Fifteen Roman Innovations, From Thermopolia to the Julian Calendar, That Anticipate Modern Urban Life
A study examining fifteen characteristics of ancient Roman cities, associated with existing buildings, inscriptions, or legislation, reveals that numerous contemporary urban ideas were present 2,000 years ago. Findings from Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, and Rome highlight thermopolia offering hot food, insulae with varying rents, and Augustus's original 20-meter building limit, which Trajan later lowered to 18 meters. Julius Caesar's Lex Julia Municipalis (around 45 BCE) imposed restrictions on wheeled traffic in central Rome. Pompeii boasts approximately 11,000 graffiti entries recorded in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. Gladiators such as Celadus and Crescens attracted dedicated fans, while Gaius Appuleius Diocles ended his career with 1,462 wins. Trajan's Market contained 150 rooms, and the Baths of Caracalla and Diocletian featured libraries and gardens.
Key facts
- Julius Caesar's Lex Julia Municipalis, passed around 45 BCE, restricted most wheeled vehicles from central Rome during daylight hours
- Pompeii preserves roughly 11,000 graffiti inscriptions, cataloged in the fourth volume of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
- Augustus limited new insulae construction to about 20 meters, and Trajan later reduced the cap to roughly 18
- Charioteer Gaius Appuleius Diocles recorded 1,462 victories and career earnings above 35 million sesterces over 24 years
- The Baths of Caracalla complex and its grounds covered roughly 25 hectares and accommodated well over a thousand bathers
- Trajan's Market grouped about 150 rooms across six levels, traditionally attributed to Apollodorus of Damascus
- The Pantheon dome, completed around 128 CE under Hadrian, is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world
- Caesar's calendar reform took effect in 45 BCE after 46 BCE was extended to 445 days; Gregory XIII corrected the drift in 1582
Entities
Artists
- Julius Caesar
- Augustus
- Trajan
- Hadrian
- Juvenal
- Caligula
- Suetonius
- Gaius Appuleius Diocles
- Pliny the Elder
- Pliny the Younger
- Seneca
- Cicero
- Virgil
- Sosigenes
- Pope Gregory XIII
- Apollodorus of Damascus
- Lynne Lancaster
- Admir Masic
- Aemilius Celer
- Gaius Julius Polybius
- Celadus
- Crescens
Institutions
- MIT
- Baths of Caracalla
- Baths of Diocletian
- Museo dei Fori Imperiali
- Roman Baths
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- Quartz
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Pompeii
- Herculaneum
- Ostia
- Tiber
- Naples
- Quirinal Hill
- Palatine Hill
- Aventine Hill
- Circus Maximus
- Forum of Trajan
- Via Biberatica
- Bath
- England
- Britain
- Gaul
- North Africa
- Lusitania
- Hispania
- Bithynia
- Syria
- Caesarea Maritima
- Israel
Sources
- Quartz —