Rome Facts

Ancient gladiators were mostly vegetarians whose diet consisted mainly of grains, beans, and dried fruit, washed down with a vinegar and plant ash tonic.

There is a city called Rome on every continent except Antarctica.

Julius Caesar likely had epilepsy, documented by ancient Roman writers including Plutarch and Suetonius, though some modern scholars believe his seizures may have been caused by strokes or other conditions.

In ancient Rome it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose!

Ancient Romans at one time used human urine as an ingredient in their toothpaste.

According to the Roman historian Suetonius, Emperor Claudius considered passing a decree allowing people to pass gas at dinner parties after learning of a man who endangered his health by holding it in out of politeness.

The Colosseum has a hidden underground corridor that Roman emperors used to enter the arena unseen and avoid assassination. Called the Passage of Commodus, it sat sealed beneath Rome for nearly 2,000 years. On October 27, 2025, it opened to the public for the first time after a year-long restoration. Part of the tunnel still leads toward an unknown destination.