The ancient Romans are famous for the sheer volume of written material they left behind, and it sometimes feels like we know more about their paperwork than we do about our own lives. In this roundup we’ll serve up 10 facts about ancient Rome that most classrooms skip, offering a fresh glimpse into the quirks, scandals, and oddities of the empire.
10 facts about ancient Rome that most people have never heard
10 The Romans Closely Guarded Books That Foretold Events To Come
Deep within the vaulted chambers of the Temple of Jupiter, a handful of scrolls written in delicate Greek script were kept under lock and key. These manuscripts supposedly chronicled the future of Rome and its citizens, even predicting the empire’s eventual downfall. Only a specially trained seer was allowed to run a trembling finger over the faded ink and interpret the ominous verses.
According to legend, an elderly woman once approached the Etruscan king Tarquin and offered him nine of these prophetic tomes for a steep price. The king scoffed, letting out a hearty “Harrumph!” and turned the offer down.
Undeterred, the woman burned three of the books, returned with the remaining six, and demanded the same payment. Still refusing, Tarquin began to wonder what he might be missing. When she finally presented just three books—after burning three more—he hurriedly purchased them.
Upon unrolling the battered scrolls, it became clear they foretold Rome’s meteoric rise and inevitable collapse. The old woman was later linked to a sibyl, the same kind of seer who had predicted Troy’s fall. From that moment onward, the books were locked away, only to be consulted in times of dire crisis.
These secret volumes remained hidden for centuries, surfacing only when the Senate felt the need for divine counsel, and their existence added an air of mystique to Rome’s already complex religious landscape.
9 Crassus’s Fire Brigade Was The Most Corrupt Fire Department Ever
When the First Triumvirate—Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompey, and Marcus Crassus—ruled Rome, the spotlight usually fell on Caesar and Pompey, leaving Crassus in the shadows of history. Yet his reputation for ruthless greed extended even to emergency services.
Crassus owned a private fire brigade that would rush to a blaze, only to demand that the property owner sell the burning house to him at a cut‑rate price before any hoses were turned on. The brigade’s members would stand idle, watching the flames lick the walls, while the homeowner faced a terrible choice: watch his estate turn to ash or surrender it for a pittance.
This predatory practice turned firefighting into a profit‑making scheme, with Crassus amassing wealth by exploiting the very crises that should have prompted public aid. The tale illustrates how even life‑saving services could be weaponized for personal enrichment in the Roman world.
Stories of the brigade’s mercenary tactics survive as a stark reminder that corruption could seep into any corner of Roman society, even the most noble‑sounding of civic duties.
8 The Publicani Were Basically The Mafia Of Ancient Rome
Tax collectors have never been popular, but the Roman publicani took the job to a whole new level of infamy. In the second century BC, these wealthy businessmen were granted the right to “farm” taxes in newly conquered provinces, essentially buying the right to collect whatever they could.
The publicani squeezed peasants, merchants, and even foreign traders for every possible drachma, often using intimidation and violence. Their grip extended beyond taxation; they came to dominate trade routes, banking, and shipping, effectively forming a powerful economic cartel.
Because a portion of the loot flowed back into the Roman treasury, the state turned a blind eye, tolerating their brutal methods. The publicani’s exploitation made them the ancient equivalent of a mafia, wielding wealth and influence to shape policy while keeping the common folk in perpetual debt.
7 A Man Infiltrated A Festival Exclusively For Women
Picture a crisp December, pine needles scenting the air, and the city buzzing with the Festival of the Good Goddess—a celebration reserved solely for women. Statues of men were even veiled, and any male presence was strictly forbidden.
Enter Publius Clodius Pulcher, a notorious politician with a flair for drama. Determined to get a glimpse of the festivities, he disguised himself as a flute‑player (some accounts say a harpist) and slipped into the crowd of robed women.
His ruse didn’t go unnoticed for long. The women, puzzled by the unfamiliar musician, pressed him for his name. When he answered in a deep, unmistakably masculine voice, the suspicion turned to outrage.
The rites were abruptly halted, a trial convened, and Clodius’s reputation suffered a severe blow. His audacious infiltration became a cautionary tale about respecting gendered religious boundaries in ancient Rome.
6 King Mithridates Grew Up In The Wild And Was Immune To Poison
Although not a Roman by birth, King Mithridates VI of Pontus was one of Rome’s most formidable adversaries, rivaling even Hannibal in his ability to threaten the Republic. His early life was as dramatic as his later wars.
After being cast out by his mother, young Mithridates fled to a dense forest where he survived for seven years, hunting deer and battling wild beasts. During this exile he developed a fascination with toxicology, deliberately ingesting tiny, sub‑lethal doses of various poisons to build up immunity.This self‑experiment proved both brilliant and tragic. When Roman forces later besieged his palace, he attempted suicide by poison, only to discover his body had become impervious. In the end, a loyal guard was forced to end his life with a sword, ending a life lived on the edge of danger and chemistry.
5 Sergius Orata Invented The ‘Hanging Baths’
Just as modern jet‑setters escape to luxury resorts, wealthy Romans flocked to the seaside town of Puteoli for relaxation. The town’s elite soon discovered a clever entrepreneur named Sergius Orata, famed for his oyster farms and for a puzzling invention called the balneae pensiles, or “hanging baths.”
Orata’s “hanging baths” earned their name from a literal translation of the Latin terms, but historians still debate their true purpose. Some argue they were early forms of hot showers, while others contend they were a novel type of under‑floor heating, distinct from the well‑known hypocaust system.
The first theory falters because “balneae” specifically denotes baths, not showers. The second theory seems unlikely, as the Romans already possessed a word—hypocaust—to describe floor‑based heating. This leaves the exact nature of Orata’s invention shrouded in mystery.
Whether they were elevated soaking tubs, a sophisticated water‑circulation system, or something entirely different, Orata’s “hanging baths” illustrate the inventive spirit that permeated even the most indulgent corners of Roman society.
4 Emperor Caligula Appointed His Horse As A Member Of The Senate
According to the ancient biographer Suetonius, the erratic Emperor Caligula adored his prized horse, Incitatus, so much that he allegedly elevated the animal to the rank of senator. The move sparked immediate debate about the emperor’s sanity.
Was it sheer madness, or a calculated insult? Many scholars contend that Caligula used the appointment as a biting jab at the Senate, demonstrating that even a horse could perform their duties, thereby belittling the political elite.
Caligula’s brief but turbulent reign was marked by constant clashes with the Senate, and this stunt was one of many attempts to consolidate power and mock his opposition. The episode endures as a vivid illustration of the emperor’s capriciousness and the volatile nature of Roman politics.
3 The Romans Worshiped Gods Of Excrement
Among the pantheon of Roman deities, Sterculius presided over manure and fertilization—a god whose very name evokes the earthy scent of compost. He was but one of countless spirits the Romans believed needed appeasement to keep daily life running smoothly.
The Romans also revered Cloacina, the goddess of the city’s great sewer, the Cloaca Maxima, alongside Crepitus, the god of toilets. Cloacina’s worship evolved over time; she was seen as both a protector of purity and a patron of filth, even being linked to Venus as “Venus Cloacina.”
These seemingly odd deities underscore the Romans’ pragmatic approach to religion: every facet of existence, from love to latrines, demanded divine attention, ensuring the empire’s complex machinery operated without a hitch.
2 Handful Of Women Were Accused Of Mass Murder By Poisoning
Poisoning was a recurring theme in Roman literature, and the crime seemed more prevalent in antiquity than in modern times. The earliest recorded incident involved a sudden spike in deaths among prominent citizens, which many believed stemmed from a mysterious illness.
When a slave girl reported to the curule aediles that the surge was actually caused by poisonous concoctions brewed by a group of Roman matrons, officials launched an investigation. Twenty women, including members of the patrician class, were caught in the act of preparing lethal brews, which they claimed were meant for medicinal purposes.
To prove their guilt, the magistrates forced each accused woman to drink the very poison she had concocted. All of them perished, and a further 170 women were later found guilty of similar offenses.
Scholars still debate whether these deaths resulted from a genuine epidemic or were the product of mass hysteria and false accusations. Regardless, the episode highlights the dark underbelly of Roman domestic life.
1 Rome Was Ruled By A Transsexual Emperor
Emperor Elagabalus, a figure shrouded in both scandal and intrigue, is one of the few Roman rulers whose gender identity has sparked modern scholarly debate. While many ancient sources describe his eccentricities, recent interpretations suggest he may have been transsexual.
Historical accounts detail that Elagabalus underwent circumcision as part of priestly duties and that his penis was allegedly infibulated. According to the Roman historian Dio Cassius, the emperor expressed a desire for castration—not for religious reasons, but out of a yearning for “effeminacy.”
Contemporary scholars often read these details as evidence of a trans‑identifying ruler. Though initially supported by the army, Elagabalus’s unconventional behavior alienated the Senate, culminating in his violent death and the disposal of his body in the Tiber River.
His reign stands as a rare glimpse into gender fluidity within the highest echelons of ancient power, challenging modern assumptions about Roman conservatism.