Eli,
the young slave from Palatine Hill, experiences society’s close ties between
church and state. His master goes on trial for adultery with the wife of a
praetor. Although he did not murder or physically harm anyone, this act is seen
as a major conduct violation because of Roman society’s adherence to public
religion. Eli understands the importance of not toying with the Gods, because pax deorum (good relations with the Gods
and State) is crucial to survival in Roman society. The Pontiffs are summoned
to determine whether his master’s actions constitute incest.
As
this is going on, Julia, the Senator’s daughter, is attending an inauguration
for a cousin who is becoming an Augur. She is dressed in her finest stola, as the
ceremony takes place at the Templum, and is performed by a fellow Augur. With
the inauguration about to begin, there is an issue with the weather. Gray
skies, humid air, and the sounds of thunder in the distance indicate lightning.
The Augur who is performing the ceremony decides that it would not be wise to
continue because of fear that the Gods are unhappy.
As
Julia exits the Templum, she encounters Eli, who has just left the Senate
meeting. He had to testify on behalf of his master, and is now on his way to
market. Julia explains the cancellation of the inauguration and Eli tells her
about the trial. They discuss how religion is so prominent in their political
landscape, and that the existence of Gods is the only reason that his master is
on trial and her cousin cannot be inaugurated today. They walk east down Via
Sacra and then decide to turn around to go down to the harbor, despite the
worsening weather conditions. They also decide that walking down such a pubic
thruway is not the wisest idea, given the fact that Julia is wearing a lovely,
clean stola, which indicates that she is a member of the equestrian or
senatorial class. Meanwhile, Eli has a dirty cloth wrapped around his waist and
is without shoes, which shows that he is a slave. Not wanting to garner stares
from the populace in the Forum, they sneak toward the harbor by going behind
the buildings.
