Today, we're going to look at the world of Rome through the eyes of a young girl. Here she is, drawing a picture of herself in the atrium of her father's enormous house. Her name is Domitia, and she is just 5 years old. She has an older brother who is fourteen, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, named after her dad. Girls don't get these long names that boys have. What is worse is that Dad insists on calling all his daughters Domitia. "Domitia!" His call to Domitia drawing on the column, Domitia III. She has an older sister, Domitia II, who is 7 years old. And then there's Domitia I, who is ten. There would have been a Domitia IV, but mom died trying to give birth to her three years ago. Confused? The Romans were too. They could work out ancestry through the male line with the nice, tripartite names such as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. But they got in a real mess over which Domitia was married to whom and was either the great aunt or the great stepmother and so on to whom when they came to write it down. Domitia III is not just drawing on the pillar, she's also watching the action. You see, it's early, in the time of day when all her dad's clients and friends come to see him at home to pay their respects. Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17 year old, he wants to marry Domitia II within the next five to seven years, has come as well. He seems to be wooing not his future wife, but her dad. Poor Lucius, he does not know that Domitia's dad thinks he and his family are wealthy but still scumbags from the Subura. Afterall, it is the part of Rome full of barbers and prostitutes. Suddenly, all the men are leaving with Dad. It's the second hour and time for him to be in court with a sturdy audience of clients to applaud his rhetoric and hiss at his opponent. The house is now quieter. The men won't return for seven hours, not until dinner time. But what happens in the house for those seven hours? What do Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia do all day? Not an easy question! Everything written down by the Romans that we have today was written by men. This makes constructing the lives of women difficult. However, we can't have a history of just Roman men, so here it goes. We can begin in the atrium. There is a massive loom, on which Dad's latest wife is working on a new toga. Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia are tasked with spinning the wool that will be used to weave this mighty garment, 30 or more feet long and elliptical in shape. Romans loved the idea that their wives work wool. We know that because it's written on the gravestones of so many Roman women. Unlike women in Greece, Roman women go out the house and move about the city. They go to the baths in the morning to avoid the men or to separate baths that are for women only. Some do go in for the latest fad of the AD 70s: nude bathing with men present. Where they have no place is where the men are: in the Forum, in the Law Court, or in the Senate House. Their place in public is in the porticos with gardens, with sculpture, and with pathways for walking in. When Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia want to leave the house to go somewhere, like the Portico of Livia, they must get ready. Domitia II and Domitia III are ready, but Domitia I, who is betrothed to be married in two years to darling Philatus, isn't ready. She's not slow, she just has more to do. Being betrothed means she wears the insignia of betrothal: engagement rings and all the gifts Pilatus has given her - jewels, earrings, necklaces, and the pendants. She may even wear her myrtle crown. All this bling shouts, "I'm getting married to that 19 year old who gave me all this stuff I'm wearing!" While as they wait, Domitia II and Domitia III play with their dolls that mirror the image of their sister decked out to be married. One day, these dolls will be dedicated to the household gods on the day of their wedding. Okay, we're ready. The girls step into litters carried by some burly slaves. They also have a chaperone with them and will be meeting an aunt at the Porticus of Livia. Carried high on the shoulders of these slaves, the girls look out through the curtains to see the crowded streets below them. They traverse the city, pass the Coliseum, but then turn off to climb up the hill to the Porticus of Livia. It was built by Livia, the wife of the first emperor Augustus, on the site of the house of Vedius Pollio. He wasn't such a great guy. He once tried to feed a slave to the eels in his fish pond for simply dropping a dish. Luckily, the emperor was at the dinner and tamed his temper. The litters are placed on the ground and the girls get out and arm in arm, two by two, they ascend the steps into the enclosed garden with many columns. Domitia III shot off and is drawing on a column. Domitia II joins her but seeks to read the graffiti higher up on the column. She spots a drawing of gladiators and tries to imagine seeing them fighting, something she will never be permitted to do, except from the very rear of the Coliseum. From there, she will have a good view of the 50,000 spectators but will see little by way of blood and gore. If she really wanted a decent view, she could become a vestal virgin and would sit right down the front. But a career tending the sacred flame of Vesta is not to everybody's taste. Domitia I has met another ten year old also decked out in the insignia of betrothal. Home time. When they get there after the eighth hour, something is up. A smashed dish lies on the floor. All the slaves are being gathered together in the atrium and await the arrival of their master. Dad is going to go mad. He will not hit his children, but like many other Romans, he believes that slaves have to be punished. The whip lies ready for his arrival. No one knows who smashed the dish, but Dad will call the undertaker to torture it out of them, if he must. The doorkeeper opens the front door to the house. A hush comes over the anxious slaves. In walks not their master but, instead, a pregnant teenager. It is the master's eldest daughter, age 15, who is already a veteran of marriage and child birth. Guess what her name is. There is a five to ten percent chance she won't survive giving birth to her child, but, for now, she has come to dinner with her family. As a teenage mother, she has proved that she is a successful wife by bringing children and descendants for her husband, who will carry on his name in the future. The family head off to the dining room and are served dinner. It would seem Dad has had an invite to dinner elsewhere. With dinner concluded, the girls crossed the atrium to bid farewell to their older sister who is carried home in a litter, escorted by some of Dad's bodyguards. Returning to the house, the girls cross the atrium. The slaves, young and old, male and female, await the return of their owner. When he returns, he may exact vengeance, ensuring his power over the slaves is maintained through violence and terror, to which any slave could be subjected. But, for the girls, they head upstairs for the night, ready for bed.
今天,我們要透過一個小女孩的眼睛 來看看羅馬的世界 這就是她,正在她父親那巨大的房子裡 在中庭畫著自己的樣子 她的名字叫 Domitia 她只有 5 歲 她有一個 14 歲的哥哥 叫作 Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus 是以她爸爸的名字來命名 女兒們就沒有像男孩的名字那麼長 但比較糟的是這個爸爸 堅持把所有的女兒都叫作 Domitia 「Domitia!」 他叫的是在柱子上畫畫的 Domitia 也就是 Domitia 三號 她有一個 7 歲的姊姊 也就是 Domitia 二號 而 Domitia 一號則是 10 歲 原本還有 Domitia 四號 不過三年前媽媽在生她時過世了 很混亂嗎? 羅馬人也這樣覺得 他們可以從男生那優美的三段式名字 來知道父系的血緣 就像是 Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus 一樣 但是一些記錄 像是哪一個 Domitia 嫁給了誰 還有她是誰的伯母 或是誰的繼母還是什麼的 則是一團糟 Domitia 三號不只是在柱子上畫畫 她同時也在看大家一舉一動 你看,一早的時候 她父親的客人 和朋友都來到家裡 拜訪她父親並向他至意 17 歲的 Lucius Popidius Secundus 也來了 他想要在未來的 5 到 7 年內 娶 Domitia 二號為妻 娶 Domitia 二號為妻 他似乎不是向未來妻子求愛 而是尋求她父親的青睞 可憐的 Lucius,他並不知道 Domitia 的父親 覺得儘管他和他家族很有錢 但終就是 Subura 城來的下等人 畢竟,那是羅馬城內 聚集理髮師和娼妓的地方 突然,所有人都和父親一起離開了 已經是白天兩點了 (譯註:羅馬分日間 12 小時以及夜間 12 小時。) 該去參加朝會了 在那會有忠實的聽眾 為他的辯論演說鼓掌 還會對他的對手投以噓聲 房子裡現在安靜多了 男人們 7 小時之內不會回來 一直到晚餐時間 但這 7 小時內房子裡有發生什麼事嗎? 三位 Domitia 都在做什麼呢? 這不是個簡單的問題! 所有我們今天看到 羅馬人的記錄 都是男人們寫的 這讓我們難以瞭解 當時女性的日常起居 然而,羅馬的歷史不可能只有男人 所以故事是這樣的 我們從中庭說起 那裡有一台巨大的織布機 最小的太太正坐在那 織一套新的羅馬袍 Domitia、Domitia、還有 Domitia 則被叫去整理毛線 這些毛線會被用來縫那件大袍子 整件呈橢圓形並且 30 多英尺長 羅馬人喜歡 叫他們的妻子織毛線 我們可以從羅馬女性的墓碑上 我們可以知道這點 和希臘的女性不一樣 羅馬女性會走出家門 到城中走走 她們會在早晨去浴場洗澡 以避免和男人共浴 或者會去男女分開的池子 但在有男人在的浴場裸浴 則變成公元 70 年代的最新時尚 她們所不能去 男人們集會的地方 像是:議事廣場 法庭 或元老院 她們會去的公共區域是柱廊(portico) 那裡有庭園 有雕像 還有進入的通道 當 Domitia、Domitia、還有 Domitia 想要出去走走 像是莉薇婭柱廊(Portico of Livia) 她們要先梳妝打扮 Domitia 二號和 Domitia 三號已經準備好了 不過 Domitia 一號已經訂婚了 兩年後要嫁給心愛的 Philatus 她還沒準備好 她不是動作慢,她只是有比較多事要做 訂婚的意思是她得戴上各種印記(insignia) 求婚戒指 還有所有 Pilatus 給她的禮物 —— 珠寶 耳環 項鍊 還有垂飾 她甚至會帶金花冠(myrtle crown) 穿戴閃亮的飾品表示: 「我就要嫁給那位 送我這些禮物的 19 歲青年」 等待時,兩位 Domitia 玩起她們的娃娃, 扮演她們姊姊 盛裝出嫁的樣子 婚禮當天 這些娃娃會被獻給家庭守護神 (household god) 好了,我們準備好了 女孩們走上由奴隸們抬的轎子 她們也會有侍女隨行 有位親戚會在 莉薇亞柱廊內和她們會合 這些奴隷將轎子高舉在肩上 女孩們從帷幔中偷看 下方擁擠的街道 她們會穿越城市,通過羅馬競技場 接著轉向爬上山坡 到達莉薇婭柱廊 這是由莉薇婭所建 她是開國君主奧古斯都的妻子 是波里歐(Vedius Pollio)家族的人 他不是一個偉大的人 他有一次 只因為奴隸摔破了一個盤子 就要把奴隸丟去餵魚 幸運的是,在用碗餐的君王 控制了他的脾氣 轎子被放在廣場 女兒們走了出來 手牽手、兩個兩個 走上階梯 走進那許多石柱的封閉庭園 Domitia 三號跑去柱子上畫畫 Domitia 二號也跟上去 但是她在看 刻在柱子上高處的文字 他看到鬥士的圖像 然後試著想像他們打鬥的樣子 那是她永遠都被不予許看的東西 除非她站在競技場很高的地方 從那裡,她可以看清楚 那 5 萬名觀眾 但是幾乎看不到打鬥畫面 如果她真的合法地觀看, 她可以選擇成為維斯塔貞女 (vestal virgin) 這樣她就可以坐在最前面 但是照顧維斯塔女神的聖火 並不是每個人都喜愛的工作 Domitia 一號遇到了另一個 10 歲的女孩 她也穿戴著全套的訂婚印記 回家時間到了 當他們在白天 8 點後到家的時候 有事情發生了 地上有一個破掉的盤子 所有奴隸都被集合在中廊 等主人的到來 父親會抓狂 他不會打小孩 但是像其它羅馬人一樣 他相信奴隸必須受到懲罰 鞭子已經準備好了 但沒有人知道是誰闖的禍 但是必要的話 父親會叫負責人出來 折磨到他們認錯 看門的人把前門打開了 一片寂靜籠照著焦慮的奴隸 但走出來的不是主人 是一個懷孕的年輕人 她 15 歲,是主人最大的女兒 她已經對結婚和生小孩瞭若指掌 猜猜看她的名字 有 5% 到 10% 的機率 在生產的過程中她沒辦法活下來 但現在,她要來和家族吃晚餐 一個十幾歲的媽媽 藉由替男方延續香火 證明自己是個成功的妻子 這些子嗣未來會繼承父親的名字 這家人走到飯廳 並享用晚餐 看來似乎父親還有別的邀約 晚餐結束,女孩們走過中庭 跟她們的姊姊告別 她會被轎子接回家 並由父親的貼身保鏢護送 回到家裡 女孩們走過中庭 奴隸們 不分男女老少 還在等他們主人回來 當他回來的時候 他會開始算帳 他以是靠暴力和威嚇來維持 以確保他管理奴隸的權力 這會讓所有奴隸都更服從 但對女孩們來說,她們就上樓去 準備睡覺了