How did 6 non-fictional Roman stories end up, which are not inferior to the plot of "Game of Thrones"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Roman civilization was one of the most powerful in the ancient world. During its heyday, Rome controlled an area from modern-day Great Britain to Mesopotamia with a population of up to one hundred million citizens. But behind all this success and power, someone was definitely behind, someone who craved power, weaving intrigues and intrigues, so the antics of the Lannister family from Game of Thrones are childish pranks, compared to what was happening in the days of the Ancient Rome and beyond.

1. Vestal buried alive

To become a vestal - that is, a priestess who served Vesta, the Roman goddess of home, hearth, and religion - was a high honor. The Vestals were the only female priests in the ancient Roman religion, and only six women were chosen to serve at the same time. Their main task was to maintain the sacred fire of Vesta, which never extinguished. They also guarded sacred items in the goddess's temple. Occupying such a prestigious position, the vestals enjoyed many privileges inaccessible to other Roman women. They have always taken pride of place in public ceremonies. They were allowed to own property, vote and testify in court. And their bodies were considered so sacred that a simple touch to the vestal could lead to the death penalty.

But the vestals also had to adhere to a number of rules.

Needless to say, the vestals had to keep a vow of chastity throughout the thirty-year service life of the goddess, and if one of the priestesses violated this rule, then a sophisticated execution awaited her.

Since the Vestals could not be touched and the shedding of their blood was in itself considered a crime, the guilty priestess was buried alive in an underground chamber called Campus Skeleratus, which was located next to Collin's gate.

Punishment for wickedness was rare, but Livy describes the demise of a vestal named Minucius in the History of Rome.

Minutia first gained attention in 337 BC when she began wearing clothes that were too revealing for her position. Then she was accused of having an intimate relationship with one person and without going into details and details, she was buried alive.

At the time, Rome was embroiled in a class struggle between patricians (aristocrats) and plebeians (commoners). Minucia was a commoner who had the privilege of holding a religious office. But, unfortunately, this decision was not appreciated and accepted by all rich and influential Romans. And most likely, the accusation against the vestal was just an excuse to remove the plebeian from the place of honor.

2. Bacchanalia

In modern parlance, the word "cult" refers to a religious group that has unorthodox beliefs and is led by a leader.

However, when it refers to ancient religions, a cult simply means a group of believers.

For the Romans, cults could be as controversial as ours today.

A religious cult that worshiped the Greco-Roman god Bacchus, who is also the god of wine and fertility, first appeared in southern Italy around 200 BC through the Greek colonies on the Italian peninsula. The followers of Bacchus, who were originally only women, eventually began to accept men into their ranks in order to conduct religious services called the bacchanalia.

Since the bacchanals were mostly carried out in secret, few people know about what actually happened there. But the majority prefers to believe that at suspicious parties the people gathered did all sorts of lewdness, indulging in various kinds of pleasures.

Livy, who wrote about the bacchanalia, accused the followers of Bacchus of being part of a huge criminal organization. He wrote:.

Hysteria grew, and in 186 BC, the Roman Senate held an emergency meeting to prohibit the bacchanalia and punish its participants. Seven thousand people were sentenced to death, some of them committed suicide.

However, this was most likely politically motivated by perceived threats to the status quo. The cult of Bacchus allowed women to occupy leadership positions and enabled the poor and the enslaved to become its members. But when the Roman establishment felt threatened, they were not afraid to act, solving all problems as they came in in all imaginable and inconceivable ways.

3. Seed

Emperor Tiberius was known for his paranoia, and thanks to Sejanus, this paranoia was well founded. Lucius Aelius Seyanus was a low-born soldier who rose to become the commander of the emperor's elite Praetorian guard. Sejanus's favor never suited Drusus, the son of Tiberius and the only heir. Seyan and Druz did not hide their dislike for each other. It came to a head in 23 AD.

Seyan wanted to get the throne, but first he had to eliminate his rival. To do this, he seduced Drusus's wife Livilla and enlisted her support. Soon, Drusus suddenly died. His death seemed natural, but after Tiberius tortured the slaves in the house of Drusus, two of them - Evdem and Ligd admitted that they had given Drusus a slow-acting poison.

After the death of Drusus, Sejanus asked Tiberius for permission to marry Livilla, but was refused. Every day the power of Sejanus grew, and he became more and more powerful and influential, so much so that Tiberius had to leave Rome and settle on the island of Capri.

Left alone in the capital, Aelius further strengthened his power and destroyed many of his rivals. When Tiberius finally learned of Sejanus's betrayal, he summoned him to a meeting in October 31 AD and took him into custody. Seyan was executed and his remains were thrown from the Hemonic Stairs, where the crowd tore them to pieces.

4. Nero

When it comes to succession to the throne, some Romans were as ruthless as the Lannisters from the acclaimed series. Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, who would grow up to become Emperor Nero, managed to become the heir to Emperor Claudius despite the fact that he was not his biological son and despite the fact that Claudius already had a biological son, Britannicus.

Nero owed all of this to his mother, Agrippina the Younger, one of the most cunning and ruthless figures in Roman history. Agrippina married and manipulated Emperor Claudius (who was also her uncle) into naming Nero as his successor. The Britannicus was not helped by the fact that Nero was three years older and, therefore, could take the throne earlier, ensuring a peaceful transfer of power.

In 54, Britannicus celebrated his thirteenth birthday, which later made him an adult in the eyes of the Romans, and the aging Emperor Claudius showed signs that he might change his mind and name his son heir. Claudius soon died under suspicious circumstances. After the incident, Agrippina enlisted the support of the Praetorian Guard, and Nero ascended the throne.

Britannicus still had supporters, and Nero could not feel safe until his rival was eliminated. Nero hired a man to take out Britannica, using a slow-acting poison, thus avoiding all suspicion. But the poison turned out to be too weak, and the poisoners decided to turn the plan a second time again. Britannicus died at a dinner party in the presence of his friend, the future emperor Titus.

5. Suicide of Seneca

Seneca was a Roman philosopher, playwright, and poet, but he was also an important figure in the political machinations of his time. When Emperor Claudius came to power in 41 AD, Seneca the Younger was exiled to the island of Corsica at the request of Claudius's third wife, Messalina (who, incidentally, was the mother of Britannicus).

When Messalina was executed and Claudius married Agrippina, his new wife convinced him to return Seneca to the bosom of the church so that he could teach her son Nero. Seneca will serve not only as a mentor for the future young emperor. After Nero finished off Britannicus, Seneca wrote the moral Treatise on Mercy, a flattering tribute to Nero, in which he described him as benevolent and kind. Nero rewarded Seneca by making him a close advisor, as well as rewarding him with properties in Rome, southern Italy, Spain, and Egypt. Despite his initial flattering writings, Seneca served as a restraining force against Nero's worst impulses during the first five years of his reign. Later, Emperor Trajan called this period "the fifth anniversary of Neronis."

Eventually, Nero focused more and more on recreation and entertainment as the empire plunged into chaos and the Roman philosopher fell out of favor. In AD 65, a nobleman named Guy Piso attempted a coup to overthrow Nero, and it was assumed that Seneca also had a hand in this. It is unlikely that the philosopher was involved in this, but the emperor decided to get rid of his former mentor once and for all, ordering Seneca to commit suicide.

6. Titus Flavius Sabinus

After the death of Emperor Nero in 68, Rome plunged into the Time of Troubles, known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Four different people served as emperor in just one year. Unsurprisingly, everything was chaotic and hectic - especially for those who just wanted to keep the peace.

Titus Flavius Sabinus was one such person. He was the brother of the future emperor Vespasian and in May 69 he was appointed consul-suffect. Sabinus was in Rome when the third Roman emperor in 69 AD, Vitellius, tried unsuccessfully to stop Vespasian's forces from attacking the capital. After losing to Vespasian, Vitellius tried to organize a peaceful transition of power, handing over the empire to Sabinus before his brother arrived. But Vitellius' enraged soldiers refused to honor the agreement and set the city on fire. Sabine's family fled, but Sabine himself was captured and executed just before his brother came to power.

While some are thinking about but what would historical figures look like in the modern world, others - embody this idea into reality and the project of Becky Saladin is a clear example of this. Who did you like the most, Caesar, Nefertiti or Anne Boleyn?