I have to work hard to dispel my students of the notion that ancient Indian groups in America were passive simpletons who were inevitable victims of white greed.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me, in my experience, that many people today, particularly younger people, seem to hold a notion that ancient humans were somehow intellectually inferior to modern humans. To support this claim, they often point to the fact that modern civilization (at least in the industrialized world) is significantly more technologically advanced than ancient civilizations were. It also seems to me that such a notion is an important aspect of the various "ancient astronaut" theories that hold that extraterrestrials were the architects of the majority of ancient civilizations.

I guess the most famous one is the vomitorium. People say it was a room where they vomited. It basically meant exit.

I'll kick things off with a question. Clothing: what did the different classes of Romans wear on a daily basis? Most popular entertainment sees them in togas (or a centurion outfit). What did the everyday Roman actually wear when out and about?

My question is whether or not the Romans had a word for volcano. I have seen books and exhibits about Pompeii claim that there was no word for volcano, yet clearly Romans and Greeks referenced the root of Vulcan and observed ceremonies in his name. Additionally the roman empire was large enough that they certainly knew of the volcanoes in Cicely and perhaps elsewhere.

"Before people found out the world was round…" typically is mentally translated to 600 years ago rather 2500+ years ago. (I am uncertain of Babylonian/Near East knowledge of the matter, myself, though.)

Roman saddles didn't have stirrups. In fact, the Romans barely had something that could be considered a saddle. The Roman saddles were most likely thick leather pads with four prongs (two in the front and two in the back) for support. They had no frames, trees, or weight distribution systems and therefore barely deserve the name "saddle." Really, I'm more inclined to call them shabracks or bareback pads.

The Greeks did not have saddles. The had nothing like a saddle. If you were so inclined, you might use a blanket thrown over the horse's back.

Despite not having saddles or stirrups, it's still entirely possible to use a weapon and ride effectively. And no, it didn't hurt their genitals.

One of my favourites concerns the 'Vomitarium', which in the 'Horrible History' series by Terry Deary is described as a room where people could be sick during a feast so that they could then eat more food.

I believed this to be true until last year, when I found it it couldn't be further from the truth. A vomitarium was the exit from an amphitheatre, so called because of the volume of people that would spill forth from it after an event.

Would the average person in the Roman Empire have it better or worse compared to someone in the Middle Ages? Call it years of Whig-influenced scholarship, but I can't quite pull myself away from the belief that Europe fell into a gigantic hole after the fall of Rome and didn't drag itself out until the Renaissance.

How much of worshipping or spiritual service did the Romans do around Cesars reign?

I have often taken issue with the myths that tour guides spread about phallic decorations and graffiti in Pompeii. A penis in a street does not automatically mean directions to a brothel. The Lupanar in Pompeii was not decorated with an illustrated 'menu' of services offered, or it would have been a remarkably tame brothel.

I know how people did not go to the vomitorium to vomit up food, because that's not what it's for, but did the practise happen?