Random Facts About The Ancient World We Just Learned Today That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’ (16 items)

• (#6) Ancient Rome And China Were Aware Of Each Other

  From Redditor u/Nerrolken:

  Ancient Rome and Ancient China were aware of each other. Each had heard accounts of the other great empire at the far end of the Silk Road, and they even tried to make direct diplomatic contact several times.

  The Romans believed the distant empire of "Serica" was populated by tiny people (like pygmies), who built an empire surrounded by huge walls around a great river (possibly the Yellow River).

  The Chinese spoke of the empire of "Daqin" in the west, which was famous for its roads and postal network, and where "kings were not permanent" and would be chosen and replaced based on merit during times of crisis, a clear reference to the Roman Republic.

  Source
• (#2) Ancient Romans Weaved Asbestos Into Tablecloths And Napkins, And Cleaned Them Using Fire

  From Redditor u/LeonInJapan:

  TIL that Romans weaved asbestos fibers into a cloth-like material that was then sewn into tablecloths and napkins. These cloths were cleaned by throwing them into a blistering fire, from which they came out unharmed and whiter than when they went in.

  From Redditor u/121PB4Y2:

  [Quoting from Asbestos.com]: “While Greeks and Romans exploited the unique properties of asbestos, they also documented its harmful effects on those who mined the silken material from ancient stone quarries. Greek geographer Strabo noted a “sickness of the lungs” in slaves who wove asbestos into cloth. Roman historian, naturalist and philosopher, Pliny the Elder, wrote of the “disease of slaves,” and actually described the use of a thin membrane from the bladder of a goat or lamb used by the slave miners as an early respirator in an attempt to protect them from inhaling the harmful asbestos fibers as they labored.”

  Their slaves, however, were not entitled to financial compensation.

  Source
• (#11) Yogurt Was Invented In 5000 BC

  From Redditor u/not_not_lying:

  TIL yogurt was invented in 5000 BC and the combination of yogurt and honey was called "the food of the gods".

  Source
• (#9) Ancient Rome Had Take Out Restaurants

  From Redditor u/TMWNN:

  TIL that take-out restaurants existed in ancient Rome, with service counters opening onto the street to pick up food. More than 200 existed in Pompeii, and most of its homes lacked dining or kitchen areas, suggesting that cooking at home was unusual.

  Source
• (#3) Ancient Greeks Inscribed Their Ammunition With Insults

  From Redditor u/Tokyono:

  TIL Archaeologists have found slingshot balls engraved with “Take that!” or “Catch!”, dating from 4th BC Greece.

  Source
• (#16) Castles Walls Were Not Always Left Bare But Decorated With Colorful Tapestries

  From Redditor u/starwars101:

  My fav is that the drab, grey interiors you always see when medieval castles are depicted are not accurate. When first being depicted in media, scholars lacked any artifacts indicating whether medieval Europeans had any wall decorations, such as tapestries. Thus, the artists left the walls bare for fear of erroneously assuming how medieval Europeans would have decorated.

  This led to the assumption that medieval castles were without furnishings. However, later discoveries and excavations of castles across Europe have unearthed draperies with many bright colors. It has been proven that, even as far north as Northumbria, castles were artfully decorated, with the tapestries used to brighten the place and keep rooms warm.

  Source

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