5 Myths and Misconceptions About Ancient Rome
Despite what popular culture would have us believe, ancient Rome was not a single historical period when everyone wore togas and overindulged at decadent feasts. The rise and subsequent fall of ancient Rome encompassed several distinct time frames, from the founding of the city of Rome in 753 BCE to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. These periods included the Roman Kingdom from 753 BCE to 509 BCE, denoting Rome’s first political model (a monarchal government); the Roman Republic from 509 BCE to 27 BCE, when the Romans switched from a monarchy to elected magistrates; and the Roman Empire from 27 BCE to 476 CE, which combined elements from both the republic and the monarchy.
The Roman Empire, which began with the rise of Augustus as the first emperor in 27 BCE, is often considered the peak of ancient Roman civilization. It was during this time that Rome expanded its territory across three continents and became a dominant world power. Today, much of what we think we know about ancient Rome has been blurred to encompass hundreds of years of history and thousands of miles of geography. Here are five common myths and misconceptions about this ancient superpower.
Myth: The Roman Empire Fell in 476 CE
Often, when people talk about the fall of the Roman Empire, they’re speaking only about the Western Roman Empire. The fall of Western Rome — which ushered in the period in Europe known as the Middle Ages — is traditionally noted as 476 CE, when Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor of the West, was deposed by the Germanic leader Odoacer. The Eastern Roman Empire, meanwhile, was formed in 330 CE by Constantine I at the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium. Also known as the Byzantine Empire, it continued to exist for nearly a thousand years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, until the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman army in 1453. The Eastern Roman Empire developed a more diverse culture that flourished during the early medieval period. After the fall, the influence of Byzantine culture continued in countries that practiced its Eastern Orthodox religion, including Greece, Romania, and Russia.
Myth: Togas Were Always White, and They Were Worn by Everyone
The epic poem “Aeneid,” written by the Roman poet Virgil sometime around 30 BCE to 19 BCE, refers to Romans as “masters of the world, and people of the toga.” The most commonly reproduced image of the Roman toga is a long, white piece of fabric draped over the shoulder, but toga styles were more complex throughout the ancient Roman era. While any Roman citizen could wear the natural, undyed wool toga, togas in other colors, including purple and red, as well as togas with stripes and designs, signified a specific status in Roman society. Over time, the toga became a ceremonial garment rarely worn by the average Roman citizen. The enduring association between Rome and the toga may have something to do with the fact that Virgil was commissioned by Emperor Augustus to write the “Aeneid.” Under Augustus, all Roman citizens who conducted business in the forum or attended the theater were required to wear a toga to distinguish themselves from noncitizens and identify their social class.
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Myth: Gladiator Battles Were Always Deadly
Hollywood has glorified the violence and brutality of gladiator battles in films from Ben-Hur to Gladiator, but the reality was likely quite different. That’s not to say that arena battles weren’t dangerous or that fighters didn’t die, but historians believe the risk to life and limb wasn’t nearly as extreme as has been portrayed in the movies, in part because trained gladiators were too valuable. Over the course of the Roman Empire, around 100 gladiator schools, comparable to prisons, were built to train and house fighters. During the earlier Roman Republic era, gladiators were most often convicted criminals, prisoners of war, or enslaved people, but under the empire, gladiators included free men, noblemen, and even women. Gladiators were not only trained and housed, but also provided with the best medical care and treated like celebrities. Gladiator fights were governed by rules and a referee and, though the details of how the battles were conducted have been lost to history, historians believe only one in nine arena battles ended in death.
Myth: The Marble Statues of Ancient Rome Were White
One of the most enduring myths about ancient Rome is reflected in the stark white statuary associated with the era. When these relics of classical antiquity were rediscovered during the Renaissance era, they had been buried for more than a thousand years, and stripped of their original decoration. The ravages of time had largely erased the vibrant embellishments known as polychromy. Used in both ancient Greece and Rome, polychromy involved decorating a piece of three-dimensional art with vibrant paints, gilding, silvering, and inlay. Today, special imaging can detect the polychromy of an ancient sculpture, allowing art historians to reconstruct the piece as it once appeared. For instance, a 490 BCE equestrian statue known as Persian Rider, excavated in the late 19th century bore enough traces of pigment for researchers to reconstruct the horseman’s intricately patterned clothing in contrasting hues of red, yellow, blue, green, and brown. Restoring these statues to their original colors has given historians new insights into Roman culture.
Myth: The Salute Associated With Fascism Comes From Ancient Rome
The raised-arm salute associated with fascism, most notably the Nazi Party, has long been linked to ancient Rome, and is even known as the “Roman salute.” However, there is no actual record of the salute being used in ancient Rome. The origin of the myth can be traced to a 1784 painting by French artist Jacques-Louis David entitled “Oath of the Horatii.” The painting depicts the three Horatii brothers of Rome swearing an oath to their father with their arms, hands, and fingers extended. Over the next century, other artists and playwrights went on to use similar poses in their portrayals of the ancient Romans. The “Roman salute” appeared in silent films in Europe and America, including Italy’s Cabiria in 1914 and MGM’s Ben-Hur in 1925, and was even implemented as a salute to the Olympics before being adopted by Italy’s National Fascist Party and the Nazi Party in Germany.
