Assignment #6: Daily Life

Alyssa Ogi

Sitting in the Forum as citizens bustled by, Aulus tried to imagine a time when he was as untroubled as them. In only a year, he had gone from being carefree and naïve to being devastated by the terrible revelations he uncovered in the Senate.

Now, waiting for Marcus to return with the necessary information, Aulus could finally stop and remember a happier time for a change. He thought back to the celebration of his brother Flavius’s military promotion three years ago. It had been the last time all the families in their exclusive circle had assembled and spent a leisurely afternoon in the lavish villa gardens; it had also been the last winter that his brother had been alive. His honor coincided with Lupercalia, and the city below the Palatine was filled with excited noises and the growing crowds waiting for the sacrifices. Rather than participate in the naked debauchery that often followed, the elite languidly enjoyed the spectacle from their villas.

Despite it being the end of Februarius, the afternoon had been unexpectedly warm, to the point that women shed their heavier pallas and called slaves to shield them from the sun with palm fans. Many of them had returned from the baths only an hour prior, and since pale skin was prized amongst the rich, they were quick to protect their milky skin with creams and veils. Aulus, still seen as a child at that time, had spent the day playing pranks on the innocent girls around him. At the cena, the main meal of the day, he had hidden small denarii-sized frogs within the grapes, and grinned proudly as the girls screamed and complained to their mothers. His father, back from his morning obligations in the curia, had laughed loudly at Aulus’ antics and praised him for being such a charmer. Flavius clapped him on the back and said he looked forward to Aulus’ upcoming manhood ceremony.

The memory made Aulus shake his head. His brother had been called off to war soon after, and didn’t live to see him remove his bulla praetexta and assume his adult position. That afternoon had been such a wonderful time of leisure, but that part of his life had passed. Now, Aulus thought grimly, he had important work to do.