Here are some pictures by Ascanio inspired by the story of the Sabine women.
In the newly-built city of Rome, the men (warriors who'd sailed from Troy) needed wives, but their neighbours, the Sabines, wouldn't let their daughters marry these newcomers. So Romulus thought of a cunning plan: he arranged a great festival with games and invited the neighbours to see the new city and enjoy the spectacle. When the games were about to start, he would stand up and wrap his robe around him – that would be the signal....
This is a (rough, eulalian) translation of Plutarch's account, from his Life of Romulus:
Many people had come together, eager to see the new city, most of all our neighbours, among whom the people of Caenina, the Crustumini, the Antemnates, and finally the entire Sabine population came, bringing their wives and families.They were hospitably invited to stroll among the houses, through the building sites and around the defences. Seeing how the city was already provided with several walls, they were amazed how quickly the Roman settlement had grown.
When the time came for the games to begin, with their victims already given up to them in their minds' eye and their collective lust aroused, the signal was given and the youths of Rome rushed in to carry off the girls. It was the fate of the great majority of them to be seized. Those with especially fine figures were picked out for the leading City Fathers, then opportunity was given for all the men in the mob to carry the others off to their houses.
The miserable parents of the virgins fled in terror through the mocking crowd, crying out against this violation of a treaty of friendship, and appealing to the god at whose solemn games this impious trick was committed. But for the kidnapped women, there was no hope from him of any rescue, nor of any salvation from disgrace.
But Romulus himself went about teaching them that it was the arrogance of their own fathers that had brought it upon them, as they had refused them in marriage to their neighbours. But now they would live in matrimony, sharing all the good fortune of the community and the state, and – compared to which nothing is more precious to a woman – they would bear children.
So in a subtle way, he softened their anger, and to those who had seized their bodies by force, they gave their souls. So often out of wrong do blessings arise! The more the women submitted, the more the men to whom they'd been driven became affectionate, so as each girl performed her wifely duty, grief for her parents and desire for her homeland vanished. And with men's gentle words they were conquered by passion and love, which are the most effective means of persuasion to a woman's soul.
In the newly-built city of Rome, the men (warriors who'd sailed from Troy) needed wives, but their neighbours, the Sabines, wouldn't let their daughters marry these newcomers. So Romulus thought of a cunning plan: he arranged a great festival with games and invited the neighbours to see the new city and enjoy the spectacle. When the games were about to start, he would stand up and wrap his robe around him – that would be the signal....
This is a (rough, eulalian) translation of Plutarch's account, from his Life of Romulus:
Many people had come together, eager to see the new city, most of all our neighbours, among whom the people of Caenina, the Crustumini, the Antemnates, and finally the entire Sabine population came, bringing their wives and families.They were hospitably invited to stroll among the houses, through the building sites and around the defences. Seeing how the city was already provided with several walls, they were amazed how quickly the Roman settlement had grown.
When the time came for the games to begin, with their victims already given up to them in their minds' eye and their collective lust aroused, the signal was given and the youths of Rome rushed in to carry off the girls. It was the fate of the great majority of them to be seized. Those with especially fine figures were picked out for the leading City Fathers, then opportunity was given for all the men in the mob to carry the others off to their houses.
The miserable parents of the virgins fled in terror through the mocking crowd, crying out against this violation of a treaty of friendship, and appealing to the god at whose solemn games this impious trick was committed. But for the kidnapped women, there was no hope from him of any rescue, nor of any salvation from disgrace.
But Romulus himself went about teaching them that it was the arrogance of their own fathers that had brought it upon them, as they had refused them in marriage to their neighbours. But now they would live in matrimony, sharing all the good fortune of the community and the state, and – compared to which nothing is more precious to a woman – they would bear children.
So in a subtle way, he softened their anger, and to those who had seized their bodies by force, they gave their souls. So often out of wrong do blessings arise! The more the women submitted, the more the men to whom they'd been driven became affectionate, so as each girl performed her wifely duty, grief for her parents and desire for her homeland vanished. And with men's gentle words they were conquered by passion and love, which are the most effective means of persuasion to a woman's soul.
