Italy Day 2 (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...)

Alright nothing funny really happened, but I couldn't help thinking about the Sondheim Musical while we were on the way. I also couldn't stop wondering what the heck "forum" meant in this context. I soon found out. The Roman Forum was were the ancient Romans came to shop and hang out. But when we got there all the shops were closed. I think we got there about 2,000 years too late. Honestly, it was in quite a state of disrepair.

We saw the ruins of the home of the Vestal virgins. Here we are in front of those ruins.
It was an honor to be a Vestal virgin, so families were proud to give their 5 year-old daughters to them to serve the goddess Vesta. All they had to do was stay a virgin for 30 years.

This seems infinitely more civilized than the Indian system of devadasis, which continues to this day, where young girls are given by their families to serve the goddess Yellamamma and all they have to do is have sex for money. I wish I were making this up, but follow the link for the heart-wrenching story of these women.

But let's get back to the virgins. After thirty years they were free to marry, but since the average life span was less than 30 years, at 35, they were too old to marry. Most women married around age 12. Scandalous today, but pragmatic if you were unlikely to live past 30.

The Romans invented "paved" roads. We walked on roads made of large pavers. They were very flat when they were built allowing chariots to ride on them easily. Unfortunately, the pavers have moved a bit over the last two millennium, so they aren't quite so smooth now. I guess you could say the Romans invented potholes too. Thanks a lot!