While ancient Rome may be known for gladiators, grand conquests, and fashionable togas, a surprisingly intricate legal system kept their civilization in line. They had many laws — some familiar, others bizarre — that dictated the everyday lives of millions of Roman citizens, enslaved people, and soldiers across a vast empire. Here are three of the most outrageous and interesting laws Romans enacted as a republic and an empire. Dress Codes and Party Fouls Beginning in around 215 BC, the Roman Republic began instituting what was known as sumptuary laws, which restricted the clothes people could wear, foods they could eat, and the maximum number of attendees at parties. They created these, in part, to reduce the costs of banquets, festivals, and other Roman ragers. Some examples were enacted in 213 BC when it became illegal for women to wear colorful dresses (unless they were celebrating a ritual sacrifice), to wear more than a half ounce of gold, or even to ride around in carriages. However, they soon repealed these laws because they considered them antiquated. ROMAN RULES PECULIAR LAWS OF THE ANCIENT EMPIRE
Shocking Statute Tough luck for those who like hanging out on tall metal poles — if a lightning strike killed someone in Rome, the law forbade families from burying them! This is because Romans believed lightning strikes were divine retribution from the king of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter. See Ya Later, Gladiator! Romans “borrowed” the idea of gladiatorial games from their (conquered) neighbors, wherein people would fight — sometimes to the death — for the public’s amusement and began holding them back in 264 BC. However, because only 3 of every 5 people made it to their 20s at the time, only about 10% of those bouts involved actual fatalities. Many slaves, prisoners of war, and Christian martyrs fought as gladiators in the arena, but if they were already sentenced to execution, they had no hope of survival. One peculiar law involving gladiators was that they would fight until an injured combatant put down his shield and lifted his index finger to ask for mercy. At that point, it would come to an abrupt halt — though the emperor, if in attendance, would make the final decision.
A NIGHT OF FUN AND FUNDRAISING AT THE ORLANDO FUNNY BONE Stand-Up for a Cause
Laughter lit the stage of the Orlando Funny Bone on Sept. 5 for our Third Annual Just Call Moe Comedy Jam! The night was a tremendous success as our stellar lineup of local comedians had the audience in stitches while supporting a worthy cause. The comedy jam showcased some of the area’s most entertaining talent, and thanks to your support, we raised significant funds for the nonprofit Yellow Brick Road: The Holden Flynn Foundation. As the jokes flew and we shared the evening with guests and our community sponsors, it was a testament to how coming together can truly make a difference. Thank you to the over 300 people who came out for this fun evening. Your support will help the Yellow Brick Foundation’s mission of serving families affected by congenital heart disease. We are also so grateful to our superstar comedians like David Jolly from Kill
Tony, Sabrina Ambra from The News Junkie, the always entertaining Donald Evans, the quick-witted Roo Nafasat, the crowd-pleaser Austin Kleeman, and hilarious Ryan Holmes. Our host with the most, Ross McCoy, did an incredible job, as always. This event would not have been possible without our wonderful sponsors, including That Mortgage Guy Don, Happy Home Mortgage, Christensen’s Clockworks, Inc., Orlando Solar Bears, Shingle Masters Roofing & Construction, Pyrospot Fireworks, and Attorney Jacob Stuart. We are thankful to everyone who attended and helped us make this event a success. We look forward to continuing this tradition and can’t wait to hear the punchlines next year! (We’re still chuckling over some of our favorite jokes of the night).
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