Tag: Ancient Roman

The Status Symbol of Keys Within the Ancient Roman Empire

2 Comments

Metal keys first appeared during the Ancient Roman Empire and were viewed and often flaunted during the period as an indicator of wealth and/or elevated social status, as Ancient Roman keys were typically comprised of bronze or iron, occasionally worn as decorative jewelry (e.g. rings, bracelets, belt attachments etc.), and used primarily to secure high value items (e.g. jewelry boxes, document cases, coin chests etc.) making them both functional tools but also visible reminders of social status and income. Because only the wealthy could afford metal keys within the Ancient Roman Empire, lower socioeconomic classes relied upon more simplistic, wooden lock mechanisms and in many cases left valuable possessions unsecured entirely. Some Ancient Roman keys featured intricate designs (e.g. animal motifs and geometric patterns etc.), personalized and designed to reflect the predilections of the owner of the key and the lock it is designed for. The Latin term for key, which is “clavis”, evolved and came to mean “code” or “solution” over time, which is notable because it demonstrates the period when physical access and security and intellectual access and security became conceptually correlated with one another. Archaeologists and historians have recovered metal keys from Ancient Roman villas, balneae (pronounced “bahl-neh-eye”) which are bathhouses, and burial sites, often discovered alongside personal items (e.g. grooming tools, coins, small religious tokens etc.). The modern day concept of personal security and having exclusive access to one’s belongings and/or information traces its origins back to these early locking mechanisms and keys as what began as a practical intervention for safeguarding valuables laid the foundation for the modern day systems of privacy, ownership, and controlled access to sensitive and/or valuable information or objects

The View of the Birthday Within Ancient Rome

Leave a comment

In Ancient Rome, birthdays referred to as “dies natalis” which means “day of birth” in Latin, were deeply personal and spiritual occasions. Far from the cake and candle rituals of the modern day, the Ancient Romans viewed birthdays as a time to honor their genius, for men, or juno, for women. The genius and juno were guardian spirits believed to guide and protect a person throughout their life. These divine entities were believed to be intrinsically tied to one’s fate, character, and destiny which is why they were revered. The Ancient Romans made offerings on their birthday to their guardian spirit (e.g. wine, incense, small cakes etc.). These rituals were performed at home, sometimes accompanied by prayers or dedications at small residential shrines. For those with wealth or higher status, birthday observances could include more elaborate ceremonies (e.g. feasts with reclining guests, music, gift giving etc.). Even with these additions however, the spiritual aspect of the holiday remained central regardless of class

The Fermentation and Manufacturing Process of Ancient Roman Garum (Fish Sauce)

Leave a comment

The Ancient Roman’s created a special fermented fish sauce called “garum”. Garum was highly valuable and in modern times accounting for inflation, garum would cost $1250.00 for 1 liter. Garum was made from nothing more than salt and decayed fish. The original preparation is unknown as the ancient recipes have been lost. The fishes organs and digestive fluids help in the fermentation process. The container which the garum is made in is left in the sun for a few days to allow the process to ferment as much as possible. The oily slush oozing from the fishes organs and digestive enzymes is the garum and it is loaded with nutrients and contains glutamate which triggers chemical receptors on the tongue to make the brain crave more of it. Glutamate is the primary ingredient/component in monosodium glutamate, commonly abbreviated as “MSG”, and is used by many chefs all over the world

The Celebration of New Year’s Day Within Medieval Europe

Leave a comment

Within Medieval Europe, January 1st was not widely celebrated as the secular New Year’s Day holiday it is regarded as during the modern day. Instead, January 1st was observed as the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus Christ in Christian liturgical calendars, a date which commemorates the circumcision of Christ, which according to Jewish custom, would have occurred 8 days after his birth with December 25th being counted as the first day. Although the Gregorian calendar eventually shifted focus toward celebrating the secular New Year on January 1st, this date was intrinsically tied to Christian religious observances for centuries. January 1st was not the standard across Europe during early development of the secular New Year however as the New Year was celebrated upon different dates in various parts of Europe depending upon the local traditions of the region. Some areas celebrated the New Year on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation, aligning it with the spring equinox and the start of new agricultural cycles whilst others celebrated upon December 25th, to coincide with Christmas and the birth of Christ. When Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582, January 1st was officially reinstated and recognized as New Year’s Day. This calendar reformation standardized timekeeping across Catholic countries, and over time, Protestant countries adopted the practice as well. The decision to place the New Year on January 1st was in part due to pragmatism as it simplified administrative and financial matters for the state, but also symbolic and ideologic, as it connected the start of the year with the earlier Roman calendar tradition of honoring Janus, the Ancient Roman deity of transitions, and marking the beginning of new political terms under the Julian calendar. Though modern day New Year celebrations are largely secular, the date of January 1st carries the weight of centuries old traditions, from Roman rituals to Christian observances, blending the sacred and the secular

The Origin of Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day Cards

Leave a comment

Although the exact origin of Valentine’s Day is unknown during the modern day, the Catholic Church recognizes 3 different individuals named “Valentine” or “Valentinus”, all of whom were martyred, however it is possible these individuals were the same person. The Ancient Roman priest Valentinus, who lived during the 3rd century A.D., was imprisoned, perhaps falsely, by Ancient Roman emperor Claudius II (Claudius Gothicus). Claudius II legally prohibited marriage for young men, as he believed unmarried men without families made better soldiers. Valentinus may have performed wedding ceremonies for these soldiers covertly, until caught and executed on February 14, 269 A.D.. During his detention, Valentinus fell in love with the prison keepers daughter, a woman possibly named “Julia”, allegedly curing her of blindness. Valentinus signed the final letter he wrote to this woman prior to execution “Your Valentine”. It should be noted, this origin point is not supported by strong historical and/or physical evidence and may have been propagandized by medieval writers to romanticize Valentinus as a Catholic saint

The Origin of the Tradition of Bringing Christmas Trees Indoors

Leave a comment

During the Ancient Roman Saturnalia festival near the winter solstice, coniferous branches, boughs, and trees were brought indoors and kept. Although the exact rationale is debated, the concept may have developed as a means to symbolize everlasting life and/or as a method to ensure the god Saturn, the patron deity of time, wealth, and agriculture among other things within Ancient Rome, would prolong summer and shorten winter. In the 4th century A.D. this festival was replaced by the Christian holiday of Christmas which adopted the practice of bringing trees indoors as well. It should be noted, bringing coniferous trees indoors during the winter solstice was a pagan tradition throughout the northern hemisphere, with multiple cultures and empires outside of the Ancient Romans adopting the practice

The Japanese Concept of “Ubasute”

Leave a comment

The Japanese term “ubasute” (pronounced “ooh-bah-suu-tay”) refers to “taking a person into the forest to leave them to die” and is a practice in Japan which has been imposed upon the elderly, sick, mentally ill, and disabled (e.g. blind, deaf, epilepsy etc.) during difficult periods when food resources have been scarce. This practice is referred to as “senicide” in English. It is unclear if this practice actually occurred throughout Japanese history, but the practice did occur within other cultures (e.g. Ancient Rome, India, Scandinavia etc.) which has led most experts to believe that the practice was more than mere mythology in Japan

The Reason January 1st is the Beginning of the New Year

Leave a comment

The tradition of January 1st being the beginning of the new year is derived from the Ancient Romans. The feast of the Roman god Janus, for whom the month is named, falls upon January 9th of the Julian calendar. Ancient Roman Emperor Julius Caesar felt January to be the perfect month to celebrate the beginning of the new year as it paid tribute to the deity who was responsible for new beginnings as well as doors and gates, personified as a dual faced god that can see both the past and the future

Ancient Roman Dictator Julius Caesar’s Contribution to Time Keeping

Leave a comment

The month of July is a derivation of the name, “Julius Caesar”. The ancient Romans opted to rename “Quintilis”, the original name for July which means “fifth month” in Latin, to “July” after Caesars death because this was the same month that he was born. The Julian calendar, a western calendar used until 1582 when the Gregorian calendar supplanted it, is also attributed to Caesar as the Roman year had only 355 days and required an extra month be added, every 3 years. The ancient Romans repeatedly made the same calculation errors and continually found seasons out of synchronization with the actual calendar date observed. With the help of a few Roman scientists, Caesar removed the pre-Etruscan 10 month solar calendar in favor of the 365 day year calendar named after himself. The Roman calendar started on March 25, but was moved to January 1 with the advent of the Gregorian calendar

Giorgio Vasari; The Person Accredited with Creating the Term “Renaissance”

Leave a comment

The person who is accredited with creating the term “renaissance” is Giorgio Vasari. Vasari published a book entitled “Le Vite de’ più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori” which means “The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects” in Italian. The book is often shortened in its title and called “The Lives of Artists”. This book has over the centuries become the most influential art book of all time. Within the preface of the book, Vasari uses the term “rinascita” which means “rebirth” in Italian, to describe what was going on around him. Vasari stated that under the ancient Greeks and ancient Roman’s, art and civilization reached it’s highest levels of perfection, and that when the barbarians which are modern day Germans, arrived in Italy, the arts as a whole fell to ruins. The Renaissance is considered to have occurred between 1400 A.D. – 1600, with the beginning and end dates being slightly vague on each end