On a regular day, Clodia has a
simple routine that she follows. In the morning, Clodia wakes up, puts on her
stola, wakes up her daughter Spuria, and together they go downstairs to join
Terentia for breakfast made by their household slaves, Magnus and Nero. As they
sit down to eat, they all give thanks to Vesta for their meal. Once they are
finished eating, Clodia takes Spuria down to the Forum for her tutoring
session. Usually Clodia is accompanied by one of their household slaves to buy
the days groceries. As the three of them walk down Palatine Hill, they admire
the Forum, filling with people and the sun as it hits the Tiber River. As they
enter the Forum, it is very obvious that today is not just a regular day, for
it is the month of February, a month of purification and mourns. The Forum is
very busy, there are speeches being given at the Basillica, there are
ceremonies being held, there are slaves doing their daily chores, and students
rushing to their tutoring sessions. The air is filled with morn and sorrow, as
the civil war is still in existence, and the recent death of loved ones is
being mourned. Once Spuria is finished with her tutoring session, Terentia
accompanies them as they make their way to the cemetery. Today, they are
mourning the deaths of their ancestors, visiting their graves, and remembering
the times they shared together. Terentia spends most of her time at her
daughter Tulia’s gravesite. She cries as she places flowers alongside the
grave, mourning the death of her only daughter.
As
the day starts to come to an end, Spuria, Clodia and Terentia walk back up the
Palatine Hill to go home. As they arrive, dinner is ready on the table. And
again, before they all eat, they give thanks to Vesta for their meal. As they
get ready for bed, they take off their stolas’ and rest up for the next day to
come.
