From the popular website ‘Ancient Rome; Fact or Fiction?’, created by young historian of the year, J. S. Sampson.
For centuries the mysteries of Ancient Rome have fascinated and enthralled us. From the colosseum to… one of those other buildings, the evidence of the Romans and their work continue to endure and inspire us. But much of the history of this great civilisation is steeped in myth and legend. I have therefore devised this website as a way of collating information about the Roman Empire and sorting out the fact from the fiction.
The following are common queries that have been sent to me based on what subscribers to this site have read in literature and the media.
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Fiction: How was Rome founded? I have read a few things including that the founders, Romulus and Remus, were raised by a wolf.
Fact: Such notions are ridiculous. The city of Rome was founded by the heirs of Aeneas – a Trojan who was the son of the Love Goddess, Venus. He and his followers were stranded when the almighty God of Water, Neptune, shipwrecked them in a violent storm. The washed up on the shores of what is now Italy, and the womenfolk, with the interference of the Gods, burn their ships to ensure that they stayed on dry land. Thus the future of Rome was secure, but not before Aeneas went on a journey through the underworld which was guarded by a giant three-headed dog and haunted by the ghost of a woman he had scorned, where he met the spirit of his father who showed him a wondrous vision of the future of the Roman Empire.
The idea that two babies could be raised by a wolf is, on the other hand, absolutely absurd. What is this, the Jungle Book?
Fiction: I think my boyfriend is cheating on me. What should I do?
Fact: I’m a historian not a bloody agony aunt! You’ve got the wrong website.
Fiction: I have read that the Romans used to feed Christians to lions. Is that correct?
Fact: That is correct. The old pagans used to feed Christians to the lions in the Colosseum. After the rise of Christianity of course the tables turned and the Christians fed to pagans to the lions. The lions ate their former masters happily; food was scarce and the lions did not hold any spiritual or theological prejudices.
However, what the history books don’t always tell us is that for a brief period Christians and pagans lived together in harmony. This period was known as the Feast of a Thousand Lions and lasted two whole hours, which is a remarkably long time for two religions to live alongside each other in peace. During the feast 20 lions were consumed, until the rest broke free and went on a murderous rampage. Eventually the Romans decided to stop this barbaric practice and released all the lions back into their native lands, where they devoured and destroyed two small African nations.
Fiction: I heard that the Romans used to mummify their dead in a complicated and painful process. Is that true?
Fact: No. That was the Egyptians. Stop wasting my time.
Fiction: Did Nero really fiddle while Rome burned?
Fact: There is still some debate amongst historians as to whether this actually took place. We know that Rome did indeed burn during the reign of the Emperor Nero, and he was indeed indifferent to the plight of his people. However, there is some doubt about the story of him ‘fiddling’. For a start fiddles were unknown during ancient times. If we take ‘fiddle’ to refer to some sort of proto-violin type instrument, there is still the question of Nero’s musical prowess; whether he could actually play the instrument or whether he started that rumour to increase his popularity, much like Andre Rieu. Some anecdotal evidence, recorded by the great poet Calculus, suggests that rather than playing the fiddle the Emperor performed rather a complicated gavotte. All this of course is mere speculation.
Fiction: Why did the Roman Empire come to an end? Was it a meteor?
Fact: I’m not quite sure what you’ve been reading. I think you’re getting confused with dinosaurs. But we are not quite sure why such as an expansive empire suddenly collapsed. There are many reasons it could have influenced its downfall. The stubbornness of the Picts who kept the Romans out of much of the north of England. The invasion of the barbarians and their trained elephants. Disease. Political disintegration. Lead poisoning. Whatever the reason, the civilisation came to an end and the Romans are no longer among us.
Except for people who come from Rome.
I mean the city Rome. Not Ancient Rome.
Confusing isn’t it? No wonder the empire collapsed.
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Please feel free to email me further questions, as these are the only ones I have been asked so far. You can find my email address in the ‘Contact’ link below.
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