History of Europe

A day out in ancient Rome

In September 46 BC, the Roman legions paraded through Rome to celebrate and celebrate the triumph of Julius Caesar about the Gallic rebel Vercingetorix . At the end of the celebrations, Octavio and Lucullus , two legionnaires who had fought in Gaul alongside Julius Caesar, were saying goodbye to return home, but at the last moment they decided to stay on December 17 to celebrate Saturnalia together. . These festivities, in honor of Saturn, lasted until the 23rd and the end of agricultural work was celebrated. The population was revolutionized:wine flowed, morality relaxed and frivolity spread throughout Rome, roles were reversed between masters and slaves, all members of the family received a gift...

Octavio's house, a country villa, was a little more than a day's drive from Rome along the Appian Way . When he had been on the road half a day he had a problem with the axle of the car but was lucky enough to find himself near a mutatio where they fixed it up while he cooled off and had a bite to eat. He set out on the road, without further mishaps, until it began to get dark and he decided to spend the night in the last mansio before arriving in Rome. He took the horse to the stables and, after a refreshing bath and a light supper, went to sleep. The next morning he got up early to get to Rome early and take advantage of the day of march with his friend Lucullus who lived in Rome. When they met, they greeted each other effusively and prepared the plan…

The morning began with a visit to Lucullus's family, and almost at noon, they decided to go to the hot springs. After entering the hall, and being attended by the slaves, they went to the Caldarium ( the hot water pool) where they met other fellow sufferers and chatted animatedly sharing war stories. Before moving on to the Laconicum ( the sauna), they cooled off in the Paten ( cold water fountain), and the slaves brought them wooden sandals so as not to burn their bare feet. After breaking a sweat, they went to the Frigidarium where they took a bath of cold water. After receiving a restorative massage with aromatic oils, they left the hot springs to go to eat.

Caldarium

To eat they decided to go to a Thermopolium which Lucullus frequented. They took a seat at one of the tables and a slave attended them, offering them several hot stews that they had in different dolias (deep clay pots) on the bar. Octavio opted for a brunette seasoned with liquamen , the best garum from Hispania, and Lúculo suckling pig roasted with olive oil and pepper. Logically, washed down with a few jugs of warm wine.

Thermopolium

From there they go to the Ludus Maximus , the Circus of Rome, an impressive venue with a 600m track by 200m wide and which could hold 150,000 spectators. After several races of bigas and trigas , chariots of two and three horses, the icing on the cake arrived… the chariot race . Out of friendship with Lucullus, Octavio encouraged the greens through which the Lusitanian Caius Apuleius Diocles ran. , the best charioteer in history. After several trial turns, and the occasional accident, the seventh fish of the septem oba was turned (marker) indicating the last lap. Apuleius herded his horse and was able to catch up with the charioteer of the blues, who was in the lead, and after the last turn on the spina (central wall) he took the lead and got the win.

Chariot race

After the joy of Apuleius' victory, they went to a Caupona where at the outside bar they had a snack, some cheese and wine, to gain strength. While they were enjoying a snack and commenting on the races, a copae approached (a prostitute who frequents this type of establishment) but they refused her services because they had other plans... to end the night in a brothel , which he had told Lucullus about.

Phallic Indicator

Since they didn't know exactly where he was, they asked and were told that he was in the alleys behind Decumanus maximus (main street that goes from east to west) but that you couldn't lose if you followed the phalluses engraved in stone whose point indicated the direction to follow. Along the way several prostibulae , those who practiced without the licentia Stupri , they were assaulted on the way but they were repulsed again. In the end, they arrived at a two-story building in whose lobby they were received by a huge fresco of a gifted Priapus. The leno quickly came out to greet them. (owner) and showed them the available habitats on which the specialty was indicated in a fresco... Octavio was left with a felatora and Lucullus requested the services of Scylla , the professional who had lost a competition against Valeria Mesalina – Emperor Claudius's wife – to see who could sleep with the most men in a single day. The rest of the story will remain private.

Serve this post as a tribute and thanks to my magister in the world of Rome... Gabriel Castelló.

Logically, Octavio and Lucullus are the product of my imagination, but the situations that are told in this story are typical of Roman customs, although not at the same time.