(#9) Emperors Were Notoriously Depraved In Their Personal Lives
The second emperor, Tiberius, had a villa in Capri where he organized bacchanals, put together a lewd library, and trained young boys to "tease him with their licks and nibbles," according to Suetonius.
Emperor Caligula wasn't much better. It was widely rumored that he had relations with his sisters. As if that wasn't enough, Caligula himself spread a rumor that his mother, Agrippina, was the result of his grandfather Augustus coupling with his own daughter Julia.
(#6) Camel Brains And Animal Dung Were Considered Cure-Alls
Getting sick in imperial Rome? You might well have had to swallow some animal dung. In his Natural History, Pliny writes that "a camel's brain, dried and taken in vinegar, cures epilepsy," while "the ash of the burnt dung makes the hair curl." But not just camel, as goat excrement was proven to be useful. Pliny says that an "application also of she-goat's dung boiled down in vinegar was an approved treatment for snake bite, and so is the ash of fresh dung boiled down in wine." Tortoise dung was excellent for curing abscesses, while holding rabbit dung convinced dogs not to bark at you.
(#13) Thousands Of Animals And Gladiators Perished In Games
Men didn't just fight one another in the gladiatorial games; they also fought wild beasts that were imported from all over the empire. With no PETA around to defend them, these exotic animals were caged in dismal conditions and then unleashed to ravage their human rivals. In Emperor Trajan's games held between 108-109 C.E. alone, 10,000 gladiators and 11,000 animals were slaughtered (although some think chroniclers' numbers were exaggerated). In another festive celebration, 8,000 animals were slain in 80 C.E. to christen Titus's new amphitheater.
(#11) They Removed Their Rivals Using Deplorable Methods
Romans loved to off their competitors, using whatever means necessary to get the job done. Augustus's stepson, the general Germanicus, was allegedly "cursed" (the malediction was written down on a lead tablet and entombed in his house). Lead tablets pierced with nails were a preferred method of cursing since this tactic was thought to bring about the desired effect in the form of a legal agreement with the gods to do harm to a person.
Toxic plants and tainted food was another common means of removing someone you didn't like in imperial Rome. A whole host of emperors were allegedly guilty of offing people they hated, including their own relatives and rivals to their throne.
(#15) Ancient Birth Control Was Weird And Dangerous (But Sometimes Effective)
Giving birth in ancient Rome was extremely dangerous for both mother and baby. Infections, hemorrhaging, and other complications were unfortunately common.
Not interested in taking your chances on childbirth? Birth control options were available, but they were strange, to say the least. According to the physicians Soranus,
It also aids in preventing conception to smear the orifice of the uterus all over before with olive oil or honey or cedar resin or juice of the balsam tree, alone or together with white lead; or with a moist cerate containing myrtle oil and white lead; or before the act with moist alum, or with galbanum together with wine; or to put a lock of fine wool into the orifice of the uterus...
Many of these methods were possibly effective (since they served to blocked access to the uterus.)
(#7) Their Graffiti And Poetry Were Really Dirty
As far as disgusting facts about Rome go, this one isn't so unusual: Romans loved a good dirty joke. The town of Pompeii, in particular, boasted tons of dirty graffiti scrawled on public walls and in private bars alike. You could be strolling down a lane and be confronted with phrases like "Restituta, take off your tunic, please, and show us your privates." Other drawings featured erect phalloi, images that, while obviously sexual, were also thought to ward off disease and illness (virility penises, get it?).
And the naughty sayings also appeared in poems. In Catullus's famously dirty "Poem 16," he called his friend Aurelius a phallus-sucker and his pal Furius a "little b**ch."
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About This Tool
In the era of extremely poor health and medical conditions, the disgusting life of the ancient Romans may be beyond your imagination. In ancient Rome, urine was a big business, and the government even set a special tax on urine sales. There were people who make a living by selling urine. Some of them go to public toilets to collect urine, while others collect urine from house to house. You must not guess what they did with urine. Ancient Romans washed clothes with urine.
It is certain that urine was not the most disgusting daily life in ancient Rome. The random tool shares 16 gross details of daily life in ancient Rome that will shock you.
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