During the most convulsive times in history or when it seems that the pillars of civilizations collapse, societies try to restart and recover the so-called traditional values. And Caesar Augustus wanted to do something like this when he took the reins of the Republic and legislated to recover the traditional family as the basic institution of his new Rome and morality as the standard of its citizens. Examples of these laws were the lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus (all male citizens between the ages of 25 and 60 were required to marry) or the lex Julia de adulteriis (severely punished adultery). Legislation was not necessary on other issues, it was enough to recover laws approved long ago, such as the lex de adtemptata pudicitia .
This law, passed in the 2nd century BC, sought to protect the honor and decency of women. Of course, only married women, widows and virgins, because the rest were supposed to lack these conditions. The fact of touching a woman, addressing her with some off-color words and even giving her a simple compliment that the recipient could interpret as vulgar or offensive, carried a fine whose amount depended on the social status of the "victim". So how did the Don Juans of the time get it on? Very carefully so as not to be offensive or tiresome and, above all, with a good bag of coins in case the method used was not very subtle or the chosen woman considered that you were not a man for her. A detail that determined decency, and that put you on alert, was that married women, widows and virgins only went out with a male companion (comes ), whether it was a member of his family or even a slave. So, if you weren't wearing comes , you could jump in head first because it is assumed that she was not among the groups of women protected by the lex de adtemptata pudicitia .
Source:Inventions of the Ancients