#aedile

[beholdingslut]

NEVER MIND I’m so sorry I just scrolled down and saw your post about Antony brokering it 😭 it’s such a one-degree of separation weirdness situation, I saw you mention her and immediately remembered your “number one at being number two” tag because it drives me feral

it's wild because it's not like agrippa is separate and unconnected to the proscriptions, literally octavian's best friend and the guy that he deployed into Any Situation, yet by all accounts agrippa had a really good relationship with his father-in-law. i also feel something about the coins released after actium which show him with a beard, potentially an indication that his wife had died and he was grieving her... and that he could've married a patrician woman but he chose to marry a woman of equestrian class! drives me craaaazy, the most normal guy in all of rome and his massive fucking hard on for octavian's success. i think they should kiss.

[abtl]

Who is your ancient blorbo?

The man, the myth, the legend, the absolute ancient statesman gigachad, MARCVS VISPANIVS AGRIPPA

[catominor]

gaius martinus save me. save me gaius martinus...

[aedilvtuber]

Sometimes AI Art sucks, and sometimes, it makes this.

This may be made with parts from other artists, and I wish I could give credit to them, but due to the way the websites work they don't do that.

Anyway, her name is Aedil, and she is pretty cool. Her Rapier is called The Reaver Purifier, and she has a wrist mounted electric whip on her other hand.

aaaaand that's all I have

I wish I could actually write, then I could tell a cool story about her, but that's not exactly in my repertoire, my toolbox, so to speak.

If someone want to write a story about her they can.

[anarchywoofwoof]

so today i learned that there’s a piece of graffiti written on the wall of a brothel in Pompeii that reads, “Weep, you girls. My penis has given you up. Now it penetrates men’s behinds. Goodbye, wondrous femininity!”

this lead me down a rabbit hole of Pompeii graffiti, in which i found the following:

From Herculaneum (a bar/inn joined to the maritime baths): "Two friends were here. While they were, they had bad service in every way from a guy named Epaphroditus. They threw him out and spent 105 and half sestertii most agreeably on whores."

From just outside the Vesuvius gate: "Defecator, may everything turn out okay so that you can leave this place."

From the peristyle of the Tavern of Verecundus: "Restitutus says: 'Restituta, take off your tunic, please, and show us your hairy privates.'"

From Herculaneum (a bar/inn joined to the maritime baths): "Apelles the chamberlain with Dexter, a slave of Caesar, ate here most agreeably and had a screw at the same time."

From the basilica: "O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed that you have not already collapsed in ruin."

that lead me down a rabbit hole of obscene ancient Roman graffiti such as the following:

Floronius, privileged soldier of the 7th legion, was here. The women did not know of his presence. Only six women came to know, too few for such a stallion.

Chie, I hope your hemorrhoids rub together so much that they hurt worse than when they ever have before!

Theophilus, don’t perform oral sex on girls against the city wall like a dog

Apollinaris, the doctor of the emperor Titus, defecated well here

Restituta, take off your tunic, please, and show us your hairy privates

I was fucking with the bartender

Secundus likes to screw boys

Phileros is a eunuch!

Cruel Lalagus, why do you not love me?

I made bread on April 19th

Gaius Sabinus says a fond hello to Statius. Traveler, you eat bread in Pompeii but you go to Nuceria to drink. At Nuceria, the drinking is better

Anyone who wants to defecate in this place is advised to move along. If you act contrary to this warning, you will have to pay a penalty. Children must pay [number missing] silver coins. Slaves will be beaten on their behinds.

Epaphra doesn’t play football well

You can ride your maid whenever you want. It’s your right

Pyrrhus to his colleague Chius: I grieve because I hear you have died; and so farewell

O walls, you have held up so much tedious graffiti that I am amazed that you have not already collapsed in ruin

My lusty son, with how many women have you had sexual relations?

If anyone sits here, let him read this first of all: if anyone wants a screw, he should look for Attice; she costs 4 sestertii.

Samius to Cornelius: go hang yourself!

If anyone does not believe in Venus, they should gaze at my girl friend

To the one defecating here. Beware of the curse. If you look down on this curse, may you have an angry Jupiter for an enemy

We have wet the bed, host. I confess we have done wrong. If you want to know why, there was no chamber pot

What a lot of tricks you use to deceive, innkeeper. You sell water but drink unmixed wine

The finance officer of the emperor Nero says the food here is poison

Gaius was here – the oldest graffiti, dated 78 BCE; found in Pompeii.

Vote for Isidorus for aedile, he licks cunts the best

i fucking love human beings.

[thoodleoo]

i think one of my new favorite tales of pettiness from ancient rome is when gnaeus flavius, who at the time was a curule aedile, was visiting a sick colleague and none of the nobles in the room stood up to show him respect when he entered, so flavius had his special curule chair brought into the room and sat directly in front of the door so none of them could leave and they all had to look at him in his fancy chair. like congratulations sir that is the funniest possible way you could handle that

[ancientcharm]

Titus Flavius and his indelible traces.

Titus Flavius was born in Rome on December 30 of the year 39. He was a direct descendant of a loyal soldier of Pompey the Great during the Civil War against Julius Caesar. After Pompey's defeat at the Battle of Pharsalia, his life was spared by Julius Caesar, returned to home and became a Publicanus (tax collector). In an incredible twist of fate, the Flavians, a family of peasants, who came from the defeat of the past, ended up occupying the throne founded by Caesar's heir, and replacing the aristocratic Julio-Claudian dynasty with the Flavian dynasty.

During reing of Caligula (37-41) Vespasian,father of Titus, was Aedile of Rome. According Suetonius, Emperor Caligula passed by a street that was very dirty, ordered Vespasian to be brought and the garbage thrown on him, and then told him "Do your job well, keep the city clean."

During the reign of Claudius (41-54) Vespasian obtained the position of praetor and the command of one of the legions that went to the conquest of Britannia.

After revolt in Judea in the year 66, emperor Nero chose the experienced and brilliant general Vespasian to put an end to the rebellion. Vespasian went with his son, Titus, who was then 26 years old, and was an excellent army's officer.

In June 68, after of the death of Nero, the first civil war of the imperial era broke out, which would last until December of the following year. On December of the chaotic year 69, known as the year of the 4 emperors, in which three aristocrats came to the throne and were murdered, Vespasian was proclaimed emperor by the army. Titus was left in command against the rebellion in Judea.

A historical event of mystical relevance.

After months of bloody fighting, on August of the year 70, the Temple of Jerusalem was looted, burned and demolished by Titus's troops.

Titus made his triumphal parade in the year 71 in Rome. Years later, in the place where Titus passed, his younger brother, the Emperor Domitian, ordered the construction of the Arch of Titus; One of its extraordinary relief depicts the triumphal parade with the treasures of the Temple.

Emperor Vespasian decided to tear down the Domus Aurea, the palace that Nero had ordered to be built for his own enjoyment, and build "a palace for the enjoyment of the people". He saw his work almost completed but died of illness on June 23, 79, at his estate. The next day Titus ascends the throne.

A mess with the gods.

Exactly 4 months after his accession to the throne and while his younger brother was celebrating his birthday, a tragic event occurred. An inexplicable and terrifying news reached Rome: the peaceful mount Vesuvius roared, exploded and became something unknown, and several Roman cities with their inhabitants disappeared under "a sea of fire." Among the victims was the prestigious politician, soldier and writer Pliny the Elder, a close friend of the imperial family, who had dedicated the book 'Naturalis historia' to Titus.

Emperor immediately went to the scene of the disaster. He made immense works and donations to help those affected in the area. Early year 80 he went there for the second time and at that time a fire broke out in Rome for three days. Rumors began to circulate that the emperor had a "problem with the gods", and it was due to his forbidden relationship with princess Berenice, great-great-granddaughter of Herod the Great.

Although he was a very popular emperor, he did not want to risk those tragedies affecting his image and the people becoming angry, so he decided in 80 to accelerate his father's work, which still had to wait to be completed. And so began the inauguration of the most famous "stadium" in history : The Flavian amphitheater, better known as Colosseum.

There were 100 days of games. Those shows were free for the people. They had never seen an amphitheater of such grandeur. Very soon the people of Rome forgot about Vesuvius and Berenice.

Coins were minted showing the work started by his father but completed and inaugurated by him. In the image: a sesterce from the time of Emperor Titus.

The pseudo-Nero

After Nero's death, rumors began to circulate that his suicide was not real. Years later, this rumor had spread throughout the empire and even beyond its borders. Suetonius wrote about an event that he experienced during the reign of Domitian: "Twenty years after his death, when I was young, a man of obscure origin appeared, who claimed he was Nero; And the name Nero was still in such favour with the Parthians that they supported him vigorously and surrendered him with great reluctance."

The Parthians were happy believing that Nero was alive because he had been the only Roman emperor they liked, as during his reign he signed the peace treaty and had a cordial attitude towards Parthia.

Titus had to face the rebellion of a guy called Terentius, another Pseudo-Nero that according to ancient historical sources "he sang with a voice equal to that of Nero, played the lyre and looked like him." The impostor had a lot of followers in the eastern Roman provinces. The Parthian king, Titus's enemy, received this man and made preparations for him to return to Rome as emperor but he was executed when his true identity was revealed.

On September 13, 81, Titus died at the age of 41 on his father's farm, due to fever. His brief reign was very prosperous and popular. Having only a daughter (Julia Flavia), his successor was his brother Domitian who would rule for 15 years.

According to Roman writers, his last words were: "I regret nothing except one thing"; And some believe that he regretted having said "no" to Berenice when she proposed marriage after the death of emperor Vespasian, the major opponent of the relationship between them.

The Colosseum and the Wailing Wall are undoubtedly the two indelible traces of Titus Flavius.

[whencyclopedia]

Vigiles

The Vigiles (or cohortes vigilum) were formed during the reign of Augustus to act as ancient Rome's permanent firefighting service. Evolving from earlier slave teams, the vigiles were organised as an urban military unit and eventually recruits came from the Roman citizenry. The body, with a permanent camp of its own and equipment stations dotted around the city, patrolled the streets of Rome each night and also performed certain nocturnal policing duties to ensure public order.

Evolution

The vigiles were created by Augustus in 6 CE to meet the high risk of fires in the capital presented by its high population density and widespread use of wooden housing and other buildings which had timber parts. It was not the first time such a force had been created for the avaricious Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of Rome's all-time richest men, had spotted the chance of making money by offering low prices for burning buildings and then having his team of slaves extinguish the fire so that it could be saved for redevelopment. If the property owner refused Crassus' offer, then the fire was left to rage on unabated.

The next step towards a proper fire service was taken by the aedile Egnatius Rufus who, like Crassus, created a force of slaves to put out fires but, unlike Crassus, seems to have been more motivated by issues of public safety. He may have sought political cachet from his creation, but it did not do him much good as the Senate later dealt him the death sentence for conspiring against the state. Another idea to protect the city, particularly at night, was the creation of the tresviri nocturni - three magistrates set on night watch. Yet again, this trio's workforce was composed of slaves, and it was their duty to prevent any disturbances in the city. Some wealthy private individuals even formed their own personal fire brigades, though, such was the need for a larger ever-present response team to fires.

C. 21 BCE Augustus took matters in hand and reorganised what was left of Rufus' slaves, creating a force of 600 slaves to fight fires if and when they arose. The aediles were put in charge of this new force, but they seem to have been ineffectual for, following serious fires in 7 BCE, Augustus reorganised them again. This time the force was split to cover 14 zones, each further divided into vici. Thus each of the 265 vici had its own designated group of firefighting public slaves commanded by the viciomagister. This was an improvement on the previous system, but there remained problems with coordination between different vici. This led to Augustus finally creating a single force, the vigiles.

Continue reading...

[maverickscorner]

Faber suae fortunae

Or Maider's love story towards freedom.

Chapter 6

Domitian loved being emperor.

Before, people bowed to him almost reluctantly, obeying an unwritten law that placed his father and brother above him, making him part of the chain of command but almost certainly the last link.

Now, his people worshipped him.

It was enough to grant larger rations and more games, and the crowd, with its protests, was appeased.

With all the contacts he had, it was easy to get goods and people wherever and whenever he wanted.

And to hell with the Senate. Despite being a Roman institution of tradition, Domitian hadn't hesitated to declare himself "Dominus et Deus," meaning "Lord and God," limiting the power of the senators who had so threatened his father's and brother's rule.

He built temples, stadiums, statues to glorify his name, and the people, seeing such a display of wealth, were already beginning to recognize him as a deity.

And Domitian had no intention of ending up like his father, who was deified by dying on his feet: he would become a god in life and benefit from it over the years.

The people would love him.

More than his father. More than Titus.

It was evening. Domitian looked at the two men sleeping beside him, with whom he had just spent a night of passion. One had short hair and dark skin, with a muscular build. The other was slimmer, with red hair. They had satisfied him, but now that he was emperor, he could find slaves like them whenever he wanted.

He got up forcefully, put on his robe, and approached the balcony of his imperial room.

Rome glittered below him in the light of torches and braziers. There was silence, mitigated by a faint and continuous hum. The city's breath.

He looked toward the Colosseum and smiled. What was supposed to be the building for which his father would be remembered had become his personal playground. An arena where anything was allowed. The place where he could make people love his thirst for revenge and sadism.

He thought of Tenax and smiled again.

That man was of rare intelligence and cunning, and he was crafting for him true stories to follow with attention. Cruel stories, sure, but stories. With a beginning and a happy ending.

And then, he was a man with a thousand plans and a thousand assets to manage. His golden faction, still battle-hardened and glorious, his tavern, his properties, and the Aedile Ludi activities.

An interesting man.

Domitian thought he had never had sex with such an interesting man, and the thought ignited his desire.

He could have forced Tenax. As a plebeian, he could not refuse an order from his lord and master.

But for his perverse pleasure, he wanted Tenax to give himself to him. To kneel before him without a choice.

To realize he was his and only his.

They had shared so much in their climb to power.

It was time to share everything.

In due time.

-I can wait- he murmured.

The wind carried it away.

***

Tenax was at the tavern.

Evening was approaching, and Maider was performing for the last time.

-I was twenty-four years old

When I met the woman I would call my own

Twenty-two grandkids now growing old

In that house that your brother bought ya!

The crowd danced, drank, and clapped in time. Reilo, the drummer, had red hands from playing so much, and Maider herself was visibly tired.

Tenax watched her, captivated. As much as it pained him to admit it, he loved hearing her sing, and for the past week, he had looked forward to nothing more than their walks to and from home to talk a little with her.

He knew she had trouble sleeping, much like him. She hadn't felt like telling him why, and he didn't ask to avoid making her uncomfortable: but when the topic came up, it was one of the few times she lost her playful demeanor and withdrew into herself, which pained him.

Then again, he wasn't particularly inclined to talk about his past either, so they talked about other things, or, rarely, didn't talk at all. But with Maider, conversation topics always came up.

-Tenax?

The man turned. Cala had gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

-Yes?

-Can we talk privately for a moment?

-Sure- he nodded, then pointed to the curtains separating the back of the tavern -After you.

Once safely away from prying ears, Cala said:

-I know Domitian is no longer furious with Kwame. It seems... it seems that being emperor is distracting him from his hatred towards him. He's focused on something else, which is good.

Tenax swallowed.

"Oh, wonderful, damn it."

-I just... I just wanted to thank you for protecting him these past two years. I know it hasn't been easy, and that you've always tried to keep him out of sight, so that people would slowly forget about him. With the emperor's indifference, the people will follow, and perhaps it will be possible to buy his freedom.

-I don't know if Domitian will ever offer him the wooden sword, not after what happened. But perhaps it could be possible to pay his ransom; he's become an "elder" of the arena by now. I've made sure others became stars, and that he remained a legend. I'm not saying it will happen right now, but with the right amount of sesterces...

-Oh, with the work here I've saved up quite a bit. And Kwame has received gifts and money he's saved over time. He has his own small crowd of admirers.

-At least fifty thousand sesterces will be needed, Cala.

Cala sighed.

-I can manage that.

Tenax looked her in the eye. Cala had become a friend over time. There was a moment when he would have wanted to kill her; but that was another time, and perhaps it was also another Tenax.

-I could help you, if needed.

-I don't want your money, Tenax.

-I'd give you what you lack, and then you could pay me back over time. I thought I was doing you a favor.

Cala studied him. His blue eyes avoided her gaze.

-Since when did you become a good person?

He gave her a tight-lipped smile.

-Just needed a little digging, I guess.

On the other side of the curtain, Maider finished singing with a decisive chord on her chitaràs.

The crowd erupted in a thunderous applause.

-It's time to go home- Tenax said.

Cala lowered her head.

-At your command, Aedile Ludi.

Tenax looked up at the sky, then walked past her, pushing aside the curtain.

***

Tenax couldn't sleep.

He got up from bed. He was only wearing short linen pants.

He would go to the main hall, have a bit of wine, and maybe he'd be able to get some sleep.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard a voice singing softly.

The notes floated in the evening air, reaching gently into the hallway of the rooms.

Tenax followed those notes as if drawn by a siren's song.

Of course, they were coming from Maider's room.

Was she still awake? And why was she singing so softly?

He gently pushed the door ajar to hear the lyrics better. Maider was sitting on her bed with a lyre in her hands, singing:

-Stone cold, stone cold, you see me standing but I'm dying on the floor...

Tenax felt touched by those words. Perhaps he moved too abruptly, or maybe he sighed too loudly, but Maider heard him and stopped singing. She hid the lyre behind her.

-Who's there?

Tenax stepped forward with his hands raised.

-Tenax?- she asked, concerned -Did I wake you? I'm so sorry, I...

-I'm the one who's sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop- he quickly said -But I couldn't sleep, and then I heard you singing...

Maider's expression softened.

-I couldn't sleep either. Too many bad memories. Music... it's how I heal, I think.

The room was lit by a faint candle. Tenax noticed that Maider's narrow eyes, in that dim light, glistened more than usual.

He didn't intend to stay at the door like a broom handle.

-I'm coming back to my room. But please, keep singing, don't...

Maider was moved as if by a supernatural force.

She stopped him.

-Wait!

They locked eyes. Green eyes met blue eyes. Time stood still.

-If you want, you can stay. I just finished composing the song, and a second opinion would be nice.

Tenax hesitated only for a moment. Then he entered.

-Alright.

He took a few steps towards her, then gestured towards the end of the bed. Maider nodded.

-Go ahead. The bed is yours. This house is yours.

Tenax considered that she was right. But part of him felt compelled to be respectful. He sat at the foot of the bed.

-So, this song?

Maider nodded. She had been too focused on him, on his sweaty, half-naked body. On those big, expressive, and incredibly blue eyes.

-Oh, yes. Here it is.

She cleared her throat. And began to sing, modulating her voice.

-Stone cold, stone cold...

Tenax listened to every word. The notes from Maider's mouth floated in the air, reaching peaks of musical perfection that Tenax had never believed he could hear.

It was the story of a deep, sharp pain. A story of abuse, of suffering, and the hope for rebirth.

He watched Maider as she sang and thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Yes, Tenax, the former criminal, the king of the Suburra who had made himself with fists and stabbings, believed that a twenty-five-year-old Jewish girl, a slave, who had suffered such great abuse that she couldn’t sleep, who sang accompanied by a lyre, was the missing piece in his life.

The piece that could ideally reunite him with Quintus.

That could make him stop fighting.

Maider finished. She had sung with all her heart. When she performed, she tried not to reveal too much of herself to those who listened. She just wanted to entertain people, and that was enough.

But now, next to that thirty-five-year-old man with countless scars and a nebulous past, she felt she could confide in him. She felt she could give him her heart for safekeeping, even if only for a little while. Even if he was her master.

No one dared to say a word. That song awakened their traumas, but at the same time, it bound them and healed them. Tenax swallowed with difficulty.

—It's beautiful. I want... I want you to perform it tomorrow.

Maider snapped out of her reverie.

—It's personal. Perhaps too personal.

—I know. I can see that— he looked at her —But I have no doubt it will touch everyone's hearts. You can play it in the evening when there are fewer people.

Maider sighed.

—I suppose I have no choice.

—Trust me. It will help you.

Maider looked at him.

—I think... letting you hear it has already helped me.

Tenax hesitated.

—You've helped me too. Everyone has their traumas, you'll see that... people will like it as much as I do.

—If that's the case, fine. I'll try.

—I don't doubt it.

Reason told him to get up, but he remained seated.

—Is... is that why you can't sleep?

Maider set the lyre aside.

—What happened on the journey to Rome marked me deeply. For days and days, I pretended to be someone I'm not, just to protect myself. Just to... avoid suffering more. But I suffered anyway, and a lot.

A tear ran down her cheek, but Maider didn’t notice.

—You think you're a certain type of person, then life puts you to the test, and you discover that you're willing to do anything just to survive. When I was on that stage, at my sale as a slave, I thought I would break. I had tried not to until that moment, but I saw it as inevitable. And then...— she laughed softly, shaking her head —I sang those few words and I saw you. And I understood...

—Yes?

Maider hesitated.

—I understood that I wouldn’t break.

Tenax nodded. Had he expected more?

—Got it.

He reluctantly stood up. He started to head for the door.

—Tenax...

He closed his eyes. He reopened them and turned around.

—I know nothing about you— Maider said to him.

He sighed.

—It's better that way. You wouldn’t look at me the same.

Maider shook her head.

—Put me to the test.

Tenax felt his heart tighten.

—Not today— he told her —Good night, Maider.

And he left the room.

After taking a few steps, he leaned against the wall and let himself fall.

His head in his hands.

***

Hi everyone! Eli here. Hope you liked this new chapter. Let me know in the comments ehat you think. Thank you ❤️

[judgmental-eyebrows]

new bbys + ❝  just let me look at you for a little bit.  ❞

you missed me

It’s been days since they’ve seen each other, his new responsibilities keeping Tenax far busier than he had anticipated. There was a social aspect to being Aedile Ludi that he hadn’t fully appreciated.

Despite the recent grisly spectacle of Marsus’s death, Antonia was determined to keep the Blue faction in good standing, the White faction was scrambling to prepare… it was everything Tenax thought it would be.

And yet, nothing at all what he imagined.

Leaving Scorpus’s home—how long would it be before it felt like his?—Tenax’s thoughts were swirling. Before nightfall, he had to meet with the emperor and—

“Cala.”

What was she doing here?

“Is Claudia in?” she asked, and Tenax bit back a smile. She was as perceptive as ever.

“At the market.”

“Ah.” She adjusted the small basket over her arm, filled with some sort of food. “I’ll come by later to—”

“Wait.” He stopped her as she turned to go, fingers dragging across her arm, softer than a whisper. “Just… let me look at you for a little bit.”

Chin raised, Cala met his gaze. “I take it to be that you have missed me?”

He… wasn’t sure how to answer that.

Because he had.

“You betrayed me.” The words were said far gentler than their meaning warranted.

“For the life of my child! You would have done the same” Cala said, “you did do the same! I watched you hand over all your gold for the lives of your kids.”

Tenax didn’t respond. Yes, he’d given in to Ursus’s demands, but not soon enough.

He didn’t see the children as often as before, but he knew that Nica still cried for her brother when she thought no one was watching.

He wanted to voice an apology. To tell her that she had been right, to promise her that he could become a decent man, if only—

Across from him, Cala sighed and stepped back. “Everything is different now, no?”

“Yes,” he sighed, shoulders suddenly weary. He watched as Cala turned and walked back the way she came. Then, she stopped.

Without facing him, she spoke. “I think you’ll find that some things don’t change. Not if you don’t let them.”

[p-clodius-pulcher]

When interviewed on the question whether his mentor’s or his estranged lover’s tits were better, aedile of 50 BCE Marcus Caelius Rufus refused to give an answer

[culiehua]

The Cursus honorum structure of the nephilim is kinda dodgy like ok you have a Consul, you have a Praetor (Inquisitor) but where is your Aedil? Are they the HOTIs? Where are the Quaestors?? Do they even have a finance dep??? Who is the Censor?? Raziel????

[septembersanctuary]

Government System Roles

[ PT: Government System Roles ]

Consul: A system member in a system that holds a “chief executive” position. A consul is expected to hold the responsibilities and powers similar to that of a steward, manager, gatekeeper, and/or internal self helper. They lead and oversee the system and may have the final say.

Praetor: A system member in a system who holds “judicial authority.” They typically enforce system rules, responsibilities, and accountability, but may enforce other rules in the system’s life. Depending on the system, they may be seen as a type of protector and/or gatekeeper.

Aedile: A system member in a system that performs various tasks in a system’s headspace, such as the upkeep of architecture, festivals, projects, rituals, and routines. They may oversee architects and be one themself.

Quaestor: A system member in a system that oversees an area of headspace. They may act as a governor of sorts and hold various responsibilities and roles similar to that of a gatekeeper, protector, and architect.

Proconsul: A system member in a system that holds “executive powers” but barely uses them or uses them passively. They may wield the powers of a steward, manager, gatekeeper, and/or internal self helper. They may used to be a consul, their active counterpart.

Tribune: An internal communicator within a system that acts as a representative for the system as a whole, often in a system with an internal government.

[blueiscoool]

The House of the Vettii in Pompeii Reopens

The House of the Vettii, one of the largest and richest homes in Pompeii, prodigiously endowed with a fresco of Priapus that has become an icon of the city, reopens to the public on Tuesday after years of complex restoration.

The House of the Vettii was the home of Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva, freedmen brothers who made a fortune as wine merchants and ascended the social ladder. Restitutus was a candidate for aedile, a magistrate responsible for holding public games and the maintenance of public buildings. Conviva was an Augustalis, a priest of the cult of the deified Augustus, a position of civic importance that was more akin to a magistracy. In this role he would have funded major public works projects.

The Vettii bought the house, originally built in the 2nd century B.C., after the earthquake of 62 A.D. It was in a tony neighborhood that many of the wealthy homeowners had left rather than rebuild. When the rich moved out, the nouveau-riche moved in. Freedmen who had made big bucks in trade like the Vettii were a prime example of the trend. They bought the aristocratic villa, repaired it and expanded it, adding a huge peristyle garden with statues and fountains. Every room was lavishly painted with frescoes on mythological motifs, telegraphing their wealth and the new status it bought them. Priapus, his massive phallus balancing on a scale against a bag of money, welcomed visitors in the vestibule of the house. Two large bronze strongboxes were placed in the atrium so everyone who got past Priapus would be confronted with the the most literal possible representation of the wealth of the Vettii.

The frescoes are mostly in the Pompeiian Fourth style, a combination of the previous three styles (faux marble veneers from the first, architectural trompe l’oeil from the second, ornate, stylized ornament from the third). The Vettii frescoes provide unique insight into the transition between the Third and Fourth style of mural painting. There is also a remarkable series of striking black and red frescoes depicting groups of cupids performing a variety of tasks, mythological ones like celebrating a festival of Bacchus and a festival of Vesta, sure, but of particular note are the representations of daily work, including the gathering and pressing of grapes, buying and selling the wine, dyeing and cleaning clothes in a fullery, picking flowers and making garlands for sale, making perfumed oil and making coins. The cupids are also captured at leisure, hunting on goat-back, racing in chariots pulled by deer and taking part in an archery contest.

The room adjacent to the kitchen was painted with a series of explicit erotic frescoes. It may have been a visual menu of options offered by an enslaved prostitute Eutychis who advertises her services for two asses (plural of as, the lowest-value Roman coin) on a graffito at the entrance of the house.

The domus was first excavated between late 1894 and early 1896. In the 1950s reinforced concrete roofs were added to the peristyle to protect the architectural remains from the elements. It was no longer protecting it, however. On the contrary, the flat concrete roof was unsound and directly contributing to water infiltration and damage.

Already affected by works in 1995, when the problem created by the concrete roofs of the 50s was evident, the house was partially reopened in 2016, after 12 years of closure and then closed again after 3 years for further restoration. Interventions that involved the roofing but also the paintings, with the removal of the patina created by previous restorations.

The old concrete roofs have now been replaced with sloped roofs formed from hollow blocks on metal frameworks. The wooden roofs added in the 1990s are still functional but needed refurbishment, and a new rainwater drainage system was devised to integrate the new roofs with the existing drainage system.

Conservators also cleaned and conserved the wall and floor decorations and the fixtures of the garden. It was a painstaking process of cleaning, regrouting and integrating interventions from different periods with the aim of recovering the legibility of the images and colors.

[fair-city-packs]

praying mantis alter? a bard/cottagecore fantasy kinda thing

I tried my best, enjoy! Feel free to make any changes!

A Robot Brings Your Delivery!

🤖

Name(s): Mantis, Holy, Bard, Core, Cottage, Ambrose, Flora, Amos, Clover, Anne, Archer, Asher, Briar, Ceder

Pronouns: He/She/They/Clover/Herb/Plant/Bard/Music/Muse/🎶/🎵/🌱/🪴/🌵/🌿/☘️/Mantis/Cottage

Would you like suggested neopronouns?: Yes

Gender(s): Agender, Genderfluid, Agenderfluid, Forestgender, Naturecoric, Leafin, Starforestaesic

Would you like suggested xenogenders?: Yes

Orientation(s): Unlabeled, Acespec, Polysexual, Polyromantic, Ambiamorous

Age(s): Ageless, Agehazy

Species: Elf

Source(s): None

Role(s): Gardentender, Aedile, Archaeologist, Chef

Personality traits/details: Calm, Comforting

Likes: Music, Making Music, Piano, Violin, Gardening, Baking, Making Good

Dislikes: N/A

Sign Off: No clue 😭

Extra details:

Faceclaim: N/A

Would you like a picrew?: Yes

PICREW

[inky-duchess]

I was wondering if you knew anything about Roman collegia? Specifically, if courtesans/brothel workers had one and how they were treated by society in general?

Collegia are collections of people who work in the same sector like guilds. They were respected organisations but some were not granted the same legality as other corporations despite sharing similar aims or structure. Collegia protected their members allowing them to share grievances snf offering certain protections, acting as a legal entity such as the making of contracts and the betterment of treatment. Collegia were organized by belief, by trade and by political affiliations. Courestans could either be protected under organized criminal collegia or register themselves with the aediles in order to gain official status.