Classical Compendium - Curious Facts
Philip Matyszak’s Classical Compendium
Curious Facts
– Julius Caesar’s horse had toes instead of hooves
– Hannibal won a naval battle using exploding clay pots filled with poisonous snakes
– The emperor Commodus used to enjoy shooting the heads off ostriches
– The emperor Valentinian I kept two bears, called Goldflake and Innocence, to dispose of troublesome petitioners
– Some of the odd jobs from ancient Rome: dog crucifier; battle elephant driver; ancestor impersonator; theatre shade operator
Bizarre Beliefs
– A Roman suffering illness could be cured by being rubbed with puppies
– Aphrodisiacs in ancient Greece and Rome included sparrows, garlic, truffles and artichokes
– Thieves and conmen had their own goddess, Laverna
– Vestal Virgins who broke their vows were buried alive
– How the Oracles of ancient Greece were interpreted and their most famous predictions
Scandalous Gossip
– Was Julius Caesar really the lover of the King of Bithynia?
– What really happened to Hadrian’s boy-lover Antinous?
– How the emperor Nero would go out at night to rob people in the street – until he met his match
– ‘Every man should marry. His wife will either make him happy or make him a philosopher.’ – Socrates