1 – Did you know that the ancient Romans used to use a sponge attached to the end of a wooden handle to clean themselves after “number 2” — and share this contraption with everyone? Yuck…
2 – Ancient Romans also used human urine for a variety of things — including as a teeth-whitening treatment.
(History of the Ancient World)
3 – On the other hand, although the two previous items seem strange by today’s hygiene standards, the ancient Romans were fans of bathing and frequented the famous “public baths” at least once a day.
4 – We owe the origin of the word “candidate” to the ancient Romans: individuals in Ancient Rome who participated in elections for the Senate wore a specific toga called toga candida — and that is where the famous word came from.
5 – The ancient Romans used to refer to the early followers of Christianity as “atheists,” since Christians did not worship or honor pagan gods.
(Pinterest)
6 – In Ancient Rome — as well as in Greece — it was quite common for the purchase of slaves to be carried out using salt as currency.
7 – It is worth noting that the vast majority of ancient Romans avoided being cruel to their slaves. So much so that it was common for them to receive bonuses and incentives from their “masters” to increase productivity.
8 – The wars fought between the ancient Romans and the Persians lasted more than 700 years and went down in history as the longest conflict on record.
9 – Flamingo tongues were considered a delicacy by the ancient Romans and were enjoyed by Emperors. In fact, it was common for them to be served with pheasant brains, lamprey viscera and parrotfish livers. Yum…
(Vox)
10 – Contrary to what many people think, technically, Julius Caesar was never Emperor of Rome. He was a military leader and dictator who controlled the empire between 49 and 44 BC.