Going once! Going twice! SOLD to the man in the fancy toga!

In the Year of the Five Emperors (193 CE), the position of emperor was put up for auction by the praetorian guard 😱

This is the final instalment of our Cheeky Facts series in celebration of the publication of our new book ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’. We delve into plenty more detail than is possible on social media in the book and we hope you love it!

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

https://ulyssespress.com/books/your-cheeky-guide-to-the-roman-empire/

Not happy with the politicians in your town? Sick of being in debt? Take a leaf from the plebeians of Rome and start your own new settlement! When the powerful say protests and boycotts don’t work, don’t believe them. History shows the power of a good secession.

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

Did you know that Vestal Virgins could not have speech impediments? A lisp or a stutter would interfere with those important rituals, as far as the Romans were concerned. Man, their gods were so particular…

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

Some of the male priests of the goddess Cybele went through self-castration in order to serve her. We only have one word to describe their piety : yeeeeowch.

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

Hating your in-laws takes on a whole different sheen in ancient Rome. Early in his career, Catiline is reputed to have murdered his own brother-in-law… But only because Sulla forced him to, right Sulla? 

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine. We don't think Vespasian was top of anyone’s list in 68 CE, but he ended up emperor - and the rest, as they say, is the Flavian Amphitheatre*!

We enter into our final week of Cheeky Facts in celebration of our latest book ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’. It’s easy to carry AND packed with some of the greatest stories from Rome’s history. It might also be the perfect stocking stuffer 😉

https://ulyssespress.com/books/your-cheeky-guide-to-the-roman-empire/

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

*Also known as the Colosseum

What was that? Over there! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? The Romans need to know, because they are always on the look out for signs from the gods. Bird movement was certainly something they paid attention to, but sometimes there were more dramatic signs, like the comet that appeared after Caesar's murder 😳

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

If you worship carbs, like us, perhaps you'll want to see the Tomb of the Baker near Termini station in Rome. It has survived because it was incorporated into the Aurelian Walls, rather than being torn down to make way for Rome's new building works. Breadstick, anyone?

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome

When Cleo met Antony… He was already married. Uh-oh!  His wife at the time was a ferocious woman named Fulvia, who actually started a war with Antony' rival, the future emperor Augustus 😮

Fulvia, an original bad-arse of history.

What exactly is she doing in the picture below? Click on the description if you dare 😅

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #History

Gladiator II: Our spoiler free examination focuses on those sweet glimpses of Rome in the film trailer 🥳

#CheekyFacts #AncientRome #Gladiator2

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/gladiator-ii-the-real-story-behind-all-the-roman-empire-chaos/