Weird Ancient History Facts That Will Astound You
Ancient history is often presented as a grand narrative of empires, philosophies, and monumental achievements. While these aspects are undeniably true, a closer look reveals a wealth of bizarre, quirky, and sometimes truly astonishing details that paint a much more vivid and human picture of civilizations long past. From strange superstitions to peculiar daily habits, prepare to have your perceptions of antiquity challenged by these weird ancient history facts.
1. Roman Orators Hired Professional Mourners (and Armpit Hairdressers!): In ancient Rome, public speaking was an art form. To ensure their speeches were received with appropriate emotion, some wealthy orators would hire professional mourners to cry on cue during serious parts of their speeches. On a stranger note, some Roman men employed specialized slaves known as "axillary aestheticians" to pluck and trim their armpit hair, as hairlessness was considered a sign of refinement.
2. Ancient Egyptians Had Dedicated "Dream Interpreters": Dreams were taken very seriously in ancient Egypt, believed to be messages from the gods or premonitions of the future. Professional dream interpreters, often associated with temples, were consulted to decipher these nocturnal visions. Dream books, listing common dream symbols and their meanings, were also popular, providing guidance on everything from divine warnings to impending good fortune.
3. The Olmec Civilization Created Giant Stone Heads (Without Wheels or Metal Tools): The Olmec, one of the earliest major Mesoamerican civilizations, are famous for their colossal head sculptures, some weighing over 40 tons. What's truly astonishing is that these massive basalt boulders were quarried and transported over vast distances – up to 90 kilometers – without the use of wheels (which weren't known in the Americas) or metal tools. It's believed they used a combination of human power, ropes, sledges, and possibly rafts to move these incredible monuments.
4. Ancient Greek Doctors Believed in the "Wandering Womb": A common medical belief among ancient Greek physicians, notably Hippocrates, was that a woman's uterus could "wander" freely within her body. They thought this moving organ caused a variety of ailments, including hysteria, anxiety, and even suffocation, as it supposedly pressed against other organs. Treatments involved pleasant smells to lure the womb back down or foul smells to drive it away from the head.
5. The Maya Played a Deadly Ballgame Where Losers Could Be Sacrificed: The Mesoamerican ballgame, played by civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs, was more than just a sport. Teams would try to propel a rubber ball through a stone hoop without using their hands or feet. While the rules varied, for some civilizations, particularly the Late Classic Maya, the game had significant ritualistic meaning, and the captain of the losing team (or sometimes the winning team, to honor the gods) could be ritually sacrificed.
6. Roman Emperors Sometimes Appointed Their Horses to Public Office: The most famous example is Emperor Caligula, who allegedly planned to appoint his favorite horse, Incitatus, as a consul. While the extent of this plan is debated by historians (it might have been a symbolic insult to the Senate), it highlights the sheer power and eccentricities of some Roman emperors. Other emperors were also known to lavish their horses with extravagant luxuries.
7. Sumerians Invented Beer (and Were Big Fans of It): The ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia, often credited with inventing writing (cuneiform), also deserve credit for being one of the earliest civilizations to brew beer, around 4000 BCE. Beer was not just a drink; it was a staple food, a form of payment, and even used in religious rituals. Early beers were thick and nutritious, often drunk through straws to avoid the mash.
8. Ancient Chinese Alchemists Drank Mercury for Immortality: While searching for elixirs of immortality, some ancient Chinese alchemists mistakenly believed that ingesting mercury or gold was the key to eternal life. Unfortunately, this often led to mercury poisoning and premature death, a grim irony given their pursuit. Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, is believed to have died from ingesting mercury "elixirs."
9. Gladiators Were Often Vegan: Contrary to popular belief, not all gladiators were muscular meat-eaters. Archaeological evidence, particularly from a gladiator cemetery in Ephesus, suggests that many gladiators had a largely vegetarian diet, rich in barley, beans, and dried fruits. This plant-based diet, combined with regular training, helped them build strong bones and a protective layer of fat.
10. Ancient Peruvians Practiced Trepanation (Brain Surgery) with High Success Rates: The practice of trepanation, drilling holes into the skull, dates back thousands of years. In ancient Peru, the Inca and pre-Inca cultures performed this surgery, often to treat head injuries, relieve pressure, or for ritualistic purposes. Remarkably, archaeological findings indicate high survival rates (sometimes over 70-80%), suggesting a sophisticated understanding of anatomy and surgical techniques for their time.
These glimpses into the weird and wonderful aspects of ancient history serve as a reminder that humanity's journey has always been filled with surprising ingenuity, peculiar beliefs, and a captivating mix of the mundane and the extraordinary. They encourage us to look beyond the surface and appreciate the rich, often quirky, details that make the past so endlessly intriguing.
Post a Comment