Movies, books, and spoken stories about the Ancient Romans shape how we perceive them.
Below are 12 of the biggest misconceptions people have about the Ancient Romans. Did you have any of these misconceptions?
1. The Roman Army was invincible
The Roman Army was strong but often lost their battles. What made them so terrifying was their persistence. When they lost a fight, they’d send in a bigger army with a more robust general and do this repeatedly until they destroyed their contender or just wore them down.
2. Romans often engaged in debauchery
Many people believe that Romans engaged in debauched activities, which is untrue and probably influenced by movies. Roman society was conservative. Like many other societies in those times, women had to cover their hair, shoulders, and ankles.
3. Gladiators would fight to the death
Although there were some cases where gladiators fought to the death, there was a referee and a point system. Vast amounts of money went into training and equipping the gladiators, so there would have been a significant loss if they had to fight to the death.
4. The Romans’ favorite sport was gladiator games
Another misconception about Ancient Romans is that gladiator games were the most popular spectator sport. Chariot races were a lot more popular, and even animal hunts attracted more spectators than gladiator games.
5. The Roman Army had a uniform
The Roman Army’s uniform is a misconception perpetuated through movies. The only standardized part of a legionary’s kit that historians and anthropologists can confirm is their shield. Everything else a Roman soldier is portrayed wearing is merely an opinion.
6. Romans were a decadent, wasteful society
Some might think the Romans were a decadent and wasteful society, which is most prevalent in the ‘vomitorium’ myth. The vomitorium was thought to be a place where people could vomit up their food to make space for more. It was a space from which large crowds could exit a house.
7. Everything in the Roman Empire was white marble
There are ancient statues and buildings made from white marble that we can still see today. However, generally speaking, homes were often plastered and painted.
8. Romans all spoke Latin
Another misconception is that Romans all spoke Latin, which needs to be corrected. The Roman Empire covered a lot of territory, and the most common language used to converse with people of different mother tongues was ‘common Greek.’
9. Romans were a homogenous ethnic group
Many think the Romans were a single homogenous group of people regarding ethnicity, race, and nationality. However, the Roman Empire’s large territory meant that the people of Rome were a conglomerate of linguistic, ethnic, and cultural groups of people under one Empire.
10. Most Romans were soldiers and politicians
Many soldiers and politicians served in the Roman Empire, but the average Roman citizen was a small freeholder or tenant farmer. A large number of peasants lived in poverty and earned money sporadically, working as day laborers.
11. The Roman Empire fell due to barbarians and Christianity
Christianity and barbarian allies played a significant role in the fall of the Roman Empire, significantly speeding up the fall. However, the most important factor in the Empire’s fall began due to economic reasons. Emperors were notorious for using cheaper materials for coins to afford significant army expenses. Starvation grew throughout the Empire due to the loss of territory and grain shortages.
12. The Roman army had the best fighters
In truth, Roman soldiers were no more potent than other nation’s soldiers. The Roman Empire just had a significant supply of soldiers. They were able to pay for more soldiers continuously and were constantly taking over new territories where they could recruit the men from those regions into their armies.
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