Since Plutarch’s work is an example of antiquarianism, we shouldn’t be surprised when it occasionally provides a very rich example of a very small slice of life in ancient Rome. For example, Plutarch gives a very interesting description of how slave women were prohibited from entering particular temple in Rome:
Question 16
Why is the temple of Matuta forbidden to slave-women; and why do the women bring in one slave-girl only, whom they slap and strike in the face?
The blows given to this girl may be a sign that her presence there is forbidden; slave-women in general are excluded because of the legend. Ino-Matuta, suspecting her husband with a slave-girl, went mad and killed her son, so they say. The Greeks add that the servant was an Aitolian , by name Antiphera; therefore in my native town of Chaironeia, the verger stands before the shrine of Leukothea with a whip and proclaims ‘Let no slave, male nor female, enter, neither any Aitolian, man or woman. (trans. Rose)
Evident in this passage is Plutarch’s commitment to finding similarities between Greek and Roman life, including religion. Some commentators even go so far as to suggest that the Greek aspect that Plutarch describes overshadows his description of the Roman practice. Also evident in this passage is how Plutarch’s work is not simply a collection of what he has read. Note that he provides an eye-witness account to the Greek practice.
In his commentary on this passage, Rose suggests that the slapping is connects to the worship of Ino as a fertility goddess; namely, the citizen women slap the slave in order to ensure that they retain the focus of the fertility goddess’ benevolence. One of the lovely things about this theory is that there is no way to disprove it.
What is interesting to me is that there are other examples of ritualized violence against slaves. The most iconic is how the Spartans would demand that their children would beat the helots so that they would learn superiority over them. Less well known but more important to me is how in Imperial Rome there began a tradition called alapa. This is simply the Latin word for ‘slap’ but it refers to how a master would slap a slave as part of the ritual of manumission. Even more intriguing for this example, Christian writers attest to this practice happening in churches.
Question 16
Why is the temple of Matuta forbidden to slave-women; and why do the women bring in one slave-girl only, whom they slap and strike in the face?
The blows given to this girl may be a sign that her presence there is forbidden; slave-women in general are excluded because of the legend. Ino-Matuta, suspecting her husband with a slave-girl, went mad and killed her son, so they say. The Greeks add that the servant was an Aitolian , by name Antiphera; therefore in my native town of Chaironeia, the verger stands before the shrine of Leukothea with a whip and proclaims ‘Let no slave, male nor female, enter, neither any Aitolian, man or woman. (trans. Rose)
Evident in this passage is Plutarch’s commitment to finding similarities between Greek and Roman life, including religion. Some commentators even go so far as to suggest that the Greek aspect that Plutarch describes overshadows his description of the Roman practice. Also evident in this passage is how Plutarch’s work is not simply a collection of what he has read. Note that he provides an eye-witness account to the Greek practice.
In his commentary on this passage, Rose suggests that the slapping is connects to the worship of Ino as a fertility goddess; namely, the citizen women slap the slave in order to ensure that they retain the focus of the fertility goddess’ benevolence. One of the lovely things about this theory is that there is no way to disprove it.
What is interesting to me is that there are other examples of ritualized violence against slaves. The most iconic is how the Spartans would demand that their children would beat the helots so that they would learn superiority over them. Less well known but more important to me is how in Imperial Rome there began a tradition called alapa. This is simply the Latin word for ‘slap’ but it refers to how a master would slap a slave as part of the ritual of manumission. Even more intriguing for this example, Christian writers attest to this practice happening in churches.