Roman Facts

9 facts tagged with Roman Facts

Vegetarian Gladiators

Ancient gladiators were mostly vegetarians whose diet consisted mainly of grains, beans, and dried fruit, washed down with a vinegar and plant ash tonic.

Roman Farting Edict

After hearing of a man who almost died from holding in farts whilst dining, Emperor Claudius is said to have proclaimed an edict that allowed Romans to fart at the dinner table.

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Lucky First Metal Detect

In 2012, a British man named Wesley Carrington used a metal detector for the first time and found £100,000 worth of Roman gold within 20 minutes.

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Salema Porgy Fish: The Roman Hallucinogenic Party Drug

There's a fish, known as Salema porgy, that causes severe hallucinations for up to 36 hours when ingested. During the Roman Empire, it was a party drug.

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Scientists are learning from the 1700-year-old Lycurgus Cup, which changes colour thanks to nano particles.

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The word 'mile' is derived from the Latin word for 1,000 - the number of paces it took the average Roman!

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Romans used a plant called Silphium as contraception. They had so much sex that they drove it into extinction.

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In 2011, archaeologists discovered the skeletal remains of a Roman couple who have been holding hands for 1,500 years.

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