The most shocking customs of the ancient Romans. Customs and traditions of Rome

Interior of a Roman building

Roman house. Reconstruction. Relander.

Interior of a Roman house. Reconstruction.

Roman feast

Mosaic floor of Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli.

Atrium of the House of the Vettii in Pompeii.

Lunch in a Roman house. The table was surrounded by three beds, and the Romans ate their food lying down, leaning on their left hand.

Interior of a Roman villa. English artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Hypocaust - heating system in the houses of Ancient Rome

Baths of Caracalla. Internal view. Reconstruction.

Bath accessories.

Lighting in Roman houses: 1 – silver candlesticks; 2 – bronze lamp; 3 – ceramic lamps; 4 – pendant lamp

Braziers

Silverware from Boscoreale

Silver vessel from the Hildesheim treasure.

Products served on the table in Ancient Rome. Mosaic.

Triclinium floor mosaic depicting food remains.

Image from the tomb of Vestorius Priscus in Pompeii. “When a friend visited a Roman, good manners required that the host

Image from
tombs
Vestoria Prisca in
Pompeii. "When
Roman
some friend visited
rules of good
the tones demanded
to the owner of the house
showed him
most beautiful
things from my
silver
dishes."

Feast scene. Fresco from Herculaneum.

Status of women

The head of the family was called the houselord: he had children, his wife and others in his power.
relatives (in upper-class families family also included slaves and
servant). The father's power was that he could give out at will
daughter to marry or divorce, sell children into slavery, he could also recognize or not
recognize your child. Patria potestas also extended to adults
sons and their family; with the death of their father, the sons became full-fledged
citizens and heads of their families.
Fathers of families, as a rule, entered into marriages between their children,
guided by existing moral standards and personal considerations.
A father could marry a girl from the age of 12, and marry a boy from the age of 14.
A woman remained a member after marriage old surname, wherein
claimed the family inheritance. This case was not the main one and was more like
for cohabitation than for marriage, since the wife could almost at any time
leave your husband and return home.
A Roman woman appeared freely in society, went on visits, attended
ceremonial receptions. But there was no involvement in politics women's business, she doesn't
was supposed to be present at meetings of the people.
It is important to note that the Romans also made sure that women received
education in connection with the role they had in the family: organizer
family life and children's educator in early age. There were schools where girls
studied with the boys. And it was considered honorable if they talked about the girl,
that she is an educated girl. This point needs to be considered more
in detail

Portraits of women from the Fayum.

Hairstyles of noble Roman women. On the right is Livia, wife of Augustus.

Women's jewelry.

Women's accessories: sewing basket, spindle, vase, basin, dressing table, needle case, casket.

Gold bracelet from Pompeii.

Jewelry

decorations

Women's sandals and handbag.

Female gymnasts

The tunic and toga - the basis of the ancient Roman men's costume - differed in their artistic and constructive design from the Greek chi

Tunic and toga - the basis of ancient Roman men's suit- in your own way
artistic and constructive solutions differed from the Greek
chiton and himation, although they had common features.

A little later, these bulky heavy togas are replaced by a light cloak, reminiscent of a Greek chlamys, which was not fastened at the shoulder,

A little later, these bulky heavy togas are replaced by a light cloak,
reminiscent of the Greek chlamys, which was fastened not at the shoulder, like the Greeks, but at
middle of the chest under the neck. They also wore lazerna - a cloak similar to a chlamys, but made of more
expensive fabrics woven with gold and silver threads.

Stola (lat. stola) was a special form of women's tunic with short sleeves, wide and with many folds, reaching to the ankles, at the bottom

Stola (lat. stola) was a special form of women's tunic with short sleeves, wide and
with many folds, reaching to the ankles, at the bottom of which a purple
ribbon or frill (lat. instita).

Clothes The life of the Romans during the Republican period remained quite strict. The Roman costume was similar to the Greek one, it was also draped

Cloth
Life of the Romans in
republican period
there was still quite a bit
strict. Roman costume
looked like Greek
was also draped,
but an aesthetic ideal
there were no ancient Romans
beautiful human
body, and harsh courageous
warriors and majestic
women. Therefore difficult
Roman costume, which
originally produced
from wool, and later from
linen cloth, attached
static figure,
majesty, some
theatricality. IN
imperial period
clothes become richer and
more magnificent. Appear
imported silk fabrics.

Clothes of Roman patricians: The man wears an embroidered tunic, toga, and calceus shoes. The woman is wearing stola and peplum. Hairstyle with bouffant and extensions

Roman clothing
patricians:
The man is wearing a tunic with embroidery,
toga, calceus shoes.
On a woman - table
and peplum. Hairstyle
with fleece and
invoices
curls.

On a woman: lined cloak-foil, tunic with a border On a man: leather armor with shoulder pads, sagum cloak, calceus boots

The main Roman elements of ornamentation are acanthus, oak, laurel leaves, climbing shoots, ears of corn, fruits, flowers, figures of people and animals, ma

The main Roman elements of ornamentation are acanthus, oak, laurel leaves,
curly shoots, ears of corn, fruits, flowers, figures of people and animals, masks,
skulls, sphinxes, griffins, etc. Along with them, vases, military
trophies, flowing ribbons, etc. They often have a real shape.
The ornamentation also carried certain symbols, an allegory: the oak was considered
a symbol of the highest heavenly deity, an eagle - a symbol of Jupiter, etc.
The Greeks valued art out of love for beauty, the Romans - out of love for
luxury. In the late Roman ornament, oriental patterns gradually intensified.
influence. It outlines the features of the future style of Byzantine culture,
became the successor to antiquity.

During the heyday of the Roman state, its borders expanded greatly, including the territory of modern England, France, Spain, and Holland.

During the heyday of Rome
states its borders are very
expanded to include
territory of modern
England, France, Spain,
Holland and other countries. Rome
has become a huge world
the power that led
endless wars and vast
trade. Loot
wealth, many slaves,
who did all the work, led to
luxury even in everyday life
life. All this was reflected in
character of the ancient Roman
suit.
The Romans dressed in clothes
bright colors: red,
purple, violet, yellow,
brown. Suit white
colors were considered ceremonial, his
worn for ceremonial occasions
exits.

Wall paintings in Pompeii. The woman is dressed in a blue stola, which is fastened at the shoulder with a fibula.

shoes

Kaligi. Boots worn by peasants, cab drivers and, above all, soldiers. Kaliga consisted of a thick sole (about 8 mm) with 80-90 points

Kaligi. Boots worn by peasants, cab drivers and
primarily soldiers. Kaliga consisted of a thick sole (about
8 mm) with 80-90 sharp iron nails; sewn to the sole
a piece of leather cut into strips, forming a sort of mesh around
heels and feet: toes remained open

Sandals. They consisted of a sole, which was secured to the foot with soft straps, while most of the foot remained open. Sandals

Sandals. Consisted
from the sole, which
fastened on the leg
soft
with straps, with
this most of
feet remained
open. Sandals
were different colors
soles are different
heights, in winter
time also from
wool. They were worn
like house shoes.
wearing sandals in
in public places
was considered a violation
good manners.
Sitting down at the table
took off sandals or
the slave removed them for them.

Hats. Hairstyles

The ideal of beauty. The Roman ideal of beauty is very different from the Greek. Conquest policy and militarized lifestyle of the male population

The ideal of beauty. The Roman ideal of beauty is very different from the Greek. Invading
politics and the militarized lifestyle of the male population of Rome created a very
a certain ideal of a man: tough, hardy, strong, athletic
physique. A woman was considered beautiful if she was portly, dignified, had
smooth, dignified gait. Small breasts and wide hips were
ideal signs of her future motherhood of many children. Roman facial features
beauties were not supposed to be small: big eyes with large eyelids,
regular almond shape, high bridge of the nose, whimsical mouth shape,
resembling a hunting bow.

Last modified: September 30, 2018

In modern Italy, it is not customary to marry at an 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 in 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 possible 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 marry 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 was free to visit theaters and baths, take part in important dinner parties and pursue her 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 to the pagan gods and sacrifices were made: bread made from special varieties of wheat, fruits and sheep. A prerequisite for such a ceremony was the presence of ten witnesses. The dissolution of a marriage concluded in this way was considered unacceptable.

Historical reference

Chief priest in Ancient Rome was the Pontifex Maximus, 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. Couples who had lived together and inseparably for one year were recognized as legal wife and husband. 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.

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 August placed famous statue Apollo, which began to be named after the street - 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 having sex with women from high society, since if the result was an illegitimate child, then there would be big problems 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.

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Moral standards cannot be the same from era to era, from country to country. For example, if you were in Ancient Rome, you would probably be deeply shocked by the attitude of the Romans towards certain things... however, for them it was just an everyday routine.

1. In the event of the death of a patient, the doctor who treated him was deprived of his hands.

2. If a sister disobeyed her brother, then he could punish his relative with sexual intercourse.

3. If several slaves were owned by one person at once, then they were assigned one surname.

4. Among the first 15 emperors, 14 were homosexuals. Claudius was considered a real black sheep. Because he preferred only women, he was constantly ridiculed and criticized.

5. In the Roman army, soldiers were housed in groups of ten in tents. The head of the tent was called only the dean.

6. There weren’t any in those days. For these needs, a special stick with a rag at the end was used. They dipped it into a bucket of water.

7. The elite of Rome lived in mansions. There was a special knocker on their doors. On the threshold, a mosaic sign would usually say “Welcome.” Sometimes slaves guarded such houses like dogs.

8. Curly-haired boys served as napkins at the feasts of Rome. They really did wipe their greasy hands on their hair. However, the boys were not offended, but on the contrary considered it an honor.

9. To make their urine smell like roses, women drank turpentine without fear of poisoning.

10. A kiss at a wedding is a Roman heritage. Then it meant a symbolic seal under the oral agreement to marry.

11. Have you ever thought about what “Penates” are? These are Roman gods whose responsibility was to protect the hearth. Thus, the common phrase should not sound “... to the native Penates,” but “... to the native Penates.”

12. Messalina, the wife of Claudius, was one of the most depraved women of that time. She ran a brothel and worked as a prostitute herself. One day she managed to serve fifty clients at once.

13. The month of August is named after one of the Roman emperors.

14. Prostitution in Ancient Rome was not condemned by anyone. Prostitutes were full-fledged members of society, no one despised them.

15. Spintrias are special coins made of bronze. They were used to pay prostitutes for their work in ancient Rome. They depicted scenes of exclusively erotic content.

10 Customs of Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome, along with Ancient Greece, is considered the cradle of 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 having sex with women from high society, since if the result was an illegitimate child, then there would be big problems 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.