7 Ancient Roman inventions that will surprise you a lot

Ancient Rome was known for the Colosseum, dozens of columned temples and numerous baths, but the Eternal City was also filled with many more amazing innovations, from air-conditioned flats to postal workers, from books to bacon. This article looks at 7 important Roman inventions you may not have known about that prove exactly how important the civilisation was to human thought, culture and history. If you are interested in exclusive offers, check out the Wanted Win promo code. 

History of Roman Inventions and Culture

The ancient Romans were known for their many institutions, imperial plunder, and cultural pursuits. Beginning with the establishment of the republic, Rome became a rival to be reckoned with. This was followed by a succession of infamous emperors who are still remembered in modern society. From the Republic to the Empire, the Romans have had a huge impact on modern Western culture, influencing modern political leadership, art and culture, and militarism.

7. Post Office

The Romans are known to have laid out an extensive series of complex roads throughout their Empire, facilitating communication and travel across three continents, allowing trade to expand and prosper, and most importantly, allowing the emperor to govern his vast lands through efficient administration. In addition to official errands and orders, private messages and parcels could be sent via the many roads leading to (and from) Rome.

In fact, the Cursus Publicus (or "public road") was a state-regulated courier system established by Emperor Augustus and operated as the first postal service in history. Riders and soldiers worked in relay groups, passing messages, parcels, and even people between a series of forts and stations along the main routes between cities. Costs were high and there was never any guarantee of safe delivery, but the Cursus Publicus was nevertheless an extremely sophisticated operation: a horse-drawn wagon could easily cover 50 miles a day, and relay teams could relay up to 170 urgent messages.

The ancient Roman postal service continued to operate for many centuries until the gradual decline of Roman power rendered it virtually redundant. However, its legacy continues in the national and international courier services that have become so important to business and shopping in the modern world.

6. Dental fillings

Although we have records of dental work being performed as far back as 2600 BC, the earliest physical evidence we have of cavity repair comes from ancient Rome. In 100 BC, a Roman writer named Celsus compiled an extensive compendium of oral remedies, including instructions on how to treat wobbly teeth, cure toothaches, and soothe infants when teething.

In 1998, archaeologists unearthed human remains from the first or second century AD in France and discovered a wrought iron implant in one of the surviving molars. Further investigation revealed that the filling had been moulded to the shape of the man's dental cavity by stamping and folding molten metal. This discovery allowed archaeologists and anthropologists to analyse what they knew about dental practice in the ancient world and demonstrated that Roman inventions were again at the forefront of a new field.

5. Glassblowing and cameos

Glass existed and was traded in the Mediterranean basin many centuries before the Romans came to power, originating in Mesopotamia and Egypt. However, it was the technical knowledge and artistic curiosity of the Romans that breathed new life into the art of glass making with new techniques and methods. For example, glass blowing, which involves pneumatically inflating clumps of molten glass through a long hollow tube, was first practised in the first century BC. This allowed craftsmen to create glassware more efficiently, and it also meant that glass jars and containers became more common. This in turn led to an expansion of the art, as craftsmen sought to create increasingly intricate and decorative designs to make their products stand out.

One of the Roman inventions based on glass blowing was the cameo, a small engraved or layered glass design that could rival gemstones in beauty, complexity and brilliance. These fine works of art became popular among the Roman elite and have been considered a symbol of Rome's artistic heritage ever since.

4. Bacon

Although the first evidence of salt pork comes from China in the 2nd millennium BC, it was the Romans who introduced bacon to Europeans. After learning new curing processes during military conquests in the East, the process was refined and bacon production became one of the Roman inventions sparked by their military depredations.

The growing power and population of the Roman Empire, as well as the growing ranks of its army, were important factors in the perfection of the bacon-making process and the fame of this delicacy. On the one hand, more space meant more farms, and the Romans were incredibly efficient at improving pig farming throughout their kingdom. On the other hand, a larger population meant more mouths to feed, and in a time before refrigeration, a way had to be found to preserve meat for transport. By salting, curing and smoking pork, they kept the meat from spoiling even in the warm Mediterranean climate.

3. Halloween

A cursory glance at Roman society is enough to see that it was fascinated by death. From gladiatorial games to myths and legends of the underworld, mortality was not something they tried to hide under the rug. Like many cultures, the Romans celebrated a festival to honour the passing of the dead, the Feralia, held every year at the end of October.

As they expanded their power, the Romans tactically mixed their own customs with those of the people they conquered. This meant that the conquered peoples were truly under their control, as not only were their lands now the property of Rome, but their very culture was irrevocably intertwined with that of their conquerors. This is exactly what happened when the Romans conquered the Celtic lands in Northern Europe and Britain under Julius Caesar.

The Celts also had an annual festival to honour the dead, known as Samhain, where they burned bonfires, dressed up in costumes and staged grand parades. When the Romans combined Feralia with the traditions of Samhain, it became a stronghold of Celto-Roman culture. Its legacy was so strong that the church even moved the annual celebration of deceased saints and martyrs (All Saints' Day or All Saints' Day) to 1 November so as not to conflict with the popular pagan holiday. The celebration of Samhain-Feralia became known as Halloween Eve, which later became Halloween.

2. Social Benefits

Although it was a city of great cultural and material wealth, Rome was also full of poverty: many of its inhabitants lived in poor housing, with little food, money, or opportunities for social mobility. This troubled not only the masses, who suffered from such disadvantages, but also the elite, whose main concern was to prevent popular uprisings or civil strife. For this reason, a number of Roman inventions and measures were adopted to improve the lives of the city's poorest inhabitants. In the 2nd century BC, the famous Gracchi brothers implemented a programme to collect some of the grain imported by the state and sell it at a subsidised price to all citizens willing to queue in public granaries. Combined with relatively clean water supplied to the city's fountains via a series of huge aqueducts, this provision helped to support the lowest classes of society.

Various Roman governments also took steps to improve public health by opening hospitals and providing inexpensive bathing options, and even ensured that the public were entertained with spectacles, games and festivals at public expense. Emperor Augustus even created an efficient pension system for his soldiers, which allowed war veterans to leave the army with the assurance that they could support themselves after a long fighting career. Although this was modified by later emperors, it was generally seen as a prerequisite for military support that the leader guaranteed a certain level of security for his veterans.

Although the quality of life was incomparable to modern times, the benefits that Roman citizens received from the state made their daily existence much more tolerable and even enjoyable when there was bread and spectacle in the city.

1. Air-conditioning

While the ancient Egyptians preferred to combat the heat by hanging damp material over door jambs, Roman inventions once again proved their intelligence and creativity through a more sophisticated form of air conditioning.

The famous aqueducts that the Romans built throughout their empire were not only used for drinking water, but also to cool the homes of the elite. Water would be diverted from the main source and piped through pipes in the walls and floors to alleviate the terrible heat of the Italian summer. For those who couldn't afford such decadent plumbing, there was always a frigidarium in the public baths where you could freshen up.

Read more about Roman inventions

All of these ancient Roman inventions played a key role in the development of human history, culture and civilisation both within the Empire and beyond. Many of them are still in use today and prove how deeply the legacy of Ancient Rome runs through European history. Art, architecture, politics, literature and science have all benefited greatly from the innovations of the Romans, and don't forget the bacon!