Romans Used Mouse Brains as Toothpaste
Romans were known for being quite dedicated to their oral hygiene; they made complicated pastes with several ingredients in order to ensure white teeth and fresh breath.
Source: Freepik
The most common recipe used for toothpaste included charcoal, burnt and crushed animal bones or oyster shells, dried and pulverized mouse brains, and honey to hold it all together.
Brains Weren’t Just for Cleaning Teeth
While mouse brains were useful for whitening teeth, other animal brains were considered the height of delicacy.
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A Roman feast would often include several types of meat, vegetables, and grains, as well as ostrich and lamb brains, which they typically prepared as sausages.
Gladiators Had Fans Just Like Athletes Today
The Romans participated in and watched many sporting events, but none were so popular as the gladiator fights. The gladiators were beloved combat entertainers, trained in their craft for years before finally making it to the Colosseum.
Source: Vecteezy
Roman citizens would watch their training and pick their favorite fighters to support, much like modern-day sports fans today.
Romans Used Cobwebs to Treat Wounds
Today, people have band-aids or medical tape to seal pesky wounds closed. But as the Romans had neither of these, they had to find something else to stop the bleeding.
Source: Freepik
According to the ancient texts, the Romans treated wounds with cobwebs to stop the bleeding, after cleaning the area with vinegar and honey.
Julius Caesar Was Embarrassed of His Bald Spot
Julius Caesar was one of the most important and terrifying Roman leaders of all time. He implemented many new rules for the Romans, one of which was quite strange.
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Caesar made it illegal for anyone to stand behind or above him, as that would mean they could see his bald spot, of which he was extremely embarrassed.
Early Hair Removal
Most modern humans assume that the desire to be free of body hair is a new development in or society; however, that’s not actually true.
Source: iStock
The Romans also considered body hair unattractive, and thanks to the invention of tweezers, there were Roman citizens who were paid to pluck out others’ armpit hair.
The Founders of Rome Were Raised by a Wolf
Everyone knows that Rome was founded by two brothers, Romulus and Remus, but what many don’t know is that there is a legend that says the two were not raised by a human mother.
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The story says that their birth mother left them to die in a basket in the Tiber River; however, their basket washed up on shore and they were found and cared for by a female wolf until they were found by a local shepard.
Roman Soldiers Went on Strike
Although Roman soldiers are known as having been some of the toughest and most loyal military men of all time, there was one thing they were afraid of.
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When the Roman soldiers were instructed to invade Britain in 43 CE, they went on strike and refused to go as they believed Britain was beyond the known world and was likely home to unimaginable monsters.
The Colosseum Was Flooded for Reenactments
During the height of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum in what is now Rome was the epicenter of entertainment for its citizens. The great space held gladiator fights, animal hunts, plays, and much more.
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In fact, the Romans wrote that they often
Roman Women Loved Men with Unibrows
In today’s society, many women put quite a lot of effort into modeling their eyebrows into the perfect shape. But in ancient Rome, it was actually the men who used makeup to perfect their eyebrows.
Source: Alamy
The women of ancient Rome preferred a unibrow over two separate brows, so men would use residue from charcoal or burnt animal bones to connect the two.
Gladiator Blood Was Considered Medicine
Of all the members of Roman society, none were so beloved and respected as the gladiators. In fact, people and even medical professionals of the time believed their blood had healing properties that other blood did not.
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Doctors would prescribe gladiator blood to cure diseases such as infertility and epilepsy; however, it was incredibly expensive as it was in short supply, so only the wealthy could afford this special treatment.
