What did ancient Rome smell like? BO, rotting corpses and raw sewage for starters ...
Live ScienceSunday, July 6, 2025 at 4:02:00 PM
Turns out, ancient Rome wasn’t exactly a bouquet of roses—unless those roses were masking the stench of sweat, garbage, and sewage. While the city’s crowded streets and open drains probably reeked, Romans weren’t just holding their noses; they had perfumes, incense, and even early deodorants to fight the funk. It’s a messy, smelly snapshot of daily life 2,000 years ago.
Editor’s Note: This isn’t just about gross-out trivia—it’s a reminder that even advanced civilizations had to grapple with the basics (like not smelling terrible). The contrast between Rome’s grandeur and its gritty reality makes history feel more human. Plus, it’s weirdly comforting to know people have always cared about smelling nice, even when the world around them didn’t.
— Curated via WP Now’s
