Italian Idiosyncrasies: 10 Weird Facts About Ancient Roman Life

You see a man dressed in a toga — or in a golden armor if he’s headed for battle. And you witness god-like emperors being hand-fed grapes.

These are just a couple of the images that may come to mind when you hear the phrase “Ancient Rome,” thanks to shows and movies like Gladiator.

The reality is, these shows and movies are a lot like social media today: They only tell half the story — the glamorous side. There’s a lot more to the story that you’ve probably never heard.

Until now.

Ancient Rome was one of the first “modern” civilizations, but their customs would shock us today. Here’s a rundown on 10 weird facts about ancient Roman life.

Let’s get started!

1. Ancient Roman Life: Romans Used Urine as a Mouthwash

No, we’re not kidding.

In fact, urine was such a major business that special government taxes were in place for the sale of pee.

Some people made a living from collecting pee at urinals in public locations. Meanwhile, others visited people at their homes and asked them to add their urine to a huge vat.

Then, people used the pee as mouthwash for the purpose of maintaining white teeth.

However, the urine was also used for washing clothes. Pee and clothing would get added to a tub; then, a person would stomp on the clothes to get it clean.

No cycle needed.

2. People Relied on Magic to Survive Their Bathroom Visits

If you’re constipated or battling diarrhea, you may understandably feel like you’re dying. But in ancient Rome, dying while using the restroom was a real possibility day in and day out.

Here’s why.

First of all, sometimes creatures that made the Roman sewage system their home crawled up and bit people as they went to the bathroom.

Second, methane would buildup and sometimes ignite, thus exploding underneath bathroom-goers.

Because going to the bathroom was so dangerous, people used magic to increase their chances of staying alive. Magical spells aimed at keeping demons away have been discovered on Roman bathroom walls.

However, some bathrooms featured statues of the luck goddess, Fortuna, to whom people prayed before doing their business.

3. Women Used Gladiators’ Dead Skin Cells as an Aphrodisiac

In Rome, losing gladiators were ultimately turned into medication for epileptics. Meanwhile, a victorious gladiator’s skin scrapings and sweat got placed in bottles and sold as aphrodisiacs, typically in the form of facial creams.

Women would essentially cover their faces with cream in the hopes that this would make them enticing to men.

4. Penis Drawings Were Viewed as Good Luck Charms in Dangerous Places

In today’s society, you’d be hard pressed to see penises displayed boldly in public. However, in Rome, this was a normal thing.

In fact, some boys even donned necklaces featuring copper penises.

People were so open about penises because they felt that these male members could protect them from harm, particularly during their travels. Fortunately, traveling doesn’t have to be dangerous today with the help of a leading tour company, like The Roman Guy.

For instance, if you attempted to cross a rickety bridge or take a sharp curve in Rome, you’d likely come across a penis image granting you good luck.

5. Vomiting Allowed Romans to Eat More

Ancient Romans were keen on the idea of not allowing their eyes to be bigger than their stomachs.

Apparently, Romans who attended banquets would consume large amounts of food and then purposely induce vomiting so that they wouldn’t have to stop eating.

Some people threw up in bowls, whereas others threw up right on the floor. And slaves were left to clean up the mess.

6. Romans Used a Shared Sponge After Pooping

Aww, crap. Ran out of toilet paper again?

Don’t worry — this oh-so-annoying bathroom issue pales in comparison with what the ancient Romans had to go through when they went #2.

All public toilets, which dozens of people shared, featured single sponges on sticks that the masses used for wiping.

And get this: The sponges were never cleaned.

For this reason, according to archaeologists, the toilets were teeming with parasites. And the parasite problem was so bad that Romans would carry around combs used for removing lice from their hair.

7. Romans Used Gladiators’ Blood as Medicine

When Roman gladiators died, their blood was gathered and sold as medicine. That’s because Romans believed that these fighters’ blood was powerful enough to cure epilepsy if consumed.

Meanwhile, others would pull out the livers of gladiators and eat these body parts raw.

The interesting part of all this? Some Roman doctors actually claim that they have seen people who drank human blood eventually recover from fits of epilepsy.

8. Roman Women Enjoyed Dying Their Hair, Too

As popular as hair dying is today, it was just as in demand in ancient Rome.

Of course, the dyes used back then didn’t come from a neatly packaged box on a store shelf.

The Ancient Romans achieved dye colors by using a variety of ingredients, such as bleach, saffron, henna, the ashes of beech wood and even goat fat.

9. Energy Drinks Were Also Popular in Ancient Rome, But They were Made from Goat Poop

Forget about Monster. Charioteers relied on goat dung drinks for their energy.

These charioteers either ground goat dung into a fine powder or boiled the goat poop in vinegar. Either way, it was a popular way to give them the boost they needed when they got tired.

In fact, Emperor Nero apparently loved goat dung drinks more than most did.

10. Romans Didn’t Use Soap to Clean Themselves

Don’t worry — the ancient Romans were, indeed, hygienic; they just didn’t use soap to keep themselves clean.

Instead, the Romans covered their skin with perfumed oils and then removed the oil with a special tool called a strigil.

How We Can Help

In addition to offering weird facts about ancient Roman life — including Roman hygiene at that time — we offer weird facts about health today that you may find fascinating.

Take a peek here to find out more little-known health tidbits that could very well impact how you live your life in the years ahead.

Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?