Ancient Rome is the cradle of European culture. Despite the fact that we have already seen a lot, some traditions and customs of Ancient Rome may seem very unusual, or even strange.
Often, Roman streets were named after the artisans or merchants who worked there. So, for example, Sandalnaya Street - this street was famous for the fact that sandals were made there. On this street there was a statue of Apollo, quite famous, and it was called by the street - Apollo Sandalarius.
It was impossible to see flowers or trees on the Roman streets. The fact is that it was impossible to plant them due to lack of space. Traffic jams on the streets of Rome have been familiar to everyone for a long time. The mounted military detachment was merciless in its attempts to pass through the street. Pedestrians were not only pushed back, but even beaten.
Many walls of houses were decorated with images of erotic scenes. But it was not considered pornography. On the contrary, they admired it and worshiped it. Every artist who could beautifully and spectacularly convey the intensity of passions of such images was very valuable.
Free morals are how one can characterize the atmosphere of that time. Pedophilia was quite common, along with same-sex relationships and orgies.
Was the sexual relationship really that daring?
Yes, the Romans were not very smart about their sexual relationships. The only thing they tried to avoid was extramarital affairs of noble, rich men with women of their equal, from high society. After all, if as a result an illegitimate child was born, then when dividing the inheritance, problems arose big problems.
Advice
If you had the opportunity to go to the Roman feasts of that time, everyone would very much discourage you. The fact is that such spectacles do not induce appetite. The rooms were small, the tables were small. People were separated by pillows and fabrics. People were crowded together, it was crowded. After eating and drinking, they sweated, and to prevent this from causing a cold, they covered themselves with capes.
Gladiators of Ancient Rome
This tradition passed down from the Greeks. Not only prisoners, but also ordinary citizens who wanted to make money could become a gladiator. To do this, they had to take an oath and also declare themselves legally dead. In addition, they became civil criminals after the verdict. For example, there was a jeweler who fooled his customers.
You could say that the Romans had cinema. When historical battles were played out, it looked like works of art. Once, in order to stage the battle as colorfully as possible, an artificial lake was dug. The performance required 16 galleys, and on them were several thousand oarsmen and several thousand gladiators.
Prostitution
As you know, this is the oldest profession. There was a heyday here. Priestesses of love could be found anywhere. They differed in the cost of services, as well as in the nature of the services. There was one type of prostitutes called bustuaries. They wandered in the darkness of the night near the graves and cemetery fires. They often served as mourners during funerals.
History of Rome
Ancient Rome, along with Ancient Greece, considered the cradle European culture. However, some traditions of that time seem strange even to us, who have seen everything or almost everything.
10th place: The streets of Rome were often named after the artisans or merchants who settled there. For example, there was a “Sandal” street in the city - a street of sandal-making specialists (vicus Sandalarius). On this street, Augustus erected the famous statue of Apollo, which became known as Apollo Sandalarius.
9th place: No flowers or trees were planted on the Roman streets: there was simply no room for this. The Romans knew about traffic jams long before the birth of Christ. If a mounted military detachment was passing along the street, it could push back pedestrians with impunity and even beat them.
8th place: The walls of many houses were decorated with explicit images of sexual scenes. It was not considered pornography, but an object of worship and admiration. Artists were especially valued for their ability to convey to the audience the full intensity of such scenes.
7th place: Rome is generally famous for its free morals. Pedophilia, same-sex relationships and group sex were the order of the day. But noble rich Romans were asked to avoid outside sex with women from high society, since if as a result an illegitimate child appeared, then big problems arose with the division of the inheritance.
6th place: Roman feasts were not a very beautiful sight. Regardless of the size of the room and the number of people dining, the table was very small. One dining companion was separated from another by pillows and cloths. The crowded people, warmed by wine and food, sweated incessantly and, in order not to catch a cold, covered themselves with special capes.
5th place: The Romans adopted gladiator fights from the Greeks. Not only a prisoner of war, but also any free citizen who wanted to earn money could become a gladiator. In order to become a gladiator, it was necessary to take an oath and declare oneself “legally dead.”
4th place: Civil criminals could also be sentenced to the arena. Like, for example, one jeweler who deceived customers.
3rd place: The Romans also had something like a movie. During naumakhiyas, historical battles were played out in great detail. To stage one battle, a huge artificial lake was dug. 16 galleys with 4 thousand oarsmen and 2 thousand gladiator soldiers took part in the performance.
2nd place: Prostitution flourished in Rome. Prostitutes worked almost everywhere and varied not only in cost, but also in the nature of the services provided. For example, bustuaries ("Bustuariae") were prostitutes who wandered around graves (busta) and bonfires in cemeteries at night. Often they played the role of mourners during funeral rites.
1st place: Roman toilets (in Latin they were called “latrina” or “forica”) were quite spacious - the largest could accommodate about 50 people at the same time. The floors of the toilets were paved with mosaics, usually depicting dolphins, and there was a fountain in the center. Musicians often played in foriki, and those gathered held conversations and shared news. Often one could hear political witticisms and poetry there.
Culture ancient Rome, which we inherited, is interesting not only for its majestic stone ruins, bearing the imprint of the former power of the Empire, but also for its living traditions, partly modified, and in many ways strikingly recognizable. It is sometimes useful to look back into the centuries to evaluate: were the representatives of humanity who lived at the dawn of a new era so different from us?
Two thousand years ago, as today, the family was not only a unit, but also the basis of society. Marriage ceremonies and all the holidays associated with this event formed an integral part of Roman life. It is worth, for example, trying to draw a parallel between the marriage customs of our ancestors and modern celebrations in honor of the god Hymen in order to discover strong ancient roots in our own wedding rituals. So let us give glory to the god Hymen!
Unlike newlyweds of the XX-XXI centuries, young Romans practically did not have the opportunity to choose a life partner at their own discretion; their parents enjoyed this privilege. Marriages of convenience, especially in early period Empires made up almost one hundred percent majority. The only difference was what goal the heads of families pursued: political, economic or social.
A Roman, whether patrician or plebeian, could have only one wife, but divorce and remarriage were not prohibited by law. Considering that life expectancy in ancient society was half as long as ours, young people did not stay long in their father’s house. So, officially, a girl could be married off at the age of 12, but, as a rule, parents kept the future bride by their side until she was 14 years old. By this time, they were trying to finally decide on the candidacy of the future husband and owner.
So, the bride is ripe, the groom has been determined, the parents agree - now it’s time to conclude a marriage contract. Simpler people did this in words, but the most practical fathers of families preferred to fix the terms of the union on paper and, preferably, in the presence of a lawyer, so as not to complain in vain about the obstinacy of the bride or groom who decided to go against the will of the parents.
There were several types of marriage contracts, but their essence boiled down mainly to whether the marriage was “full” or “not full.” The first version of the union was possible only between citizens of the Roman state, and the second was the lot of the poorest plebeians and powerless slaves. In the case of representatives of the “lower classes” of society, the young man bought his wife as property, even if the ransom was only one asses (1). The wedding ceremony among the plebs was simplified to a minimum, although the main rituals were preserved.
In a “full” marriage, two forms were allowed: “cum manu”, when the wife passed into the power of her husband and received the right to be called “matron” (2) and “sine manu”, then she still remained under the authority of her father and was called only “uxor” "(3). A Roman woman who decided to become the “mother of the family” became the property of her husband or father-in-law, if the betrothed’s father was still alive, but at the same time had the right to inherit from her husband and share any property with the children. Over time, women from noble families began to prefer the second option, maintaining their own independence, and at the same time losing all rights to their husband’s inheritance. "The Twelve Tables" - the first written law of Rome stated that "a wife automatically falls under the authority of her husband if she lives in his house constantly for at least a year." But was it really so difficult to circumvent this regulation? It was only necessary to spend a few nights at her parents' house or with a friend, and the woman remained virtually free.
Let us assume that the conclusion of the contract has taken place one way or another, and we will continue to monitor the series of marriage ceremonies. Now the newlyweds were about to get engaged. The god of marriage Hymen became the main one here actor. He had to be appeased in every possible way, so that later, at the wedding, other spirits needed in the family business would gather. The day of the engagement, and even more so the wedding, was chosen especially carefully. There were times when the bride, accompanied by her mother, went to the oracle to determine a date pleasing to the gods. Then the custom became indecent, but in preparation for this joyful event they continued to turn to the religious calendar, so as not to tempt the celestials. Most often, weddings took place in May or in the second half of June - a period considered especially happy and favorable.
The night before the engagement, the bride sacrificed her children's toys to the gods, i.e., burned them on the home altar. In those distant times, the presence of a clergyman at the betrothal ceremony was not required, although it was not prohibited. The Romans, like modern newlyweds, sealed future union rings. The groom gave his betrothed a simple iron ring without stones as a pledge of the marriage contract. The bride accepted the gift and, as a sign of gratitude, put it on the penultimate finger of her left hand, because it was believed that there was a special nerve connecting the hand to the heart. Then the young people swore to each other a simple oath “Ubi Gaius, ego Gaia” (Latin: “Where you are Gai, I am Gaia”) and sealed their union... not with a kiss, but with a handshake.
On the wedding day, the house of the bride's father was decorated with flower garlands and covered festive table. The young woman was dressed in a white tunic. When the groom, adorned with a wreath, arrived at the newlywed's house, one of the married women (matchmaker) brought the girl out to meet him and joined their hands. After which the newlyweds, in the presence of the guests, signed a pre-drafted wedding contract, sealing it with verbal promises. After this, it was the turn of the gods again. The priest walked around the altar three times clockwise, saying a prayer, the bride and groom followed him hand in hand. The newlyweds were then seated in a double-seated chair covered with the skin of the animal being sacrificed, and its liver was thrown at the foot of the altar. Retributions were performed in honor of various gods who patronized the hearth, fertility, and health, but more than others they tried to honor the goddess Juno - the patroness of marriage - she was appeased with wine with honey and milk. A self-respecting bride brought to the sacrificial altar wheat bread, which meant her willingness to obey her husband unquestioningly. However, if the young woman chose to remain under the supervision of her father, then she did not have to do this. When the sacred ritual ended, the guests of the holiday congratulated the spouses, expressing their wishes, and from time to time shouted “Feliciter” - “Happy!” Following this, the wedding feast began, lasting until the night.
At the end of the festive dinner, all participants and guests headed to the groom's house to the sounds of the flute. Six torchbearers walked ahead of everyone, followed by the newlyweds, accompanied by the girl’s mother. During the procession, according to tradition, the young husband's friends imitated an attempt to kidnap the bride. Naturally, they failed to do this, then they began to fumigate the newlywed with hawthorn torches in order to protect her from the evil eye and damage. There were also servants here, bringing a symbolic dowry to the newlyweds’ house: a spinning wheel with yarn, a spindle and a willow basket with women’s handicrafts. Street boys, who skipped along with the procession, sang obscene songs, the meaning of which, basically, boiled down to the fact that the heroine of the holiday would soon have to know all sides family life- this was considered a kind of sexual education for the girl.
Before entering the family nest, the groom threw a handful of nuts on the ground, as a sign that he would not be petty and greedy with his wife. The bride was given water and a lighted pine torch. The newlywed attached woolen headbands to the doors - thus affirming that she would be a good spinner - and smeared the doorframe with pork and wolf lard" (4). After this simple ritual, the bride was carried into the room in her arms. new house, because It was considered a bad sign if a young wife's feet touched the threshold.
The new hostess was invited to the atrium (5), she was given a key, and the groom presented several gold coins - as a sign that he completely trusted his newly made lifelong friend. Then they lit a fire together in the hearth - this is how it began living together two Romans entering married life.
The next day, the young hostess arranged a small feast, at which she acted as a hostess for the first time.
1 Ass - Copper Roman small change.
2 Matrona (lat. Matrona) - venerable married woman, mother of the family.
3 Uxor (lat. Uxor) - spouse, wife.
4 Desobri. "Rome in the Time of Augustus".
5 Atrium - the courtyard of a Roman residential building.
family played a very important role. When in the family a child was born it has always been a big holiday, but only if father the child took him in his arms. Otherwise, the child was simply thrown out into the street. Also thrown into the street weak and ugly children.In poor families Sometimes healthy children were also abandoned. In this case, they were placed in baskets and brought to the market.
Traditions in the families of the ancient Romans
Father was in ancient Rome head of the family and had exclusive power over his relatives. He even knew how to execute personally at the discretion of the offending family members. Only with the arrival in Rome Christianity Throwing out children began to be considered a crime in the city, and the execution of adult children was considered murder.
Parenting
When boy V Ancient Rome When he turned seven years old, he began to comprehend various sciences under the guidance of his father. The boys were taught wield weapons, ride horses, they were also hardened and taught to endure pain. In rich and wealthy Roman families, boys also learned to read and write. Girls they continued to stay with their mothers.
Upon reaching a certain age boys in ancient Rome, they received an adult toga and were sent to be trained by a government official. In ancient Rome, such education was called primary school of the Roman Forum. After this, the young men already passed military training on Marsovo m field in Rome and were sent to serve in the army without fail.
Children of artisans grew up in cramped insulae. Unlike children of aristocratic families, they received education only only in primary school. Such training began at the age of seven and lasted five years. Study in Rome allowed constant beatings of students. Summer holidays were quite long. In the city they lasted up to four months, and in rural areas up to six months.
Schedule
Life routine of the ancient Romans was the same for both the common Roman and the senator. The Romans rose at dawn. Having put on his sandals, the Roman performed his toilet, washing his face and hands.
Roman's breakfast consisted of a piece of bread that was soaked in wine and sprinkled with salt. Sometimes this bread was spread with honey.
The Roman usually completed all his affairs by noon. Then followed lunch who was also quite modest. Even emperors did not allow themselves big excesses during the second breakfast.
After the second breakfast came midday rest period. After this, the Romans went to baths, in order to chat with friends, work out in gymnasiums and, of course, wash.
Already By the evening the whole Roman family gathered for dinner. During dinner, which usually lasted several hours, the morals of the Romans were no longer so strict. Dinners were often entertained dancers. There was a casual conversation at the table and jokes were made.
Except visiting the thermal baths The Romans had other entertainments. They loved different puzzles and riddles, played dice and ball.
After the victorious wars, an endless stream of people began to arrive in Rome. spoils of war and slaves. As a result, many noble Romans acquired slaves of various categories. Among the required categories were - slaves gatekeepers, slaves for carrying stretchers, slaves accompanying the master on a visit, a slave cook.
Especially rich Romans allowed themselves to keep whole theaters, where the actors and singers were slaves. Usually such slaves cost at the slave market the biggest money.
Last modified: September 30, 2018
IN modern Italy It is not customary to get married in early age. Italians approach the issue of starting a family very responsibly. The cult of family in Italy is highly valued, and family traditions always come first. I wonder what marriage was like in ancient Rome? What traditions and customs have come down from time immemorial to the present day?
Marriage from ancient Rome: love or calculation
IN ancient times The wedding ceremony was considered sacred, and the family was the support of the entire state, but not all romantic relationship two loving hearts ended with a magnificent wedding.
The fact is that for many centuries, the Romans considered the marriage procedure primarily as a mutually beneficial cooperation. For noble and wealthy families, this meant the possibility of combining capital, lands, spreading their influence, and the like. Often, the parents of the future newlyweds agreed on the wedding, immediately stipulating all sorts of benefits of the union for both parties. Very often in such cases one could observe the concept unequal marriages. As a rule, the future groom was much older than his bride, and sometimes even vice versa.
Pope Alexander VI Borgia married his youngest son Gioffre, who at that time was not yet thirteen years old, was matched against the much older daughter of the King of Naples.
Among the common population, there were also often cases of arranged marriages, but there were much fewer of them than among representatives of the upper classes. Despite this attitude towards marriage, in those distant times the very concept of family for the ancient Romans remained closely associated with such moral aspects as mutual respect and honoring each other as spouses.
Laws of ancient Rome on creating a family
In antiquity, there were a sufficient number of rules prescribed by law regarding the creation of a new unit of society. Those who wished to get married first of all had to ask permission from the head of the family, and it depended only on his decision whether the child would be born. new family or not. Today, such a rule does not seem too unusual. Nowadays, there is also a tradition of asking for parental blessings. However, some of the laws that existed in ancient Rome may seem quite unusual.
- Age The optimal age for marriage was considered to be 17 years for girls and 20 years for boys, although laws allowed marriage much earlier. Girls could get married at age twelve, and boys at age fourteen. This was explained not only by the fact that in ancient times life expectancy was shorter, but also by the early mortality of women and children.
- Status The right to marry was granted only to free Romans. The Roman state did not give such an opportunity to slaves and foreigners. In addition, the laws prohibited military personnel and magistrates from creating families.
- Family ties During the republican period, marriages among relatives up to the fourth generation were not only prohibited, but also punished death penalty. Starting from the 1st century BC, marriages between cousins were allowed, and in the 3rd century AD, marriages between an uncle and a niece were allowed.
Marriage registration in ancient Rome
As such, from a legal point of view, there was no registration of marriage; no one drew up any special papers or made entries in the civil registers, as is customary in modern society. To enter into marriage, it was considered sufficient to fulfill a number of conditions described above, and also required cohabitation, a desire to recognize each other as husband and wife, and adherence to decent behavior.
Types of marriage in ancient Rome
IN modern world There are only two types of marriage - civil, registered in the registry office (in Italy, marriage is registered in the commune), and church. In ancient Rome, during the early Republican period, the main type of marriage was considered CUN MANUM, which literally means “with hand” in Latin.
In antiquity, all members of the family were under the authority of the head of the family. The wife in the full sense of the word belonged to the husband, and the children were the property of the father. When a young girl got married, she officially ceased to belong to her parent and came under the protection of her husband. A woman had limited rights in terms of property ownership; she could not manage her dowry and, subsequently, the family budget. However, unlike Greek women, she was more independent and had some privileges. The Roman matron could freely visit theaters and baths, take part in important dinner parties and pursue your education.
For different classes, the wedding ceremony involved completely different rituals:
Confarreation
A ceremonial event on the occasion of marriage, held by the chief priest for representatives of the patrician family. During the ritual, special prayers and petitions were read pagan gods and sacrifices were made: bread made from special varieties of wheat, fruits and sheep. Required condition such a ceremony required the presence of ten witnesses. The dissolution of a marriage concluded in this way was considered unacceptable.
Historical reference
The main priest in Ancient Rome was the Great Pontiff, being the head of all pontiffs. In the 8th century BC. this position was occupied by kings.
Coempito
For Roman citizens of ordinary descent there was a different rite. In the presence of at least five witnesses, the groom bought his bride for a nominal fee. At the same time, he had to ask the girl whether she wanted to become the mother of his children, and she - whether the young man wanted to be the father of the family.
In addition to such official marriage ceremonies, the so-called marriage of habit was common in ancient Rome. Legal wife and husbands were recognized as couples who had lived together and inseparably for one year. However, if during this year one of the cohabitants was absent for more than three days, the countdown began again.
In the late Republican period in Rome, the most common form of marriage was SINE MANU, which differed from CUN MANUM in that the young wife did not become the property of her husband, but remained under the protection of her father. In addition, a woman who had more than three children could refuse all protection from anyone and became more free. This meant that she could fully dispose of the property that rightfully belonged to her and, if necessary, file for divorce.