Pre-Christian Pagan Rome?

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Well, for one thing, every New Year, and usually for a few weeks afterward, you had to remember to drop the number of the year down when you wrote the date like on your rent cheques…you know, 36 BC to 35 BC, etc.

Then there were the political discussions, like whether allowing plebeians more rights was what the Founding Foundlings intended; whether “Under the Gods” should be in the Pledge to the Vexillum; whether or not to support the troop surge in Mesopotamia; whether it was slavery or economics that led to the War of Carthaginian Aggression.

Then there was the worry about Y0K, and would all the abacuses break down, all the viaducts stop working, chariots crashing all over the Vias, etc.

Or going to the Coliseum, watching the gladiators fight, and getting into heated debates on whether or not it was fake.

Oh, and boring, long-winded Senate speeches.
 
Is it true that incest and bestiality were common in Pagan Rome?
 
lemonbeam said:
What was life like in Pre-Christian Pagan Rome?
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A big question… Rome’s not my specialty, but I’ll give a shot.

In the Rome of, say 25 bce, something like 25% of the population of Rome was enslaved. Free peasants (plebeians) had some rights, and voted for representatives in the city government. The aristocratic families owned nearly all the land, and made themselves vastly wealthy through agriculture, trade and the spoils of war.

The city of Rome had running water in the public fountains and public baths maintained at government expense. Some underground sewers carried waste from the city, but some waste also ran in the streets.

Free people were protected by a system of laws. There was no ‘king’ or emperor at that time, and the government was roughly a democracy, heavily weighted in favor of the aristocracy. Any free person could bring a suit at law if he had been wronged, and specialists in the law served as representatives in the courts, if the plaintiffs could afford them.

Religion in ancient Rome had its base in the household. Every family home had its central fireplace (called the ‘focus’ in latin) and offerings were made to Vesta, the Goddess of home and hearth. In addition each home made offerings to the Lares - family spirits of the Dead. Aristocratic houses might keep the death-masks of their ancestors as part of their veneration of the Dead. Offerings might also be made to the lemures - more ghostly, less welcome spirits who might cause harm if not appeased. If the house had a special involvement with one or more of the Gods there might be a shrine or altar where libations (offerings of wine or incense) were made to that deity.

Worship of the major deities (in the time we’re discussing the major deities were more or less identical with the 12 ‘Olympian’ gods of the Greek religion) was by rituals called ‘sacrifices’. Sacrifice means ‘sacred work’ and the word refers to the whole ceremony of worship not just to the animal or other food which was offered during the rite. Most sacrifices included the killing, cooking and eating of a food animal, most often a rooster, sheep or goat, sometimes a bull. These were offered at traditional altars throughout the city, or at the big temples of each deity. The city was full of small shrines and altars, at which the poorer residents might offer wine or beer spilled onto the altar.

The Roman Senate (senate means “of the old men”) was the body in charge of guiding the roman national religion. They arranged the priesthoods of the great public temples, and made certain that the big public holidays were funded and staffed. The year saw a regular round of big public holidays, usually based on a cycle of agriculture.

If you weren’t exslaved, or were enslaved in a kind household, or were free but decently employed, Rome was a pretty good place to live. If you were broke the government provided free bread daily, and the games and entertainments at the ‘circuses’ and collosseum were free to the public, funded by aristocrat money as a show of wealth. religious holidays provided frequest ‘days off’ from work.

That’s a quick overview… did I hit the points you were interested in?
 
lemonbeam said:
Is it true that incest and bestiality were common in Pagan Rome?
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I would hardly say “common,” but people being what they are, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.

There was titillating journalism and history back then just as there is today.
 
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