Opium, castoreum and patchouli: What an eye ointment reveals about ancient Rome

Anyone who expects this heading to be followed by new details about extravagant luxury living and decadence in ancient Rome will be disappointed. This article discusses something rather different and arguably more important. Rome is currently trending, in part because in certain contexts its history serves as a projection screen for political and ideological narratives of a nationalist, authoritarian or imperialist nature. But it is often overlooked that the ancient Romans shared several basic convictions about their own origins as a political community that may come as a surprise.