Interesting Facts

1. When Greeks heard people speaking in other languages, it was suggested that they were mumbling words which sounded like ‘barbar’. This word travelled to the Roman Empire, and is the root of the Roman word barbarian.
2. Despite popular myth, it is unlikely the ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ gesture was used by an emperor at gladiatorial battles. In fact, it is now thought the thumb would either be held horizontally and waved in a striking motion towards the heart (meaning ‘kill him’) or cover it up (meaning ‘put the blade away’).
3. A successful military tactic used by some Roman troops was that when under attack they would group together and hold their shields around them; this was known as ‘the tortoise’.
4. It is thought that most Romans were fairly happy with the suggestion that Christ could be added to their long list of Gods, however the Christians weren’t pleased with this, explaining that in their eyes there was only the one God.
5. You may have heard the phrase “all roads lead to Rome”. Interestingly, this is based on a time when, in the middle of the city, Emperor Augustus constructed a golden milestone on which the distances to the empire’s major cities were listed.
6. Lawyers in Rome were as commonplace as they are today. In fact, there were even a number of unscrupulous ones who would convince people to file lawsuits and take a percentage of the damages awarded. Does that sound familiar to you?
7. We know that Romans made themselves throw up so they could eat more, but it is a popular myth that this happened in special rooms called vomitoriums. Although the word vomit shares the same etymology, these rooms were in fact the exit routes from buildings such as amphitheatres. The Colosseum of Rome’s vomitoria were so well designed that 70,000 people could exit through them in just a few minutes.
8. Charioteers in Rome belonged to racing teams, and the teams were supported much like football clubs today. The best known teams of the age were the Whites, the Blues, the Greens and the Reds.
9. In 116 AD when the Roman empire was at its largest, it ruled over 2.5 million square miles.
10. Slaves in ancient Rome made up an incredible 40% of the population. You were seen as poor if you didn’t keep slaves, and it was common to take three slaves with you just to visit the public baths.