Superstition and magic have fascinated people since the dawn of civilization. Ancient Rome was no exception. It would seem that the development of education and science should have rid mankind of superstitions, but in fact they still exist today. In our review, we will focus on the impact that superstition and magic had on the life of ancient Roman society.
1. Magic, superstition and medicine
The magic of Rome
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Some of the medical knowledge in ancient Rome was closely associated with magic and superstition. Pliny the Elder in his writings mentioned several tips on health, which today are difficult even to take seriously (it should be noted right away that they should never be repeated at home, at least without medical supervision). For example, drinking fresh human blood was considered by some Roman doctors to be an effective treatment for epilepsy.
Abrasions and bruises were treated with wild boar manure, which was collected in the spring and dried. Also, fresh manure could be used for these purposes. Those who wanted to increase or suppress sexual desire were recommended to use the urine of the person in which the lizard drowned. Another remedy was snail and pigeon droppings mixed with olive oil and wine. And sometimes the Romans wore the right testicle of a rooster wrapped in lamb skin as an amulet.
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2. Magic, superstition and pregnancy
… the mother should eat the shrew during pregnancy
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Pregnancy in ancient Rome was treated with significant caution. And the reasons for this were more than obvious: the number of women who died as a result of childbirth was greater than the number of men who died in the war. As a result, “the lack of women suitable for marriage” has always been a problem in Rome. Therefore, it is not surprising that there were several advice regarding pregnancy circulated in Rome.
Pliny the Elder gave the following advice: “If you take a stone or some other projectile that killed three living creatures (a man, a wild boar and a bear) with three blows, and throw it on the roof of a house in which there is a pregnant woman, then she will give birth right away … If someone wants a baby with black eyes, then the mother must eat the shrew during pregnancy."
3. Werewolves
It just doesn't make sense for me to lie …
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Among the ancient Romans, there were many stories about people who could transform into animals and other creatures. Here is just one of these stories: “We came to the graves, and my friend went to remove the tombstone, and I admired the stars and sang softly. Then, when I looked at my companion, it turned out that he had taken off all his clothes and put them on the side of the road. I stood neither alive nor dead, not understanding what was happening. At this time, he stood in a circle of his clothes and suddenly turned into a wolf. Do not think that I am joking, there is simply no point in lying … "(Petronius" Satyricon "). Unsurprisingly, the Romans believed such stories.
4. Witchcraft
Roman witches
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Long before the Middle Ages, witchcraft was known to the Romans. There is a famous passage in Roman literature describing a grotesque ritual performed by witches who brewed a love potion to bewitch a man named Varus. The details of this ritual are described by the Roman poet Horace (Epods), who lived in the first century BC.
A boy of noble birth was kidnapped by witches, who buried him in the ground up to his chin and placed food next to him so that he could not get to her. The witches hoped that the boy would starve to death and that his liver would enlarge as a result of starvation. The boy's liver was a key ingredient in the love potion.
5. Interpretation of dreams
If you dream of turnip, rutabaga or pumpkin …
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As with almost all other cultures, some Romans strongly believed that dreams could predict the future. In the second century AD, Artemidor Daldis wrote a work called The Interpretation of Dreams in five books. Some of the ways in which he interpreted the meaning of dreams are quite specific and curious: “If you dream about turnip, rutabaga or pumpkin, then this portends disappointment in hopes, since these vegetables, despite their massiveness, have no nutritional value.
They can mark surgery or a cold weapon injury as these vegetables are cut into slices. If you dream that you are eating a book, it means good money for teachers, and for the rest it means sudden death."
6. Predictions for the entrails of animals
Preparing for the city administration
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Hundreds of prediction methods are recorded in ancient Roman documents. The art of sacrificing animals and reading the future by their insides was practiced not only in ancient Rome, but also in many other cultures. This magical art was known to the Romans as the haruspice, and the people trained in this art were known as the haruspice.
Cicero ("On the Prophecies") states that Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian general who challenged Rome during the Second Punic War, was an expert in this technique.
7. Astrology
Tiberius had a personal astrologer
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Attempting to predict events based on the position of celestial bodies was also widely practiced in ancient Rome. Several Roman emperors, including Tiberius, Domitian and Hadrian, believed in divination and astrology and even trained in it themselves. Dio Cassius ("Roman History") claims that Tiberius had his own personal astrologer, with whom he consulted before making any important decision.
8. Shield of Mars
Shield of the god of war Mars
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The Romans believed that the god Jupiter personally presented the shield of the god Mars to Num Pompilius (the legendary second ruler of Rome). This relic was known as "Ancile". It was believed that if the sacred shield of Ancile was damaged in any way, then the people of Rome would suffer. In other words, the prosperity of Rome depends on the integrity of the Ancile.
Therefore, it was decided that the safest place to store this relic is the Temple of Mars. The nymph Egeria advised the King of Rome to create eleven identical shield replicas in order to confuse would-be thieves. For the protection of the shield, the Salii were responsible - the priestly college, which consisted of 12 priests of the god Mars and 12 priests of the god Quirin.
9. King of the Grove
Rex nemorensis
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The shocking ritual took place in the grove of the goddess Diana in Aricia, south of Rome along the Appian Way (the road that connects Rome to Capua), on the shores of Lake Nemi. There was a priest in Diana's Grove known as the Rex Nemorensis. Those who held this position were always escaped slaves who became priests by killing the previous keeper of the grove. Therefore, Rex Nemorensis always carried a sword with him, waiting for the next one to challenge.
10. Imaginary Beasts
Hippocentaur
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In the works of ancient Roman writers, several imaginary animals were often described. Interestingly, most of these animals were exotic. Pliny (Natural History) describes a half-man, half-horse - an animal called the hippocentaur. Moreover, he claims that he allegedly personally saw one of these animals sent from Egypt to Emperor Claudius inside a container filled with honey.
Elian also describes some of the specific species of one-horned donkeys and horses found in India. Drinking vessels made from the horn of this animal had a unique property: if poison is poured into them, it loses its strength. Elian ("On Animals") reports the existence of amphisbene - a snake with heads on both ends of the body.
