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Flexible TravelIf you’re visiting Rome or simply want to know the most interesting facts about Rome, we’ve put together this list of astonishing facts to feed your curiosity. Rome is a magnificent city with a rich, long and complicated history spanning 3 millennia, and plenty of weird and wacky stuff has happened.
Choosing 50 facts about Rome is easy. The challenge is narrowing them down to the most important and impressive! Our team of Roman historians have shortlisted their 50 Favourite Facts about Rome.
1. Rome was the first city in the world to record a population of 1 million. The first census was in the 2nd Century BC. This mass of a million people came from three different continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. The next city in Europe to have a population of this size was Victorian London in the 19th Century!
2. There were over 200 amphitheatres in the Roman Empire, but the largest was the Colosseum, built in Rome in 80 AD. It took just 8 years to construct the Colosseum. It was originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre and in its prime, held up to 85,000 spectators.
3. The Colosseum is a nickname given to the stadium long after its use – the earliest mention of the word Colosseum comes from the pen of the Venerable Bede in the 7th Century CE with the prophecy:
As long as the Colosseum exists, Rome will exist; when the Colosseum falls, Rome will fall also; but when Rome falls, the world will fall too
The Venerable Bede
Quamdiu stat Colysaeus stat Roma; quando cadet Colysaeus cadet Roma et mundus
Originally, the Colosseum was named after the Flavian emperors who built it: Vespasian, Titus and Domitian (though we have it on good authority that a fair few builders helped them). Back in the day, most Romans would have just called it the emperor's amphitheatre.
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The Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum
4. Rome dominated Europe for over 700 years. Not to mention much of North Africa and the Middle East as well. At its height, the Roman Empire spanned just over 2 million² miles and stretched all the way from Portugal in the west to Syria in the east, and Scotland in the north to Tunisia in the south.
5. Rome’s birthday is the 21st of April 753 BC first mentioned by Varro in the 1st century BC. We know from archaeological evidence that Rome had been settled before that date. Nevertheless, the city comes alive on the 21st of April every year. People flock to the historical centre in honour of Roman tradition and celebrate Rome’s birthday to pay homage to their ancient ancestors.
6. The Cloaca Maxima is the first complex sewer system in the world which was located in Rome. The origins of the Cloaca Maxima, Rome's first sewer, go all the way back to the 6th Century BCE, but it wasn’t very complex in the beginning. It was little more than an outdoor ditch which helped drain the Forum when there were floods. Over time it was rebuilt and scaled up until it absorbed sewage from most of the ancient city and still runs — or rather drips — into the River Tiber today.
The Cloaca Maxima today. Image credit: Encylopedia Britannica
7. Rome is the only city in the world that has another country inside it. Nestled on the west bank of the River Tiber, Vatican City is the world's smallest independent state covering an area of just 44 hectares. It is governed by the Pope and has a population of just over 800. It also has its own army, its own currency, and its own post office!
8. Italy is a very new country. It was only founded in 1871 when the Italian army took Rome back from the Pope. Italy’s first king was Vittorio Emanuele II. Before this, the peninsula was made up of city states governed by the Pope, Spain, France, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After Italy's unification a gigantic monument to Vittorio Emanuele II was erected in the centre of Rome called the Altar of the Fatherland.
9. Rome’s History can be broken down into three periods. The regal period which dates from the city’s beginnings. The Republic 509 - 27 BC, when Rome was governed by elected officials - senators and the consuls. The Imperial period 27 BC - 476 AD when Rome was ruled by the Emperors. They still had a senate but in comparison to the Republic the politicians had very little power and their main role was the administration of the Empire.
10. During the imperial period, which lasted over 500 years, more than 70 emperors ruled. In the year 69 AD, four emperors came to the throne (being the Roman emperor was a dangerous business), but the emperor who ruled the longest was in fact the first. Augustus ruled Rome for 44 years and maintained peace for a whopping 30 years. Another record for the Roman Empire!
The Altar of the Fatherland
11. Rome had the first legal system. Known as the Twelve Tables, these were first written down in the 5th Century BCE. By the 3rd Century BCE, there were many written laws. The Romans can be called the fathers of bureaucracy (as many who live in today's city can sadly still confirm).
12. The Romans loved a victory, as anyone who has been to Rome knows from the triumphal arches. In Rome, it was called a Triumph and included an extravagant parade and a street party that could last for days. In the beginning, Triumphs were awarded to generals and later exclusively to victorious emperors.
13. Ancient Rome was home to the largest stadium ever built in its day. And it isn’t the Colosseum. The Romans were obsessed with entertainment and the most popular was chariot racing. The Circus Maximus was the chariot racing track in Rome, dating back to the 6th Century BCE. Far larger to the Colosseum and open to a wider section of the population, including women. By the 2nd Century CE, it is estimated that Circus Maximus could hold 250,000 people on race day. That is a quarter of the population of Rome in one place at one time!
14. Ancient Rome was a patriarchal society. So much so that women weren’t even considered citizens. On the one hand, they were treated like second-class citizens, they couldn’t attend political assemblies or vote and were under the control of their fathers or their husbands. On the other hand, thanks to Roman law, women were in some ways more emancipated than in some cultures today. They could own their own property, inherit money, and even divorce.
15. Rome was the first society to have a free grain allowance for its citizens – and not just for the poor. To be eligible for the ‘grain dole’, you had to be a Roman citizen. Records tell us that as many as 200,000 citizens benefitted from this. Feeding the city of Rome would become a major problem for the empire, with countries like Sicily, Sardinia, Spain and Egypt dedicated to growing grain for the city of Rome.
16. Julius Caesar was never an emperor. He was a powerful general who would eventually rule as a dictator (a Latin title given to a leader given executive powers during a time of emergency). However, Julius Caesar was perhaps the first Roman to have almost sole control of the Empire. After his death, he was deified (made into a god). His name thereafter would become synonymous with the title of emperor, hence why many emperors used Caesar in their titles.
17. According to tradition St Peter, apostle to Jesus, was executed in Rome by the emperor Nero in 64CE. Nero was trying to avert blame for the great fire that destroyed the city in 64 AD. Writers of the time claim Nero blamed the Christians and executed them in his stadium (which today lies underneath Vatican City). St Peter's Basilica lies on top of the circus and what is believed to be Peter’s final resting place.
18. The trade in wild animals became big business in Rome! Way before the Romans started watching gladiators, they held wild animal hunts in the forum, the Circus Maximus, and later in the amphitheatres. Fun fact: the first Elephant was displayed in Pompey’s theatre in 56 BC. The Venationes were a real, live animal hunt. People particularly loved to see exotic animals coming from far-flung places. Like lions, tigers, crocodiles and ostriches.
19. The Appian Way was the first paved highway in Europe, constructed in 312 BC from Rome to Capua and later down to the end of the boot. It was designed to facilitate the movement of men and goods, originally used by government officials and troops. By the time of Augustus in the 1st century AD, a vast road network spread through Italy to North Africa.
20. The city of Rome has more obelisks than the whole of Egypt! After Cleopatra and her lover, the Roman general Anthony, were defeated, Egypt became Roman territory. The Obelisks were a symbol of power for the Egyptian pharaohs, they represented a ray of sun from the sun god Ra. They were brought to Rome by the emperors to decorate the city and the stadiums, they were even used as time-pieces, acting as a huge sundial. Many of the 53 obelisks stolen by the Romans are lost, buried beneath the modern city – but still today, 13 obelisks, large and small, decorate the Italian capital.
21. Having a luxury tomb became a fashion symbol in ancient Rome. By the first century ad large ornate tombs had started to be built. The Romans spent a fortune on their Mausoleums and tombs which were placed on the side of main roads. Why? They wanted to be remembered, and so their tombs were grand to show off their status and to tell their story to the people who passed by. Like the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella on the Appian Way, the pyramid of Gaius Cestius on Bia Ostiense, or even grander, the emperor Hadrian's mausoleum.
22. Rome has been a city of water for over 2000 years. Early on the Romans concentrated on bringing fresh water into the city, to drink and to bathe. Ancient Rome boasted more than 2,300 fountains and had numerous public baths. By the 1st Century AD, the wealthy could pay for water to be brought to their houses in lead pipes. The Emperor Domitian had huge spurting fountains on the Palatine Hill that would rival those of Las Vegas today.
23. Today the modern city of Rome still supplies water for free to the public. There are over 2,000 fountains in Rome, grand, elegant ones like the Trevi Fountain to small drinking fountains known as nasone. The Nasone (big nose) are drinking fountains with a pipe that resembles a big nose, they are dotted around the city and there is even an app to find the nearest water supply!
24. The Romans were the cleanest civilisation in their day. Everyone else had lice. Early on the Romans realised keeping yourself clean relates to good health. They are the inventors of the modern Spa - Sana Per Acquam (Health through water) - and took their baths seriously. In ancient times most people used public toilets and baths because they couldn’t afford plumbing at home. The baths were accessible to all members of society and huge complexes were built with luxurious facilities.
25. Rome was full of ancient skyscrapers. Rome’s image is often aggrandised. We often visualise impressive temples and elaborate villas. But most of the population lived in ancient apartment blocks called insulae that were up to 7 floors high. Unlike today, the conditions on the highest floor were the most cramped and a fire hazard because they were made of wood. There could be as many as 100 to 200 steps to the top of the building… That’s a long way down for a trip to the toilet.
26. We still use Roman numbers today! The Roman numeral was not only invented in Ancient Rome but used all over Europe into the Middle Ages. Roman numerals are used on clock faces and are still taught in schools today. They are adapted from the Latin alphabet, also invented by the Romans
27. The Romans knew their current affairs. Dating back to 1st century BCE the Romans started displaying news in the Roman Forum. News like the Senate’s debates, people’s assemblies, court trials, executions, marine and military news, and even weddings, births and obituaries were included. These could be painted on walls or if they were important edicts from the senate or the emperor they were etched into stone and displayed for everyone to see.
28. The Romans had hundreds of gods. The Ancient Romans were polytheistic, which basically means they worshipped multiple gods for different reasons. Mars was the Roman God of War. Jupiter was the king of the gods. They even went as far as adopting gods from other cultures like the Greek and Egyptian gods and often renamed them. Isis was an Egyptian goddess whose worship spread throughout the Roman world, like Mithras who came from Persia but protected Roman soldiers from Hadrian’s wall to the Eastern empire.
29. The Romans died from bad air. Malaria, which literally means "bad" (mal) "air" (aria) was rife in Rome in ancient times and was the biggest killer up until the 20th Century. The ancients knew that September and October brought the deadliest bouts. Little did they know this was due to the mosquitoes that thrived in these humid conditions.
30. Roman slaves were protected by law and could actually buy their freedom. Unlike more recent forms of slavery, Roman slaves were paid a small amount of money and given board and lodgings. Over time if they could save enough money, they could buy their freedom. Many slaves were granted freedom by their masters for services well done. Freed slaves often went on to become successful businessmen with the help of their masters.
31. All roads lead to Rome. The Romans reinvented the road by literally constructing it. Roads had been used by other civilizations going back to the Bronze Age. But they weren’t paved. Roman roads were 10ft deep and layered with stone, sand, gravel and topped with volcanic rock. They were extremely resistant and dead straight. Many of the modern highways throughout Europe today are built on the foundations of Roman roads, the most famous of which is the Appian Way.
32. The Romans invented the first aqueduct the Aqua Appia in 312 BCE which brought water into the city through underground pipes. Rome's aqueducts brought water from mountain streams and rivers as far as 100 km away. They became so important to the Romans that over time there were 11 major aqueducts constructed bringing water into Rome. Not to mention the hundreds that were constructed throughout the Roman Empire – many of which still stand today!
33. The Trevi Fountain is supplied by an Ancient Aqueduct - which you can still visit! The Aqua Vergine was constructed in 19 BC over 2000 years ago. Fifteen kilometres of it still survive today, and the area by the Trevi Fountain, known as the Vicus Caprarius (City of Water), is one of the best tours of underground Rome. The water of the Aqua Vergine was considered the cleanest and freshest in ancient Rome.
34. The Romans had underfloor heating. It wasn’t quite central heating as we know it today, but was based on the same idea. Hot air was heated by a furnace and distributed underneath the floor by terracotta pipes. This was called a hypocaust system and the same principle was also used for the Baths. On the Palatine Hill in Domitian’s Palace pieces of the hypocaust can still be seen underneath a coloured marble floor.
35. St Peter’s Basilica is the tallest building in Rome. The top of the ball on Michelangelo’s dome is 136.6 metres high. No building in the city of Rome can be higher. However, this law was made when the city was enclosed by the ancient Roman walls. Outside the walls are some modern skyscrapers but still today no building can top the basilica.
36. Not all Romans were born in Rome. You could be a Roman citizen and never go to Rome. Thanks to the Roman Empire there was a constant influx of people coming to Rome from the outside world. If you adopted Roman virtues and went through the right legal processes it was possible to become a Roman citizen and enjoy the rights and protections associated with citizenship.
37. Rome’s mortality rate was much higher than its birth rate. Although the Romans had lots of children, more than half of them were dead by the age of 2. In fact, Rome was filled with teenagers as the average life expectancy was between 25 and 30. Women mostly died in childbirth and infant mortality was high. Disease, seasonal illness, accidents, or even a simple tummy ache could be deadly.
38. Ancient Romans loved fast food. Most of the population lived in overcrowded accommodation without cooking facilities. Unlike today, it was the lowest level of society that ate out the most. There were numerous take-outs in ancient Rome like the thermopolia, snack bars where you could buy hot takeaway street food, and middle-class wine bars known as popina.
39. Gambling was popular in ancient Rome. In a society where many were extremely poor, everyone hoped for a big win! Whether it was betting on their favourite charioteer at the Circus Maximus or their favourite gladiators in the Colosseum, or betting on dice and knucklebones the Romans loved to gamble. Not only did they like to gamble, but they cheated too! Weighted dice have been found and can be seen in Naples' Archaeological Museum and board games have been found scratched into the seating of the Colosseum, engraved into steps in the Roman Forum, anywhere where people had time to waste
40. Ancient Rome wasn’t as classically white as we imagine. In fact, everywhere was garishly colourful! Columns and statues in Rome were brightly coloured. Today when we visit museums all we see is white marble because the paint has washed off over the centuries. The Romans made colours using organic materials (plants and minerals). The trade routes from the East brought exciting new colours. Blue was one of the most sought-after even up to the 1500s and it came from Lapis lazuli from Egypt and Afghanistan. Purple was extremely expensive and could only be worn by those of high status.
41. The Romans wore togas to show their status. Togas were worn by everyone and they weren’t worn daily. Togas were a status symbol showing your rank in Roman society. If you were senior, you could wear a purple stripe on your Toga. The width of the purple strip depended on how important you were. Only the emperor could wear a purple toga.
42. The ancient Romans had a stadium for naval battles! Naumachia were spectacles with full-size ships that reenacted famous sea battles. The first naumachia in Rome was hosted by Julius Caesar in 46 AD to celebrate his quadruple triumph. Later, Augustus would build the stagnum, a permanent stadium filled with water in the modern-day neighbourhood of Trastevere. These legendary Sea Battles were the most costly of all the games and were only held occasionally.
Learn more about the Colosseum's naval battles here
43. Rome has more churches than any other city in the world. Within the ancient city walls there are over 300, but the number in the extended city is over 900. This may not come as a surprise considering Rome is the heart of Christendom. The papal basilicas are the most important and they were built by Constantine in the 4th century when he made Christianity Rome's official religion.
44. The Romans gave us our calendar. In 46 BC when Julius Caesar was in Alexandria, he marvelled at their calendar which was based on the solar year. After Caesar’s trip, he instated the new Julian calendar which would be 365 days with an extra day at the end of February every 4 years – the leap year! It wasn’t until after Caesars death that a month was named after him. Originally July was actually named Quintilius.
45. Ancient Rome had a fire brigade. Apart from the grand temples, Rome was mostly made of timber, especially on the upper floors of apartments and fires frequently devastated the city. In 22BC Augustus created the first fire brigade, dedicating 600 slaves to protect the city. The worst fires in Rome’s history occurred under Nero in 64 AD and Domitian in 80AD and they destroyed large parts of Rome.
46. The Romans washed their clothes with urine. Just like us today, the Romans needed ammonia to bleach and deep-clean their clothes. Laundries called Fullonica provided this service. Urine is a natural source of ammonia and so was in demand by the laundries. The emperor Vespasian was a particularly shrewd manager of imperial finances. After noticing that laundries were collecting free urine (by leaving a chamber pot outside for passers-by to pee in), he introduced a tax on urine. When someone complained that he was taxing urine, he famously said “Pecunia non olet - Money doesn’t smell”.
47. There are many forms of greeting in Rome & Italy. You might think Italians just say ciao to greet each other, but the Italians actually have several ways of saying hello - many of which have roots in Latin. The safest (and most formal) is salve, which you can use with strangers. During the day you might want to say buongiorno (good day) while after lunch you should use buonasera (good evening).
48. Rome is an archaeological lasagne. Ever wondered why archaeology is so deep underground? Because over time the ground level of any city rises, particularly in Rome because of the river. Frequent floods over millennia have changed the ground level of Rome. Every time the city flooded, the water has deposited silt, mud and muck all over the city. When it dried the ground, level was higher and so new roads were paved on top. If we dig down through the modern city, we will find layers and layers of time, perfectly preserved.
49. The Pantheon is the most unique Roman building that survives, and is the only one of its kind in the world! Famous for its enormous, unsupported concrete dome with a huge hole in the middle, the Pantheon was actually a nickname for the building, which was a temple to all the gods (pan in Greek means all, theos means God). We have no idea what its original name was.
50. Rome has the largest number of catacombs in the world. These underground tunnels, dug by the first Christians were to bury their dead. There are more than 60 Catacomb complexes (that we know of) stretching over 400 kilometres under the suburbs. If we lined up Rome's catacombs end-to-end, we could get to Florence and back underground!
So that concludes our 50 facts about Rome! If you enjoyed these facts then you would love our tours of Rome which are full of juicy facts and interesting tidbits. We specialise in Colosseum tours, Walking tours and cooking classes, as well as our unique Tipsy Tour Bar Crawl!
Each of our personal and unique tours of Rome is brimming with fascinating facts and led by the local experts who wrote this post. We're called Carpe Diem Rome for a reason.
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