Galley slaves clash with vambraces: Ramon Novarro in the title role of the classic 'Ben Hur' There were plenty of things the citizens of the Roman empire did not have that most of us take for granted today. Potatoes, for example, or tomatoes, or universal suffrage. They rode horses without stirrups, and sweetened their food with honey as they had no sugar. But there are still a lot of mistaken ideas about things the Romans had or commonly did.
So many notions about ancient or other historical societies are deeply rooted, and hard to dislodge. So here are ten things that the Romans probably did not have β I say probably , as our ideas about the past are constantly being updated! Despite the famous scenes in old films like Ben Hur and Cleopatra , Roman galleys were not rowed by chained slaves. Roman oarsmen were paid professionals, and those in the navy were enlisted in the armed forces.
Galley slaves did exist, but not until centuries later; medieval ships of both the Christian and Islamic Mediterranean powers used them extensively.
In fact, the French were still using chained prisoners to row their galleys until the eighteenth century. This is another Hollywood favourite. The manly clasp of forearms turns up all over the place, but has no basis in historical fact. Romans shook hands in the same way as we do, although perhaps not as frequently; it was a gesture of fellowship, used to agree deals and treaties.
The handshake even appears on Roman coins, symbolising trust and mutual concord. It was also, apparently, part of the wedding ritual. It was probably not used as a casual greeting, though: Romans preferred to embrace, or even kiss, when they met, just as people in Mediterranean societies do to this day.
