Did You Know?
Ancient Spartans would punish bachelors by making them walk naked through the marketplace in winter.
Unmarried men past a certain age were required to walk naked through the agora during winter while singing songs about their shame. This public humiliation was designed to encourage marriage and maintain population levels in Spartan society.
Did You Know?
The Ancient Greeks would vote to banish citizens using pottery shards.
Known as ostracism, citizens would write the name of someone they wanted exiled on pottery shards called ostraka....
Did You Know?
Medieval European courts employed professional jesters to criticize the king.
Court jesters were often the only people allowed to criticize rulers openly. Their role as entertainers provided immunity...
Did You Know?
In Victorian England, people would pose dead relatives for photographs.
Post-mortem photography was a common practice, often being the only photograph ever taken of a person. Specialized photographers...