October 2, 2012

Gory Details

In Ancient Rome, blood from freshly-slain gladiators was sold at Colosseum concession stands. It was thought to cure epilepsy.

Source: Mary Roach, Stiff, page 225.

Posted at 4:45 AM

Filed under: Ancient Rome, epilepsy, gladiators

Leave a Comment

Previous post: Plagued at the Ports

Next post: Goody Goody Gumdrops

Daily Fact

In 1642, during the Thirty Years War, when soldiers attacked a village in Prussia the nuns from the town’s convent overturned the convent’s beehives. The angry bees drove back the attackers. The grateful townsfolk renamed their village Beyenburg (Bee town).

Adrienne Mayor, Archaeology, Nov-Dec 1995, page 36

More Daily Facts
Blog
I blog every Monday, Wednesday and Friday about the intersection of history and science. My favorite topics are the history of sanitation, funky fashions, and insects.
More Posts
Sites I Like