The Roman measurement of a human lifetime; the extinct species of gibbon we know only from a Chinese noblewoman’s tomb; how Pompey the Great was defeated by maddening honey; and the treasure map in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
A saeculum was a Roman unit of measurement that represented a the span of a single human life. But it was mainly an excuse to have once-in-a-lifetime games.
We only know about Junzi imperialis, an extinct species of gibbon, because a Chinese noblewoman kept one as a pet more than two thousand years ago.
The Roman general Pompey the Great lost three maniples (about 360 men) to Turkey’s strategically placed maddening honey.
The Copper Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in a cave in Judaean Desert, is actually a treasure map.
For more true stories, popular myths, and strange events of ancient history, begin here:
The Generalist Academy 
