A couple of Facebook friends* sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal concerning a scholarly journal called the Journal of Roman Archeology, which published an article about ancient Roman hairstyles. You can read the original article here.
It… Read More
Fans of Monty Python movies may remember this scene about a killer bunny from the Holy Grail [warning: it’s meant to be funny, but the over-the-top gore may be somewhat upsetting]. What makes it memorable—and comical, in a black-humor kind… Read More
The ancient Romans used bees and hornets’ nests as weapons of war. The nests were placed inside breakable clay urns and then catapulted onto the decks of enemy ships. During sieges, the Romans drilled down vertically into the tunnels their… Read More
The ancient Roman engineers developed the first form of central heating, using terra cotta tubes that transported hot exhaust from a basement fire. But the technology was lost with the fall of Rome.
Panati’s Extraordinary Origins (131)… Read More
The ancient Romans used geese to guard the Capitol. When the Gauls invaded in the 4th century BC, squawking geese sounded the alarm.
Aelian On Animals 7.46 as quoted in Mayor, Adrienne, The Poison King… Read More
One of the more prestigious and cushy career paths of the ancient world would have to be the job of Vestal Virgin, in Ancient Rome.
A downside was that the job was probably a little dull. Your only duties were… Read More
The ancient Roman writer Juvenal cited three major hazards of living in Rome: fires, falling buildings, and poets who recite poetry in August.
Cabinet of Roman Curiosities 95
… Read More
The word “decimate” comes from the Latin “decimare,” after the Roman practice of killing one in every ten soldiers after a mutiny or desertion.… Read More
The ancient Romans were better at making concrete than we are today. According to a recent study by the US Department of Energy at Berkeley Lab, researchers have finally figured out how they made it.
First, what is concrete? According… Read More
Friedrich Engels (1820 - 1895) was a prominent businessman who worked in his family’s textile trade by day and became co-author with Karl Marx about the evils of capitalism by night. He also enjoyed fox hunting.