, showcasing Roman Empire cartographic artistry.

    Rome had contact and trade with Sri Lanka and called it Taprobane.

    ministryoftimetravel , wikipedia , Sebastian Munster Report

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    CatD
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Probably got gemstones like sapphires and garnets from there.

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    #26

    Ancient Roman Empire ruins with tall stone walls and an arched entrance, surrounded by scattered stones.

    Julius Caesar invented newspapers, and Augustus published his autobiography as a gigantic wall called Monumentum Ancyranum.

    coffyrocket , wikipedia , mason.gmu.edu Report

    #27

    Ancient Roman lead pipes visible between stone slabs, showcasing engineering from the Roman Empire era.

    All the baths, at least in Bath, England, were lined in lead, so all the Romans who thought they were having a nice relaxing dip in the hot tub were exposing themselves to lead poisoning.

    reddit.com , uchicago.edu , Andrew Dunn Report

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    Kira Okah
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can't find anything other than the Great Bath at Bath specifically. Given that lead can create a deposit of lead oxide, which is safer, I guess I will have to do more reading on Roman baths specifically. People were quite likely to be exposed to lead more through defutum - a grape must concentrate used to sweeten other foods that was often reduced inside lead vessels.

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    #28

    Map of Hannibal’s ambush at Lake Trasimene, 217 B.C., illustrating Roman Empire military tactics.

    The battle of lake Trasimene in 217BC is still to this day the largest military ambush in human history. Military historian Basil Liddell Hart called the Battle of Trasimene “the greatest ambush in history.” The Roman losses were at least 15,000.

    MagicLion , britannica , Frank Martini Report

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    #29

    Roman Empire emissaries presenting gifts to an Eastern ruler, highlighting historical diplomacy and cultural exchange.

    Romans were in direct contact with China - not just through trade. Embassies are attested by several sources. A roman embassy reached China in 166 AD. Even the presence of a roman legion is reported.

    DangerousKnowledge8 , wikipedia , Internet Archive Report

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    SCamp
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Roman Legion in China story has been debunked. Great story- legionaries end up fighting as mercenaries in China after the battle of Carrhae in 53BC leading to the presence of tall fair haired blue eyed Chinese in Liqian China - but DNA testing has revealed it’s due to straightforward genetic mixing in a region where east meets west that saw heavy population movements 500-1000AD

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    #30

    Depiction of a Roman Empire council meeting with bishops and officials in ornate attire, set in a grand hall.

    Christianity was officially recognized by the empire in 380 AD by Theodosius through the Edict of Thessalonica.

    Friendcherisher , Giovanni Guerra, Cesare Nebbia , Khan Academy Report

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    Chris the Bobcat
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    According to that beloved open source online encyclopedia, the Edict of Thessalonica declared the Nicene Creed as the only legal form of Christianity in the Empire. Other forms of Christianity, such as the Arian form favored by the so-called barbarians (e.g. the Goths) were declared heretical and subject to persecution. Christianity itself had become a favored religion within the Empire early in Constantine's reign, following his ascension to sole Emperor after the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, where his rival Maxentius was defeated.

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