For many of us, Ancient Rome holds a special place in our imagination. As schoolchildren, we learn all sorts of Ancient Rome facts that leave our minds brimming with visions of emperors, legionnaires, and gladiators that called this revered civilization home.
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There are a few details, however, that most of our teachers were too polite to mention when presenting this idealized image of Rome. So we picture the Colosseum without the smell of blood, the legions without the sweat and mud, and the emperors without the fresh glimmer of urine on their teeth.
The Land Before Hygiene
Your teacher surely never told you that last fact about Roman dental care, but that's one of those Ancient Rome facts that really brings the history alive. Indeed, in some parts of Ancient Rome, people kept their smiles shimmering with a daily scrubbing of urine.
And this is just one of many Ancient Rome facts that few seem to know. We hear story after story about gladiators and emperors, for example, but nobody ever talks about the fact that some Romans liked to wear metal-winged penises around their necks for good luck.
We hear story after story about Roman wars and conquests, but we never hear about the troubles of the common people. Few know of their daily concerns, like whether the last person to use the communal poop sponge had really cleaned it properly, or whether a parasitic worm was climbing through your toilet.