The Ancient Greek polymath Archimedes invented the compound pulley, the screw pump (also known as an Archimedes screw) for raising water, and a fiendish military device called an Archimedes claw, which used a vast grappling hook to lift enemies’ ships from the water.

The Ancient used to tell the time using the action of falling water: they invented a special kind of water clock called a “clepsydras.”

The word “draconian,” meaning especially severe, is derived from a stern lawmaker from Ancient Greece named Draco.

The Roman emperor Commodus was one of Rome’s youngest serving emperors. He was only 16 when he took over from his father, Marcus Aurelius.

The Romans used to enjoy some bizarre dishes – including larks’ tongues, stuffed dormice, and lamb brains.

The Roman emperor Nero is one of the most bizarre and controversial  figures in the ancient world. In his short life (he committed suicide at age 30) he ordered his mother to be killed and his wife to be killed and attempted to marry his favorite male slave.

The infamous Roman leader Caligula’s name literally means “little boot”.  Cicero took his name from the Latin word for chickpea.

After Rome was split in two in 395 CE, the Western Roman empire only endured for another century or so – the Eastern or Byzantine Empire survived until the mid-15th century.