Several theories have been put forward over what exactly caused the fall of the Roman Empire. A probable cause can be the devastating plague that struck during Emperor Justinian’s reign in 541 AD that killed a quarter of the population. Recently, sequencing of DNA taken from two skeletons found buried in Bavaria, Germany, in the sixth century, uncovered the complete genome of Yersinia Pestis, the bacteria that was held responsible for the Black Death that ravaged Europe in 1348.

Whatever dealt the final blow to the Roman empire, ancient Rome continues to fascinate us to this day. The way of life, traditions and customs of ancient Rome seem brutal, bizarre and strange to the modern man.

Consider these facts:

There was no postal service in Rome. However, wealthy and well-connected Romans were spared this hassle since they had slaves designated as special messengers (tabellarii), who delivered important letters for them. These slaves were said to cover about 27 miles on foot or about 50 by cart.

Prostitutes were usually slaves and Greeks were common in the profession. Among them, the Syrians were popular for their dancing. Usually, prostitutes were differentiated by their brightly coloured outfits that women from good families did not wear.

Courtesans were considered a class above prostitutes and lived with their mothers or with their lena (procurers). They were usually adept at singing, playing a musical instrument and at times, they were schooled to enable them to make intelligent conversation.

Strangely, physicians and surgeons who were mostly foreigners and very often Greeks, were also sometimes slaves or freed men. However, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar bestowed Roman citizenship on all practicing doctors. The easiest way for a foreigner to become a Roman citizen was by selling himself into slavery. A slave could earn his citizenship after six years of meritorious service.

Incredibly, Roman physicians had a wide range of surgical tools, including catheters and speculums. Many modern medical terms have Latin roots. For instance, the medical term for the knee cap is the ‘patella’, which is Latin for ‘shallow dish.’ The word ‘decimate’ means to completely destroy. This word originates from the Latin word decimare, which evolved from the practice of killing every tenth Roman soldier in case they tried mutiny.

The day the Colosseum was officially opened, some 5,000 animals were killed. During its bloody history, historians estimate that around 500,000 people and over a million animals were killed.

In 218 BC, when the Carthaginian general Hannibal made his historic journey across the Alps, he lost around  14,000 men and 25 elephants. It took 17 long years of battle for the Romans to crush Hannibal. Although Hannibal was seen as Rome’s biggest enemy, he became  such a larger than life figure to the extent that Roman parents would tell their children that unless they behaved, Hannibal would come after them.

The brutality of the Romans is legendary and they were ruthless in their suppression of any rebellion. When Spartacus, the gladiator, led a revolt against Rome in 73 BC, Rome retaliated by crucifying 6,000 slaves.

Roman architecture was magnificent and the ruins of the Colosseum still have the power to take our breath away. Did you know that the Romans were the first to use concrete and the arch with any notable skill? Roman customs were bizarre and many a time downright cruel. For example, if an infant was placed at the father’s feet shortly after birth and he took the child into his arms, it showed that he accepted responsibility for its upbringing. If he did not accept the baby, it was abandoned and left to die.

Wealthy Roman women would smear their faces with lead paste to look fashionably pale. They would use ass’ milk or crushed snails as facial moisturisers. Another bizarre beauty regimen was using crushed ant eggs to highlight eyebrows. Toothpaste was a luxury regularly used by those who could afford it. Nitrum, probably potassium or sodium carbonate was burned and rubbed on the teeth to restore colour.