Women, children and slaves enjoyed more freedom allowing everyone to socialise and celebrate together (Lucian, Saturnalia, 13) greeting each other with the popular seasonal greeting ‘Io Saturnalia’ (pronounced Yo). The Bible does not give a date for Jesus’ birth in fact, some theologians have concluded he was probably born in spring, as suggested by references to shepherds and sheep in the Nativity story. During Saturnalia Romans broke away from standard behaviour and dress and even engaged with role-reversal. The Christian holiday of Christmas, especially, owes many of its traditions to the ancient Roman festival, including the time of year Christmas is celebrated. to the fourth century A.D.-and their suppression of older seasonal rites practiced by the Celts and other groups-today’s Western cultures derive many of their traditional celebrations of midwinter from Saturnalia. Thanks to the Roman Empire’s conquests in Britain and the rest of Europe from the second century B.C. The common holiday custom of hiding coins or other small objects in cakes is one of many dating back to Saturnalia, as this was a method of choosing the mock king.

The idea was that he ruled over chaos, rather than the normal Roman order. If you are sightseeing in Rome, I strongly recommend a Roma Pass, and for an excellent guide to the archaeology of Rome, Amanda Claridge’s Oxford Archaeological Guide of Rome is my choice.In many Roman households, a mock king was chosen: the Saturnalicius princeps, or “leader of Saturnalia,” sometimes also called the “Lord of Misrule.” Usually a lowlier member of the household, this figure was responsible for making mischief during the celebrations-insulting guests, wearing crazy clothing, chasing women and girls, etc. Today the Temple of Saturn is part of the Roman Forum, and the entry fee covers both the Forum and the Palatine Hill. The only fresh material used in rebuilding the temple’s façade was the white marble out of which the Ionic capitals were made.Īs the god of seed and sowing, and also associated with wealth and abundance, it is perhaps not surprising that a temple dedicated to Saturn housed the state treasury. All the others were made by fixing together broken lengths – hence the bracing we see around the shafts today. Of the eight columns, only three were created using a single, solid piece of stone. For example, the shafts of the standing columns were all created from shafts of stone that were once part of other architectural features. The ruins of the temple’s façade are a good example of what is termed spoila, in re-building the temple builders made use of stone from other, older buildings. The striking line of columns we see amongst the ruins of the Forum today are the remains of a later temple that was constructed sometime between 360 and 380 AD following a very destructive fire. The cult of Saturn was already quite old, and it is thought that the first temple was dedicated on the very same spot in about 497 BC.

Looking from the Capitoline Hill over the Roman Forum with the Temple of Saturn in the foreground.In Rome, the physical focus of the festivities was the Temple of Saturn, the most visible remains of which are the eight Ionic columns at the western end of the Roman Forum, just at the base of the Capitoline Hill.

Roman saturnalia