Sapir Ohayon
4290227
Classics 80B
Hahn
Assignment 6:
Daily Life
Marcus
Julius Antonius had a long and exciting day ahead of him. As it was his day off from work in the public
hearing house, he looked forward to spending the day with his family and
heading out after a nice meal together to view the public sacrifice. Sacrifice was a very important component of
life in Rome, and could be found occurring very often in the public
forums. As a religious state, there was
no separation between church and state, and the government always strived to
keep good relations with the Gods, also known as “Pax Deorum”. Keeping this peace led to a series of
rituals, including a procession, sacrifice, common meal and prayer, which were
common occurrences in daily life in Rome.
However,
before leaving to view the public sacrifice to the Gods, Marcus Julius waited
as his wife, Antonia, brought home the vegetables and meat for their lunch
together. This was a daily routine for
Antonia: she would leave to the market place and pick some food out for the
day. As she arrived home, extremely pregnant
at this point, she sat down for a glass of water and began cooking. An hour later, the food was ready, and the
family sat down to eat. But before
beginning their lunch, they began an offering of meals to the God, Vesta. This prayer was a common part of their daily
life, as they were religious and believed that the Gods were the epitome of
their being.
The
meal was splendid, and they started to prepare for their decline down the
Palatine Hill. They put on their outdoor
shoes, rather than the sandals they wore indoors. Marcus Julius put on his striped tunic,
Antonia put on her stola, and they set to leave. It was just then, however, that Antonia felt
her water break…She realized the baby was coming, and Marcus Julius sought a
nearby woman who would help deliver the baby then and there.
