#king numa

[ovid-daily]

Apr 15 | A • FORD • NP LUDI | XVII Kal.

King Numa is visited by Faunus during a dream in the sacred grove of Maenalus. His vision becomes the Fordicidia, where a pregnant cow is sacrificed to ensure the fruitfulness of the earth.

[flags-planes-and-fire]

Photo restorations done by Esteban Lemos on Facebook (Credit)

Alt ID is too long so I'll add it here (Spanish has been translated): The Mendoza Plumerillo Airport, 12 of October 1972:

Standing, left to right: Roberto Canessa, José Luis Inciarte, Daniel Shaw, Eduardo Strauch, Alvaro Mangino, Daniel Fernández, Enrique Platero, Roy Harley, Gustavo Nicholich, Rafael Echavarren, Ramón Sabella, Carlos Páez, Diego Storm, Roberto Francois, Fernando Parrado, Daniel Maspons, Juan Carlos Menéndez, Padro Algorta, Felipe Maquirriain, Numa Turcatti, Julio Martinez Lamas.

Crouched, left to right: Arturo Nogueira, Marcelo Pérez, Jorge Hounie, Guido Magri, Gustavo Zerbino, Panchito Abal, Fernando Vásquez, Antonio Vizintin, Carlos Valeta, Gastón Costemalle, Pancho Delgado and Adolfo Strauch.

Photo taken in mid 1972 at a Loyola Club dinner.

From left to right, Alfredo "Pancho" Delgado, Alfredo Cibils and Numa Turcatti

Thank you again to Mr. Lemos for these photos, amazing work! x

[thoughts-of-caly]

yeah all right fine. it was the decemviri who messed up the calendar ok. stop blaming caesar. we can blame him for other things tho

[somedaytakethetime]

Other people: *great, Ultra 4K HD top notch quality content* Me:

[ancientcharm]

History and evolution of the Roman calendar

In early Rome the calendar had 10 months. January and February did not exist. The year began on March 1st, according to tradition Romulus and Remus was born on the 24th of that month. The year had 304 days.

 Romulus calendar

The first four months were given a specific name.

Martius (March) The first month of the oldest Roman calendar. It is named after Roman god of war, and ancestor of the Roman people through his sons Romulus and Remus. It was the month of the army. From Martius comes the word Martial.

Aprilis (April) derived from aperire, which means to open, because in this month the earth opens its bosom to begin to produce flowers and fruits; it was under the protection of Venus and has been represented as a man dancing to the sound of an instrument. In later times, in Ancient Rome, this month was celebrated to honor Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. According to Roman tradition, Romulus founded the city on the 21st of this month.

Maius (May); month dedicated to the elderly, who were honored for the work they had done for Rome. Much later, this month was also dedicated to the goddess Maia (originally from Greece). For the Romans, Maia embodied the concept of growth, since her name was related to the Latin comparative adjective maius ("greater" or "elder").

Iunius (June). The queen of the gods, Juno, honours the name of this month.

The rest of the months were named after their numerical position:

Quintilis (Fifth) Sextīlis (Sixth) September (Seventh)

October (Eighth) November (Ninth) December (Tenth)

Numa Pompilius Calendar

After the death of Romulus there was an interregnum (a year without a king) after which Numa Pompilius was elected by the Senate. According to Roman historians and Roman tradition itself, the Senate was created by Romulus.

The calendar was reformed beginning in the Kings Etruscan period (7th-6th centuries BC), although Roman historians attributed the reform to King Numa Pompilius. In this reform, the length of the months was modified to last 29 and 31 days alternately and two months were added after December: Ianuarius and Februarius. The year came to last 355 days.

Ianuarius (January) related to Janus (Ianus) the god of the portals, the beginnings and endings.

Februarius (February) in honor of Februus, god of the dead and purification. During this month the Romans dedicated themselves to rites and religious functions to purify the body and spirit and propitiate the arrival of the new year. Februaris comes in turn from februum which means "purification".

This calendar was in force until the time of the Republic. From 153 BC, the lunar cycle was replaced by the solar cycle. Since the civil year began and ended on the winter solstice, the calendar had to start on January 1. Thus January and February became the first and second months of the year. Despite this change, the six months that were named according to their numerical position kept their names.

But things were not fixed after this reform, as the official lunar calendar was still out of phase with the seasonal course, based on the solar cycle, it was decided to add two months every four years, one of 22 and the other of 23 days, called intercalary. The complicated system of adjusting the months so that the years would fit the solar cycle was controlled by the College of Pontiffs, but this inconsistency was never satisfactorily resolved.

Until JULIUS CAESAR arrived

The Julian Calendar

With the collaboration of the prestigious astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar definitively.

This reform dated the Roman seasons and festivals according to the astronomical moment in which they occurred. It was agreed that every year should have 365 days, and every four years would have 366 days; these years would be called Leap Years.

The new calendar was implemented in 46 BC; The Romans called it "The last year of confusion."

It was not until this calendar, known first as the Julius Calendar and much later as the Julian, that the months began to have the same number of days as they have to this day.

Following the infamous Ides of March in 44 BC, on the initiative of Mark Antony, the month in which Julius Caesar was born (Quintilis) was dedicated to him and named Iulius (July).

In 8 BC, through the Lex Pacuvia de mense Sextilis, the Senate dedicated the month of Sextilis to Augustus. The homage was supposedly because he had been named Consul for the first time in 43 BC in the month Sextilis, but in reality it was because he had conquered Egypt also in that month. Ironically, August died on August 19th, 14 AD.

[uncleclaudius]

The Lyon Tablet, a transcript of the speech Emperor Claudius had given in the Senate in 48 AD, arguing for the admission of senators from Gaul.

1. I should say at the outset that I reject the first thought that will, I am sure, be the very first thing to stand in my way: namely that you will recoil from my suggestion as though I were introducing some revolutionary innovation.  Think, instead, of how many changes have taken place over the years in this state and how many forms and constitutions our state has had, from the time of its very foundation.

2. At one time this city was held by kings, though they did not pass it along to successors from their own families. People from other families came to the throne and even some foreigners.  Numa, for example, succeded Romulus, and was a Sabine; that made him a neighbor, certainly, but at the time he was also a foreigner. Another example is Tarquinius Priscus, who succeded Ancus Marcius: because of his impure blood--his father was the Corinthian Demaratus and his mother was from Tarquinii, to Tarquinius Priscus supposedly had a Greek father and an Etruscan mother. And though well-born she was very poor, which is why she was forced to marry such a husband.--Tarquinius was kept from positions of honor in his own land and thus emigrated to Rome, where he became king.  Between Tarquinius and either his son or his grandson (for our authorities disagree on this point) there came Servius Tullius.  And according to the Roman sources Servius Tullius had as a mother a prisoner of war, Ocresia; according to the Etruscans he had been the faithful companion of Caelius Vivenna and took part in his adventures, and later, when he was driven out by a change of fortune, he left Etruria with all the suriving troops of Caelius and seized the Caeliian hill, which thus takes its name from his leader Caelius, and after changing his name (for his Etruscan name was Mastarna) he was given the name I have already mentioned, and became king, to the very great advantage of the state. Then, after the behavior of Tarquinius Superbus came to be hated by our city--and not only his behavior but that of his sons--the people obviously became tired of monarchy, and the administration of state was transferred to the consuls, who were annual magistates.

3. Why need I mention the dictatorship--more powerful even than the consulship--which was what our ancestors came up with when wars were particularly hard or there was serious civil disturbance?  Or why need I mention the the creation of tribunes of the plebs, to provide assistance for the plebs?  Why mention transfer of imperium from consuls to the decemviri, and at the end of the reign of the decemviri the return of imperium back to the consuls?  Why mention the distribution of the consular power to multiple recipients, called tribunes of the soldiers with consular power, who were first six and then eight in number?  Why should I mention the fact that offices that were once patrician ones were shared eventually with the plebeians, religious ones as well as military?

4. If I were to tell of the wars, which our ancestors started with and which have continued down to the present day, I fear that I would appear too boastful, and look as though I wanted to boast about my glory in extending the empire beyond the Ocean.  But let me instead return to my original point.  Citizenship can ... [some text is lost here]

[column II]

5. Certainly it was a new thing when my great-uncle Augustus and my uncle Tiberius decided to admit into this Senate house the flower of the coloniae and the cities from all over the empire--all of them good and wealthy men of course.  But, you may say, is not an Italian senator more useful than a provincial one?  When I start explaining this aspect of my censorship I will reveal what I think about that.   But certainly I  think that provincials should not be rejected, as long as they will be a credit to the Senate.

6. Behold that most glorious and flourishing colony of Vienne: how long has it provided senators for this chamber?  From Vienne comes an ornament of the equestrian order with few equals, Lucius Vestinus, whom I esteem greatly and retain even now in my service.   May his children, I beseech you, enjoy priesthoods of the first rank, and after that, in the years to come, may they proceed to further honors.  (I will not utter the dire name of that brigand—I detest him, that monster of the wrestling-ring—or the fact that he acquired the consulship for his family before his colony had ever obtained the solid benefit of the Roman citizenship.  And I could say the same thing about his brother, who suffered a pathetic and fate, and was thus no use to you as a senator.)

7. It is time now, Tiberius Caesar Germanicus, to reveal to the senators where your speech is headed; for you have already come to the extreme limits of Gallia Narbonensis.

8. Consider all the distinguished young men I see before me: the fact that they are senators should cause no more regret than that felt by Persicus--a most distinguished man and a friend of mine--when he reads the name Allobrogicus among the images of his ancestors.  And if you agree that this is true, what should I not also point out to you that the land beyond Gallia Narbonensis already sends you senators?  We do not, after all, regret that we have men in the senate from Lugdunum.

9. I was somewhat hesitant, senators, about leaving the boundaries of provinces that were well known to you, but now I must make the case for Gallia Comata with some seriousness.  If anyone concentrates on the fact that the Gauls resisted the divine Julius in war for ten years, he should consider that they have also been loyal and trustworthy for a hundred years, and had this loyalty tried to the utmost when we were in danger.  They it was who provided my father Drusus with secure internal peace when he was conquering Germany, even though he was summoned to the war while in the middle of a census, which was then a new and strange business for the Gauls.  And we know from our own experience how difficult the census can be, even though for us it involves nothing more than the public recording of our resources. (tr. E. M. Smallwood)

[cursecuelebre]

Roman Spirituality

I always wanted to make a blog about this topic because ever since I’ve heard about the Romans and their history that they copy and pasted Greek religion and their gods and such, I never understood it. This is a peninsula filled with people from different tribes and kingdoms before they synchronized their traditions with the Greeks. They had their own indigenous culture, gods, goddesses, and traditions. There is evidence of this and yes there is a few missing pieces but overall it proves that the Romans and the people living on the peninsula had their own culture. I will break it down in segments or try to at least explain this is mainly focusing on Rome than other kingdoms in Ancient Italy but feel free to jump around it's going to be a long blog, but I hope I did do my diligence of discussing this.

Romans weren’t the only people living on the Italian peninsula.

When we think of Ancient Italy and its history we usually think of Roman Empire and how could we not. The Romans accomplished many things, became the largest empire, influence many rulers, help flourishing Christianity. But before the Republic and the imperialism Rome wasn’t Rome, in fact Rome was a small little kingdom called Latium that resided in central western Italy. Latium - meant “Wide” or “Flatlands” and rested on the left bank of the Tiberius river And much like how Greece was it was a city state filled with many other kingdoms and such next to them.

Tuscans (more advanced politically and culturally). Commonly known as the Etruscans this considered to be the first Italic tribe and the oldest one with their written language inspiring Latin and their written language was similar to that of runes. Many of their political, traditions, religion was adopted or influenced by the Romans more so than Greeks. For instance Tinia their supreme God came to be known as Jupiter. Latins the tribe that will soon become the seat of the Roman Empire uniting itself with Samnites, Umbri from Umbria, Ligures, Oscans or the Osci, Sabines, Apuli, Brutti, Volscians, Lucanians or Lucani and the celts also settled on the Italian peninsula as well as Greek colonists. These tribes had their own languages and cultural traditions, but out of them the Romans took most inspiration from the Sabines and the Etruscans culturally and politically other than the Greeks.

Indigenous Roman Polytheism

Now when I say indigenous, I mean what the original people of Italy believed in during the Iron Age and trying to prove that the Roman gods are originated from Latium is difficult and not logical because remember people share and merge together and Italy is a peninsula and not much room of spacing out of tribes, they were living literally next to each other. However, even if they adopted similar beliefs and traditions, tribes were not the same at times didn’t speak the same language or believed the same way. The best way to compare it to is how in indigenous Americans, yes, they are on the same continent they may share similarities, but they still believed different religions, spoke in different languages, had different cultures. However, regarding with Rome specifically, in rise of the Roman Empire and Italy or Roma became united these beliefs tend to merge into one and adapting them.

So unfortunately, there is not many stories or information on Latium’s religious practices that hasn’t been influenced by outside forces. However, before it has been found that Latium was more animistic than believing in actual human representation of the divine. Animistic and Animism derives from Latin ‘anima’ meaning soul.

Numa

There is a concept called Numen or divine life within each object and such this was carried on in the History of pre-Christian Rome. For instance, they believe springs, rocks, mildew, the air, doors, hinges, etc. had divine life to them. Numa comes from the King Numen who was a great king that created the foundations of religion in Rome also politically. Even created Rome’s first calendar and establishing the Vestal Virgins. It is said he was an agent of the gods and had direct communication with them. Numen became deified and worshipped for his Wisdom and piety.

Before they had human depictions and originally may didn’t see their gods as human alike in appearance rather used metals to represent Mars, rocks or wood from sacred trees for a specific god, their deities were nature itself. It was until they were inspired by Greeks and their Sicilian neighbors as well Etruscans when they adopted a more human appearance for visually depicting the gods.

Latium was also a port with many different outside influences go into their culture very early on and this is most likely why they were inspired by the Greeks. The Mycenaean Greeks colonized parts of Italy and trading with them. When the Romans were adopting similar beliefs and ideas of the Greeks there were resistance of the Latin people wanting to stick to their indigenous beliefs and not wanting to merge with the Hellenism. But they (The Romans) when growing their empire, they did adopt religious beliefs and traditions from Sabines who were on the other side of the Tiber River, it’s said some goddesses were adopted such as Sabine moon goddess called Lala that the Romans called Luna.

Animism in Roman society

Now it be forever taking a god one by one from the Romans to see if they came from an indigenous source is hard and will take hours plus I have a couple of blog posts about specific Roman deities. But rather look at the unique nature of examples of Animism within Roman society certain concepts are link to gods.

Ancestors

Ancestral worship was very prevalent within Roman society and religion. From family members, kings, emperors, friends, even to pets the romans revered their dead. Even had festivals for them and there are three special kinds of spirits relating to ancestral worship or it takes part in these ceremonies.

Lares: Specifically, Lares Familiares The spirits of the ancestors technically speaking a guardian of deceased family members and living and the household, the singular is Lar Familiares. A very important spirit in Roman polytheistic religion, they would have altar called Lararia or Lariarium usually where the family members would gather like a living room or back then a hearth. Domestic Lares would have a special place at the dinner table sharing a space with the family. These Lares would also be prayed and be given offerings daily and annually such as wine, pastries like honeycakes, first fruits (from the haverst), incense, grapes, wheat foods. Lares were gods of boundaries, the public, and fields. Domestic Lares are called Lares Domestici and specifically for family is Lares Familiares but they were used interchangeably if they were displeased or offerings, we’d not met they would have unfavourable reception evolving in angry spirit and makes sure no-good fortune or rewards befallen the family until they are pleased. Their festival is Compitalia which is the annual festival of Lares and other respected household deities of the crossroads, held on December 22 there were shrines of Lares placed in sights of crossroads representing their role in liminal spaces.

Often depicted as a young male, not always winged youth holding a cornucopia or libation dish, at times depicted as dancing. Lares of the household is often portrayed as a deified ancestor or hero ancestor, this ancestor is usually patriarchal and the spirits witnessed special events like marriages, boys coming of age, anniversaries, adoptions, etc. their purpose were very protective and providers of good fortune. They were often associated with the panes or penates.

Manes: Were referred as di manes or the divine dead those who departed became a mane, these were either Lares or Parentes of their respective families. Mane was considered the “divine spark” of a living person their consciousness that resides in their minds. Busts of one’s family member is said to have their mane within the art to be honored and welcome in the home even after they departed. That’s why you many you see many busts of Roman people including emperors, it can be made from wax which would put on the departed face then be made as a death mask where people would wear it during the person’s funeral as a way to honor their legacy. Their busts also be present during gatherings and civil and political gatherings as well so they can be included. They were celebrated during Parentalia, Feralia, and Lemuria.

Parentes: These are spirits of the family much like Lares however the Parentes is immediate family like father, mother, siblings, spouses, children, and grandparents. It the individual’s family members that passed that they knew in life. If one were to travel outside of their home to go somewhere very far. The person would keep embers from their hearth along with small statues of their deceased loved ones. In modern days this is equivalent to carrying a picture of a loved one with us. In the movie Gladiator depicts this tradition when Maximus prays to his deceased wife and son. The starting prayer would be “blessed father” and “blessed mother”. Referring to their own mother and father rather than praying to Jupiter for an archetypal father. The sacred holiday is Parentalia beginning on February 13 ending for nine days ending on the beginning of Feralia which focused on honoring deceased ancestors and recently departed then Carista starts which traditionally a time to focus on honoring living family members.

Household deities

Janus: God of doorways and entrances. Depicted as a two-faced man.

Vesta: Goddess of the hearth and home.

Cardea: Goddess of hinges

Forculus: God of actual doors

Limentinus: God of the threshold

Terminus: God of Boundaries.

General household spirits

Penates: Spirits of the kitchen and pantry and often worshipped alongside the Lares, their shrines would be in cupboards and be offered the first fruits and grain from harvest. They protect the food from any rot, illness that may grow in the kitchen or the food itself. Like the Lares they would also be shared a spot at the dinner table the offerings be burn in the hearth afterwards.

Lemures: Restless spirits that tend to be more malicious if they are displeased. Often show their anger through what we call today a poltergeist. It was believed it was the angry revenants of the departed who were restless because their wills were not fulfilled, offerings weren't given, or hadn't received a proper burial. According to Ovid, Lemures caused chaos in Rome as they were not properly worshipping them so they created a sacred holiday for them called Lemuria held on May 9, 11,and 13th.

Genius Loci: Genius is the spirit form of manhood symbolize by a snake. That is the head of the household it is related to the patriarchal structure of the home. Genius Loci is the spirit of the ground on which the house is built upon. Modern witchcraft and paganism may describe them as a 'land spirit'. But it's not really how the Romans saw it, they believed that the Genius Loci is directly link to the Genius of the household so the father of the house, if the Genius Loci is pleased and worshipped properly then the patriarchal of the house would be prosperous and have good fortune.

Umbrae (Shades): So these are just commonly knowledge as ghosts and apparitions of spirits, depending how and what the context when they make their appearance known then they could understand what type of omen was being crossed to them. For instance seeing a deceased loved one in a dream is consider to be a good omen, but if a stranger it is a bad omen or if they saw the ghost during the day in waking hours was consider to very bad. They were also honored a Feralia and Lemuria and during these festivals people would wear protective charms from the spirits in case of misfortune.

[byorkewkew]

In case you didn't know Neuvillette used to be the "Patriarch of Pure Waters", and if you think about it Neuvillette is 100% inspired by Numa Pompilius who was Egeria's consort, a priest and a judge. Soooo I was wondering couldyou please draw Neuvillette in a priest clothes? 🙏🙏🙏🙏

plz i ddunno how priests supposed to look like in ancient Rome Numa Pompilius also called the King of Rome by wiki so it's kinda fitting still

[ancientrome]

Jupiter, or Jove, in Roman mythology is the king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder, equivalent to Zeus in Greek traditions. Jupiter was the chief deity of Roman state religion throughout the Republican and Imperial eras, until Christianity became the dominant religion of the Empire. In Roman mythology, he negotiates with Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, to establish principles of Roman religion such as sacrifice. Jupiter is usually thought to have originated as a sky god. His identifying implement is the thunderbolt, and his primary sacred animal is the eagle. x

[blueiscoool]

Rome's Vestal Virgins: Protectors of The City's Sacred Flame

Chosen as young girls, the priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, swore a 30-year vow of chastity and in turn were granted rights, privileges, and power unavailable to other women in Rome.

Marcus Licinius Crassus was one of the richest and most powerful Roman citizens in the first century B.C. Yet he nearly lost it all, his life included, when he was accused of being too intimate with Licinia, a Vestal Virgin. He was brought to trial, where his true motives emerged. As the first-century historian Plutarch recounts, Licinia was the owner of “a pleasant villa in the suburbs which Crassus wished to get at a low price, and it was for this reason that he was forever hovering about the woman and paying his court to her.” When it became clear that Crassus’ wooing was motivated by avarice rather than lust, he was acquitted, saving both his and Licinia’s lives.

One of the most remarkable elements of this story is the fact that Licinia owned a villa in the first place. Unlike other women, Licinia could own property precisely because she was a Vestal Virgin. The story of her trial also reveals how that privilege came with a price: A Vestal Virgin had to abstain from sex, a sacred obligation to one of Rome’s most ancient customs that would continue until Christianity ended the cult in A.D. 394.

FIRE GODDESS: The remains of the Temple of Vesta stand in the Roman Forum. Unlike most temples, it did not contain a central image of the goddess. It was the site of the holy fire and a repository of various sacred artifacts.

Vestal Veneration

According to Roman authors, the cult was founded by Numa Pompilius, a semi-mythical Roman king who ruled around 715 to 673 B.C. Unlike most Roman religious cults, worship of Vesta was run by women. The hearth was sacred to this goddess, one of Rome’s three major virgin goddesses (the other two being Minerva and Diana). The rites surrounding the Vestals remained relatively fixed from the time of the Roman Republic through the fourth century A.D.

Six virgin priestesses were dedicated to Vesta as full-time officiates who lived in their own residence, the Atrium Vestae in the Roman Forum. The Vestals’ long tradition gave Romans a reassuring thread of continuity and may explain the Temple of Vesta’s traditional circular form, a style associated with rustic huts in the city’s deep past.

KEEP THE FIRE The Vestal Virgins tend the sacred fire of Vesta, on whose protection Rome depends. 17th-century oil painting by Ciro Ferri, Galleria Spada, Rome

This place of worship, which lay alongside the Atrium, was where the priestesses tended the goddess’s sacred fire. Once a year, in March, they relit the fire and then ensured it remained burning for the next year. Their task was serious as the fire was tied to the fortunes of their city, and neglect would bring disaster to Rome.

To become a Vestal was the luck of the draw. Captio, the process whereby the girls were selected to leave their families and become priestesses, is also the Latin word for “capture”—a telling turn of phrase that evokes the kidnapping of women for brides that took place in archaic Rome. Records from 65 B.C. show that a list of potential Vestals was drawn up by the Pontifex Maximus, Rome’s supreme religious authority. Candidates had to be girls between the ages of six and 10, born to patrician parents, and free from mental and physical defects. Final candidates were then publicly selected by lot. Once initiated, they were sworn to Vesta’s service for 30 years.

On being selected, their life was spent at the Atrium Vestae in a surrogate family, presided over by older Vestals. In addition to room and board, they were entitled to their own bodyguard of lictors. For the first 10 years they were initiates, taught by the older priestesses. Then they became priestesses for a decade before taking on the mentoring duties of the initiates for the last 10 years of their service.

Training the Novices

"The School of the Vestal Virgins" 19th-century colorized engraving by L. Hector Leroux.

After lots were drawn from the list of young girls who could serve Vesta, initiates were brought to the Atrium Vestae, where their training would begin. The training was overseen by the chief priestess, the Vestalis Maxima, who came under the authority of the Pontifex Maximus. The first 10 years were spent training for their duties. They would spend the second decade actively administering rites, and the final 10 were spent training novices. The chastity of the priestesses was a reflection of the health of Rome itself. Although spilling a virgin’s blood to kill her was a sin, this did not preclude the infliction of harsh corporal punishment. First-century historian Plutarch writes: “If these Vestals commit any minor fault, they are punishable by the high-priest only, who scourges the offender.”

Public monies and donations to the order funded the cult and the priestesses. In Rome religion and government were tightly intertwined. The organization of the state closely mirrored that of the basic Roman institution: the family. The center of life of the Roman home, or domus, was the hearth, tended by the matriarch for the good of her family and husband. In the same way, the Vestals tended Vesta’s flame for the good of the state.

A silver denarius, also from the second century B.C., bears a representation of the circular Temple of Vesta.

Unlike other Roman women, Vestals enjoyed certain privileges: In addition to being able to own property and enjoying certain tax exemptions, Vestals were emancipated from their family’s patria potestas, patriarchal power. They could make their own wills and give evidence in a court of law without being obliged to swear an oath.

Thirty Years of Chastity

These rights came at a high price: 30 years of enforced chastity. Many historians believe that the health of the state was tied to the virtue of its women; because the Vestals’ purity was both highly visible and holy, penalties for a Vestal breaking her vow of chastity were draconian. As it was forbidden to shed a Vestal Virgin’s blood, the method of execution was immuration: being bricked up in a chamber and left to starve to death. Punishment for her sexual partner was just as brutal: death by whipping. Throughout Roman history, instances are cited of these grim sentences being passed.

Jealousy or malice made the women vulnerable to false accusations. One story, celebrated by several Roman writers, concerns the miracle of the Vestal Virgin Tuccia, who was falsely accused of being unchaste. According to tradition, Tuccia beseeched Vesta for help and miraculously proved her innocence by carrying a sieve full of water from the Tiber.

Allegations of crimes against the Vestals’ chastity sometimes went to the top of the social order. The flamboyantly eccentric, third-century emperor Elagabalus actually married a serving Vestal Virgin. It is a sign of the enduring symbolic importance of the cult that this heresy was one major factor that led to his deposal and murder.

The Vestal Tuccia, falsey accused of breaking her chastity vow, is saved by the intervention of Vesta, who enables her to carry water in a sieve from the Tiber back to the temple. 17th-century painting by Giovanni Battista Beinaschi.

Vestal Vestments

The ceremonial dress of Vestals highlights their dual, and somewhat contradictory, embodiment of both the maternal and the chaste. Physical appearance was an integral part of their role, making them stand out as different from other women, but also echoing physical traits of conventional women.

Dressed in white, the color of purity, the Vestal Virgins wore stola, long gowns worn by Roman matrons. Hair and headdresses played an important symbolic function. The Vestal hairstyle is described in Roman sources using an ancient Latin phrase, the seni crines. Historians cautiously agree it means “sixbraids,” and is mentioned as the coiffure of both Vestal Virgins and brides. A Vestal wore the suffibulum, a short, white cloth similar to a bride’s veil, kept in place with a brooch, the fibula. Around their heads they wore a headband, the infula, which was associated with Roman matrons.

Daily rites for Vestals were often centered around the temple. Most important was maintaining the holy fire. If the fire went out, the attending Vestals would be suspected not only of neglect but also of licentiousness, since it was believed impurity in a Vestal’s relations would cause a fire to go out. Other typical duties included the purification of the temple with water, which had to be drawn from a running stream. In readiness for the numerous festivals that required their attendance, the priestesses were required to bake salsa mola, a cake of meal and salt that was sprinkled on the horns of sacrificed animals. Important religious festivals included the Vestalia, dedicated to their goddess, Vesta, and the Lupercalia, which highlights the contradictory role of the Vestal Virgins, as it was closely associated with fertility.

A representation of a Vestal Virgin.

A Roman Tradition

A bust of Numa Pompilius from the Villa Albani Museum in Rome, believed to have been sculpted in the Roman Imperial Period.

Romans believed the cult of the Vestal Virgins was instituted under the eighth-century B.C. king Numa Pompilius, the successor of Rome’s founder, Romulus. First-century A.D. historian Plutarch wrote that Numa may have “considered the nature of fire to be pure and uncorrupted and so entrusted it to uncontaminated and undefiled bodies.“ Numa is credited by Livy, in his History of Rome, with formalizing other key Roman cults, including those of Jupiter and Mars. Many historians believe Numa was legendary, and that the worship of Vesta and other cults developed slowly out of pre-Roman customs, perhaps dating back to the older Etruscan culture that dominated Italy before the rise of Rome.

In the innermost part of their temple, the priestesses looked after their secret talismans. Among these objects was the sacred phallus, the fascinus, the representation of a minor god of the same name. The fascinus (the root of the word “fascinate”) is closely bound with magic and fertility. It was also in this part of the temple that they probably kept the palladium, the statue of Pallas Athena that the legendary founder of Rome, Aeneas, brought to Italy after the destruction of Troy, his home city—another aspect of the Vestal cult that tied Rome’s origins into an ennobling and ancient tradition.

Romans regarded these priestesses with a sense of awe. Plutarch points out “they were also keepers of other divine secrets, concealed from all but themselves.” It was believed they possessed magical powers: If anybody condemned to death saw a Vestal on his way to being executed, he was to be freed, so long as it could be proven the meeting was not by design. Vestals, it was said, could stop a runaway slave in his tracks.

The privileged position of the Vestal Virgins in Roman society survived for more than a thousand years, passing through Rome’s changing systems of monarchy, republic, and empire. The cult would not, however, survive Christianity. In A.D. 394 Theodosius closed the House of the Vestals forever, freeing the virgins from their obligations, but also removing their privileges.

VIEW OF THE VESTAThe ruins of the Atrium Vestae stand in the Roman Forum. The rectangular pools formed a part of the complex’s long, central patio. To the right of the Atrium are the remains of the Temple of Vesta, and behind the wall are the three remaining columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux.

Even as their flame was extinguished, aspects of the cult may have passed into the new faith as it swept through the Mediterranean. Just as the position of the Pontifex Maximus lived on in the papal title “pontiff,” young women in the early years of Roman Christianity embraced virginity and celibacy in their desire to be “eunuchs for the love of heaven.” Scholars believe the role of the Christian nun was inspired, in part, by the chaste figures who dutifully tended the holy flame of Vesta.

By Elda Biggi.

[tinyznnie]

Dentro de um Abraço - n.j.

Jaemin x leitora gênero: fluff wc: 905 parte da série Jota25

Seu dia tinha começado o mais bagunçado possível.

Por conta da recente onda de calor que tomou praticamente todo o país, você mal tinha conseguido dormir durante a noite, acordando com seu cabelo todo molhado de suor. Aí não tinha roupa para ir trabalhar, porque se recusava a enfiar seu corpo numa calça jeans apertada e quente, então teve que procurar um vestido longo e improvisar para que não ficasse decotado demais. O quarto estava quente demais, então seu celular fez o favor de não carregar totalmente durante a noite porque superaqueceu. 

Estranhamente, você conseguiu sair de casa no horário, e até chegou a pensar que sua maré de azar tinha acabado. Que grande engano seu. Chegou no terminal em tempo suficiente para não chegar atrasada no trabalho, mas as longas filas do local fizeram com que você saísse atrasada. Quando finalmente entrou no ônibus, o ar condicionado do veículo estava quebrado, e isso somado às outras pessoas ali dentro queria dizer que você provavelmente chegaria ao trabalho toda suada e nojenta. 

E o trajeto que normalmente levava sessenta minutos, levou setenta, e você chegou dez minutos atrasada, recebendo um olhar feio da sua supervisora antes de começar a trabalhar. Era estagiária, então qualquer motivo era suficiente para pegarem no seu pé. 

O dia se arrastou mais que o normal. E no almoço, mais coisas deram errado: seu almoço acabou azedando com o calor e sua preciosa refeição que te manteria até chegar em casa tarde da noite tinha ido pro lixo e substituída por um salgado da padaria próxima ao prédio que você trabalhava. Você não sabia se tinha forças para ir assistir suas aulas na faculdade e só sair depois das dez da noite. 

E não só isso, tinha tido uma breve discussão com sua mãe na noite anterior, por algo que nem se lembra, provavelmente vocês duas com os nervos à flor da pele e estressadas com o calor insuportável que fazia em São Paulo. Você mal sabia de onde tinha tirado energia para sair da cama e enfrentar o dia. Tudo parecia o inferno e cada minuto era uma tortura.

Mas, felizmente, às cinco da tarde você estava finalmente livre do trabalho, indo em direção ao seu campus da faculdade, repetindo na sua mente que podia fazer aquilo, que você é uma mulher forte e dedicada que consegue acompanhar uma aula de três horas sem cair de sono ou chorar no meio da sala de aula. 

Sessenta segundos pareciam ser duzentos e quarenta na aula que você já não era a maior fã em dias que estava de bom humor, num dia como esse, você só queria se enfiar num buraco pra ter paz e sossego. Nem queria papo com seus colegas, apenas que aquele dia infeliz terminasse logo e você pudesse ir pra casa. Seu corpo clamava por um banho morno e talvez um pote de sorvete pra matar o calor. 

Entretanto, você teve a maior sorte do mundo de namorar a melhor pessoa que poderia pedir. Pontualmente às dez e meia, horário que sua aula acabava, Jaemin te esperava encostado no carro, pronto para te levar pra casa, com um copo do seu milkshake favorito do Burger King, de Ovomaltine.

“Oi minha princesa.” ele sorriu, te estendendo o copo, que você aceitou de muito bom grado porque 1, era delicioso e 2, estava morrendo de calor. “Dia difícil?”

“Como você sabia?” perguntou espantada. Como ele poderia ter adivinhado? Estava tão óbvio pela sua expressão?

“Você ficou muito quietinha o dia todo, quase não falou comigo. Aí achei melhor vir te ver, ver se estava tudo bem, te fazer uma surpresa e ainda matar seu calor.” ele sorriu. “Quer dar uma volta e conversar? Te deixo em casa depois. Eu até te convidaria pra dormir lá em casa, mas meu ventilador quebrou e tá tudo quentão lá. Não vou te fazer passar mais calor.” 

“Uma volta já ajuda bastante.” você sorriu, entrando no carro assim que Jaemin abriu a porta pra você, tirando a bolsa de seu ombro antes que você entrasse no veículo.

Então Jaemin só dirigiu, virando em ruas aleatórias enquanto deixava você desabafar sobre seu dia e todas as suas ansiedades, nervosismos e quaisquer outras coisas que estivessem rondando sua mente e te incomodando. Depois, como prometido, ele estacionou na frente da sua casa, abrindo a porta do carro pra você descer e encostando no mesmo, te puxando pra perto e te abraçando. Já passava da meia noite e o ar estava mais fresco, e Jaemin desenhava pequenas figuras de forma aleatória em suas costas, a outra mão fazendo um cafuné gostoso no seu cabelo.

“Eu sei que seu dia não foi dos melhores, mas eu prometo que amanhã vai ser melhor, e se não for, estou aqui pra você, pra te ouvir e tentar tirar um sorriso desse seu rostinho lindo, tudo bem?” ele falou antes de depositar um beijo delicado em sua têmpora, te tocando delicadamente como se você fosse a mais fina porcelana chinesa e ele morresse de medo de te deixar quebrar.

“Tudo bem.” você respondeu sem conseguir conter seu sorriso. Seu mau humor e frustrações derretendo enquanto Jaemin te envolvia naquele abraço que parecia curar tudo. O melhor lugar do mundo era dentro do abraço dele, e isso só estava sendo reafirmado depois de ele conseguir melhorar seu dia que parecia não ter solução. “Te amo, Nana.”

“Também te amo, minha princesa.”

[ghostl0re]

this is just for fun this post is not to be taken as a complete reality of his personality. astrology is a hobby for me i study it and read charts for fun so im not an expert. also this post was written based on his chart with NO houses.

(images for mere representation of his energy)

moon (moon tri. mars, moon sext. uranus and neptune, moon tri. pluto; magnetic, attractive, he could be able to read people easily and may want constant change) and mercury (mercury tri. mars; energetic, loves to learn, active) in pisces honestly i can sense it in his interviews. may appear shy. he feels a lot, there was this interview where he said he connected spiritually w Numa...yeah. he's sensitive. VERY. an empath.

venus in aries im not surprised you can actually see it in certain videos with a certain person (iyyk) (venus sq. mars, venus opp. jupiter, venus sq. uranus, neptune; commitment problems, low self-esteem, sweet person regardless) he kinda needs constant stimulation or he'll get bored but when he loves he goes all in and with passion (im not gonna talk about the s3xúal stuff cuz i feel like im crossing a line lol i respect him) if he's not interested in someone believe me YOU'LL KNOW

sun in aries like are we surprised? he's sooo confident also prob very flirty, FUN, a leader, impulsive and definitely energetic (sun opp. jupiter, sun tr. pluto; could have a big ego and is also an influential person, if we read his chart w gemini rising he has sun conj. moon; caring person) let's not forget all that aries chaotic energy like sarcasm, wanting to do everything fast in life, thinking they're always right, being judgemental, optimistic, bursts of energy, wanting attention or getting over things easily, honest AF lol

mars in cancer soo passive-agressive and a protector of those he loves, loyal, moody, sensitive and just nice overall. (mars sq. jupiter, mars opp uranus, neptune; bro gets the work done but could be unpredictable, dramatic, could be one of those people that just loses their shit just chaotic overall, cancer helps A LOT tho)

jupiter in libra popular, charismatic, creative, kind he's great w the arts but i think we already knew that lol he could have a lot of luck in the arts and look at him now, everyone loves him

saturn in aquarius a leader, responsible, secretive, loyal and confident he gets the work done (saturn sq. pluto; he could be stubborn af, face hard challenges, etc. could get dark but also very good cuz it makes him a resilient person)

uranus and neptune in capricorn (generational planets) hard working, determined, responsible, wants success, independent. (uranus conj. neptune, uranus sext. pluto, neptune sext. pluto; strong personality, curious mind, imaginative, could be curious in spiritual topics)

pluto in scorpio (generational planet) remember Bayona used to say Enzo had this mysterious energy? pluto in scorpio could be one of the many reasons (f.e his pisces moon) why he seems mysterious, he could feel a lot since is a water sign, emotional, MAGNETIC but this planet as well as uranus and neptune are more about a whole generation.

lilith in pisces bro he's super and i mean SUPER intuitive, EMPHATIC and creative (he has A LOT of water in his chart) he has a vivid imagination but it also signifies addictions or anxiety (i wont be diving into it tho) lilith in pisces could mean self-sabotage tendencies, excesssive tendencies (in anything), lives in their head, trust issues, escapism and repress their emotions. and that's all because this placement feels A LOT is always connected with everyone and everything.

chiron in leo he has the wound of talent he prob thinks he's not talented enough he actually thought he was gonna get fired many times lmfao

summary: he's very VERY emotional person. i almost drowned looking at his chart, water king. water makes him a super sensitive dude, his fire placements make him more energetic and confident, he's emotional, spontaneous, fun, energetic, down to earth, unpredictable, expressive, ambitious, spiritual, sensitive and impulsive, reads people like a book, he feels deeply, most likely an empath. i would say that the reason he's captivating are his pisces placements (if i knew his birth time this would be so much more detailed) he probably had (or has) anxiety and self-doubt thoughts i see him more of an ambivert kind of person, you can see in his interviews and even in his insta posts how deep and sensitive he is but also his fiery combination, he just seems fun. overall he's a super cool dude i like his energy a lot, he's very magnetic. im gonna say a weird thing but he kinda reminds me of getaway car (yes...the taylor swift song, wanna know the specific part of the song that reminds me more of him? after the bridge, when piano intensifies loll)

note: im not including his north and south node cuz they're more specific depending on the house they land, i would love to know his birth time to get more specific things but alr

[poesia]

A mensagem do Natal: Não há maior poder do que o amor. Ele supera o ódio como a luz supera a escuridão.

Martin Luther King

Natal é o sinal de que Deus, em vez de nos olhar de cima para baixo, preferiu nos olhar nos olhos.

Lucas Lujan

Questiona-se se pode haver Natal quando de quase todos os lares foram arrebatados entes queridos, pais, filhos, em muitos casos paira a certeza, em todos, a ameaça de que jamais retornarão. O Natal, no entanto, é a comemoração do júbilo, e ainda que a casa não esteja alegre o bastante, ele não deixa de existir, pois procura então o mais recôndito recanto onde também o luto pode transformar-se em festa – o abrigo do coração.

Rainer Maria Rilke (escrevendo à sua mãe, durante a Primeira Guerra Mundial)

Natal não é uma estação. É um sentimento.

Edna Ferber

Bendita seja a data que une a todo mundo numa conspiração de amor.

Hamilton Wright Mabi

Natal é uma época não só de festas e alegria. É muito mais do que isso. É uma ocasião para refletirmos nas coisas eternas. O espírito do Natal é de doação e perdão.

J. C. Penney

*      *      *      *

Guerras, pandemia(s), crise climática: O mundo suspira, e tem feito suspirar já há tanto... As pessoas clamam por um alívio e mais, uma solução, uma explicação e sentido para o transcurso das coisas, um sentido ou porquê para seus dramas pessoais e os dramas da espécie.

Em meio a esse turbilhão de problemas e questionamentos, o Natal é um refrigério, um momento de reequilíbrio de forças e afetos, de re-união e alegria.

No entanto, o Natal tem tido seu sentido diluído pela liquidez consumista que, em sua sanha, têm regulado por baixo as sociedades, robotizando ações e corações. Mas o Natal é fundamentalmente a festa da esperança, e esperançar é resistir.

Aqui, coligidas dos mais diversos autores, reunimos (mais de 150) frases de luz, alegria e sabedoria sobre esta data que congrega a todos nós, em maior ou menor grau, na busca de um conforto, uma trégua de paz, memória e acolhimento.

Leia e compartilhe estas frases e este e-book, que é gratuito, com seus parentes, amigos e inimigos, se tiver algum. Sim, celebrar o Natal é celebrar a trégua e o perdão, a vida e o renovo.

PARA BAIXAR O SEU EXEMPLAR (FORMATO PDF) PELO GOOGLE DRIVE, CLIQUE AQUI.

[ancientcharm]

Statuette of Jupiter found in Herculaneum.

Jupiter is not the Roman version of Zeus, as many people believe, he is one of the oldest gods originating from Rome, as well as the gods Mars, Juno, Vesta, among others; The cult of Jupiter was introduced by the second Roman king Numa Pompilius.

Picture: screenshot from a documentary

[zombieads]

INSPIRADO EM: the walking dead e suas franquias, guerra mundial z, fort of apocalypse e o nevoeiro, conto de stephen king.

PREMISSA: um grupo de jovens desconhecidos entre si é enviado a um reformatório localizado numa ilha de segurança máxima no intuito de serem reintegrados à sociedade após pagarem pelos crimes dos quais são acusados, mas em pouco tempo acabam abandonados no instituto, sem qualquer explicação. dias depois, assim que as travas de segurança são desligadas pela falta de energia, em meio a uma densa bruma, o grupo fica livre para explorar a ilha e descobre muitos segredos obscuros sobre o passado da instituição que podem estar interferindo no mundo. assustados, sem recursos e com os suprimentos ficando cada vez mais escassos, eles decidem partir em busca de respostas, porém, após uma viagem de barco até terra firme, se deparam com uma cidade desconhecida, destruída e inabitada, com mistérios, desafios e seres bizarros que tornam tudo ainda pior.

oi, players! depois de quase dois anos (motivo: problemas de saúde) tô relançando aqui a pesquisa de um possível nxn only tumblr, pequeno, beeem diferentão e +18 devido ao teor maduro da temática, idealizado há tempos para todas as tags br. a central já está quase terminada e conforme surjam demonstrações de interesse quanto ao rp, mais spoilers serão rapidamente entregues por aqui, então fiquem de olho e sintam-se livres pra chegar na ask!

[xexyromero]

Xexyyyyyy!

Como você acha que seria a casa/apt dos meninos e a leitora? Com plantas, biblioteca, cantinho do violão... ♥️

aiiii tópico sensível!!!

acho que seriam assim ó

enzo: tem cara de quem tem um apartamento com chão de taco. uma sala bem ampla, até maior que o quarto, com um janelão enorme. umas três estantes de livros espalhadas por tudo que é canto. uma vitrolinha marota com alguns lps antigos e novos no cantinho, junto de um violão. muitas samambaias e costelas de adão! uma cozinha organizada e um quarto bem clean daqueles que só tem a cama, a cabeceira e uma televisão.

agustin: uma casa com toda certeza!!! mas uma casa pequenininha, de um andar só, com um quintal enorme que ele cuida e cultiva várias plantinhas pra usar de tempero - e enche uma piscininha inflável pros dias de calor. tem uma energia meio bagunçada caótica meio good vibes com aquelas mantas em tie-dye meio alternativas atrás do sofá que tem uma capa estampada, sabe? o quarto numa vibe bem similar. só que com um aparelho de som babado. a moto é o xodó que fica na garagem.

fran: uma vibe pequenininha clean só que com milhões de plantas em tudo que é canto. inclusive deve ser um saco ficar responsável por aguar as plantinhas dele - missão interminável. é do time que mora em casa também, um duplexzinho numa parte mais tranquila da cidade, perto de natureza. uma escrivaninha no quarto com uma cama de madeira, um quadrinho aqui e ali de algum pôster de filme ou porta retrato dele criança. agora é tudo de um aconchego e conforto que deve ser impossível querer sair. a geladeira tem os imãs mais divertidos do mundo.

matí: um apartamento de adolescente que foi morar sozinho porque foi fazer faculdade em outra cidade, sabe? é uma bagunça tenebrosa porém bem limpinho, tá!! ele chama uma pessoa pra ajudar com a limpeza. tem uma televisão enorme com vídeo-game, um sofázinho mixuruca, pôster de tudo que é coisa na parede. no quarto dele tem até um grafite enorme que ele fez. abriu gaveta na cozinha? bufo, cemitério de pod/vape. tem um cheirinho de cigarro que ele tenta evitar. mas é aconchegante.

kuku: apartamento de adulto, sim!!! e daqueles adultos bem cult bacaninha!!! as paredes são de um tom mais creme, com alguns pôsters e quadros de muito bom gosto que ele comprou/ganhou de amigos artistas ao longo dos anos. algumas prateleiras com livros pontuais, uns ornamentos de metal, uns prêmios que ganhou quando criança. o quarto dele é daqueles planejados com uma cama king enooooorme, cheia de travisseiros. o chão é de taco também, mas é bem colorido por conta das artes e das colchas que ele usa. cheirinho de bambu, sabe?

pipe: tem camisa assinada pelo messi enquadrada em cima da cama dele e não tem alma viva que o faça tirar. foi assinado!!! pelo messi!!!! tirando isso, é um apê alto astral, bem clean, com várias fotos em preto e branco que ele tirou e emoldurou na parede. de todos é o que tem a cozinha mais legal - um balcãozão de madeira e vários utensílios. de vez em quando vai na casa do agustín pegar umas ervas fresquinhas pra cozinhar. o quintal dele só serve pra churrasqueira e pronto.