Rome, the eternal (part 3).

 

It is hard to imagine a world where the persons of one of both sexes begin to be scarce. Something like that, might happen on a post-apocalyptic scenery. By that time, the human race would have its days numbered, unless the scientists get to develop some alternative method, to perpetuate our species. Or maybe mother nature itself, manage to find a way to modify our procreation ways. Before our very eyes, might be ocurring some of those changes, but are hard to notice, since they occur very slowly. But, is better to leave this, for the science fiction stories...

Rome invaded by the Barbarians. By Ulpiano Checa, 1887. Source: Poniol60.

Through history, and for many reasons, some human groups were forced to leave their own lands, to invade and subdue the people of other places. Many of those irruptions, were violent. Like the plague, invading hordes of men, fell upon almost defenseless persons. Once they controlled the situation, often took posession of those territories... But, how could they establish there, to form new colonies, if they almost had no women between them? The solution to this apparently trivial issue, has brought about some of the worst tragedies of humanity.

Slave market in the ancient Egypt. Bologne Archaelogical Museum.
Source: Flickr. Photo: Mike Knell, 2010. Lic. CC BY-SA 2.0

Slavery and annihilation of the beaten people, to keep their women, has been a sort of "selective genocide". Through time, this has leaded to a repeated process of elimination and mixing. To a greater or lesser extent, we are all the product of that. Is important to point out that this behavior, is such a kind of primitive ritual. It resembles the natural selection processes, we often see in the animal kingdom. It results obvious, that it is an instinctive behavior, which may be still present in human being.

The Roman Forum. Photo: Carla-Nuno Tavares. Lic. CC BY-SA 3.0

A similar situation, should have occurred in the early Rome. Later, when it became a great metropolis, it was transformed into an epic story... According to the tradition, in times of Romulus, the new town turned out to be very attractive for adventurers and fortune seekers. Therefore, they soon realized that most of the inhabitants were male. To establish a permanent city, was imperative to find women... so they boldly decided to take the women from their neighbors.

The founder of Rome conceived a plan: they would organize a games to honor Neptune, the god of the sea. A tribe of the Latio, the Sabines, was invited to take part in those competitions. Without suspicion, the latter asisted, along with their families. But, when the time was right, the hosts attacked by surprise. After a frenzied combat, the Roman obliged them to retreat. But the Sabines also suffered the humilliation of losing their women! By all means, they ought to reply with violence. That way, Rome underwent the first war of its long history. There would be many more wars... 

The Sabines kidnap. By Jacques-Louis David, 1799. Museum of Louvre, Paris, France
Source: Mbzt, 2016. {{PD-US}}

The Sabines got ready for the combat, turning out to be a dangerous rival. They besieged the city and cornered the Roman at the Capitoline Hill. The legend says that the commander´s daughter, Tarpeia, helped the enemy entry to the citadel, expecting a reward. Instead, after the Sabines took advantage of her treason, killed her scornfully. At the end, the body of Tarpeia was thrown from a cliff. Later, it was a place to execute the death sentences. It would be known as the Tarpeian Rock.  

The war continued and the scales did not tip to any side. When the final clash was imminent, the Sabine women intervened, to stop the slaughter. They would not contemplate the death of their fathers and brothers, on one side, or their husbands and sons on the other. So, in clever manner, the women achieved the peace. Henceforth, Roman and Sabines joined their territories and had two kings, till the death of the Sabine monarch. Then, Romulus carried both crowns. This legend might be a memory of the true origin of Rome: the neighbor tribes gathered, till they formed the early nucleus of the city.

The Sabines kidnap (detail). By Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, ca. 1658.
Louvre Palace, Paris, France. Photo: Jastrow, 2008. Lic. CC BY 2.5

The kidnapping of the Sabines, could be related to a nice and funny tradition between the newlywed couples. It is still present in our days! Have you ever wondered why the groom takes the bride in his arms to pass through the doorstep of the wedding chamber? Is well known, that such a custom comes from the ancient Roman. At the same time, many people think that is only a superstition... But it might well be a reminiscence of those ancient times, when abducted women were taken against their will, to the room of their master. A phrase from Plutarch, might give a clue about this. He wrote: "It also lasts until now, that the bride does not pass the treshold of the house by herself, but is held in the air: for then they did not enter, they were taken by force instead".

Anyway, into that legend it also seems to be implicit the prominent influence of women into the future development of the social life in Rome.

The nymph Egeria dictating the laws of Rome to Numa Pompilius.
By Ulpiano Checa, ca. 1886. Source: Poniol60, 2012. Lic. CC BY-SA 3.0

At the end of Romulus reign, he was followed by a Sabine. Hence, the second king of Rome was Numa Pompilius, who occupied the throne for more than forty years. According to the registers, he ruled until 673 bC. Those would be one of the rare times of peace, of the ebullient city. He is attributed as the founder of the Roman religion. So it probably had the influence of Etruscan and Sabines. With time, the Roman would identify their beliefs with the Greeks, whose culture was always a model to them.

It is also interesting to explain some aspects about the dating of the old time events. Since the reforms of the Pope Gregory XIII, there was an international agreement to register the years, when he promulgated a new calendar. The count had to start with the birth of Jesus, taking it as the year one of that calendar. But Rome existed since long before Christ... Obviously, in those times, none of those kind of accords existed. Every nation or group, managed to keep track of the years. Some counted the time, since any important happening of their history, others used the time of their kings as a measure of time. 

The Romans did something similar. They counted the time since the foundation of the city. To express any determined date, they wrote the year, followed by the expression A.U.C. (Ab Urbe Condita, or since the foundation of the city). As an example, the year 125 of their registers, was: CXXV A.U.C. So, according to them, Jesus was born in the year DCCLIII A.U.C. (year 753 since the foundation of Rome). But it should be pointed out, that it was not the only method they used to count the years...

Greek theatre at Taormina, Sicily, Italy. Photo: Daniel Delgado.

By those old days of the birth of Rome, Greece was spreading, founding many colonies along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. As a consequence, Sicily and south Italy, would see the rising of important Greek cities. Furthermore, those territories would be known as the Magna Graecia. In that time, Israel was passing through a splendor period, under Jeroboam II reign. It made remember the golden times of the king David, and Solomon. By then, Assyria began to get stronger, to become a fearful empire, along the Near and the Middle East. Concerning Egypt, it was sunk in a deep decay, which would make them an easy prey for Assyria itself.

But, none of them could have imagined then, that an insignificant village, beside the Tiber, would end beating all their foes... It was destined to install the biggest empire the whole world had known.

Rustic huts model, at the Palatine Hills, Rome. Author: Kathryn Arnold, 2015. 
Lic. CC BY-SA 4.0