The War Of The Roses

[The Fallen Angel]

Part 1
The War Of The Roses

Most people today think of the war of The Roses as the conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster, so it may come as some surprise to learn that the original expression began in the Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre as it was known at the time. The construction of this 50 000 seater stadium began in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD. It wasn't however until 83 Ad during the reign of Domitian that the first War Of The Roses began. The Amphitheater was host to magnificent productions of sea battles, re-enactments, gladiatorial combats, crucifixions and other spectacles too gruesome to mention. However as today with a massive production things such as hydraulics could, and did cause delays due to malfunction. During such unwanted delays the crowd would become restless and no Emperor wanted that on his watch. Domitian was the first to introduce short (15-20 mins.) contests to keep the audience interested during the delay. One popular contest was a whipping one. Two Colosseum slave girls, in this illustration Junia and Dominica for the sake of argument would be on standby with two well matched Christian girls (preferably virgins). The slave girls were allowed to be dressed but preferred nudity as it allowed them more freedom of movement, it was always hot and besides they probably enjoyed showing off in front of a large crowd.
Let's call the girls Avita and Mila. The virgins were hoisted up and tied to a simple wooden structure which could be quickly assembled into ready made slots on the ground by what today would be known as stage crew. Dominica has won the toss to go first and has Mila tied firmly in position. Mila would be warmed up by a device known as the Vaginacaleomachina. It was called other things by the rabble . Basically it was just a stand and a container for what was probably a mixture of naphthalene, wood resin and distilled alcohol. Mila would be tormented by the flames until Dominica pulled out her whip. There are no surviving records of the rules but accounts by notable senators of the time suggest that 10 lashes could be applied anywhere on the back and an equal number on the front. Whip shots between the legs were allowed and were greeted by loud applause from an appreciative crowd. Junia and Dominica would have had to be careful however as whipping a girl until she became unconscious and hence silent was not appreciated. The crowd wanted screams...long and loud!...they hadn't paid to watch a silent movie. After Dominica's allotted time and cracks of the whip Mila would be gagged and then it would be Junia's turn.
Every spectator upon entry was given a red and white rose. If they thought that Junia exacted the best and loudest screams then they would toss in a red rose. These interludes became much enjoyed especially by the high ranking members of society.
Oddly enough there is a theory that the well known Pollice Verso painting showing the Vestal Virgins giving thumbs down to a gladiator was first painted depicting them tossing roses into the arena during such a contest but was altered due to possible public outrage.

 

[geolier]

I

Part 1
The War Of The Roses

Most people today think of the war of The Roses as the conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster, so it may come as some surprise to learn that the original expression began in the Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre as it was known at the time. The construction of this 50 000 seater stadium began in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD. It wasn't however until 83 Ad during the reign of Domitian that the first War Of The Roses began. The Amphitheater was host to magnificent productions of sea battles, re-enactments, gladiatorial combats, crucifixions and other spectacles too gruesome to mention. However as today with a massive production things such as hydraulics could, and did cause delays due to malfunction. During such unwanted delays the crowd would become restless and no Emperor wanted that on his watch. Domitian was the first to introduce short (15-20 mins.) contests to keep the audience interested during the delay. One popular contest was a whipping one. Two Colosseum slave girls, in this illustration Junia and Dominica for the sake of argument would be on standby with two well matched Christian girls (preferably virgins). The slave girls were allowed to be dressed but preferred nudity as it allowed them more freedom of movement, it was always hot and besides they probably enjoyed showing off in front of a large crowd.
Let's call the girls Avita and Mila. The virgins were hoisted up and tied to a simple wooden structure which could be quickly assembled into ready made slots on the ground by what today would be known as stage crew. Dominica has won the toss to go first and has Mila tied firmly in position. Mila would be warmed up by a device known as the Vaginacaleomachina. It was called other things by the rabble . Basically it was just a stand and a container for what was probably a mixture of naphthalene, wood resin and distilled alcohol. Mila would be tormented by the flames until Dominica pulled out her whip. There are no surviving records of the rules but accounts by notable senators of the time suggest that 10 lashes could be applied anywhere on the back and an equal number on the front. Whip shots between the legs were allowed and were greeted by loud applause from an appreciative crowd. Junia and Dominica would have had to be careful however as whipping a girl until she became unconscious and hence silent was not appreciated. The crowd wanted screams...long and loud!...they hadn't paid to watch a silent movie. After Dominica's allotted time and cracks of the whip Mila would be gagged and then it would be Junia's turn.
Every spectator upon entry was given a red and white rose. If they thought that Junia exacted the best and loudest screams then they would toss in a red rose. These interludes became much enjoyed especially by the high ranking members of society.
Oddly enough there is a theory that the well known Pollice Verso painting showing the Vestal Virgins giving thumbs down to a gladiator was first painted depicting them tossing roses into the arena during such a contest but was altered due to possible public outrage.
View attachment 1039154

I'd like a frontal view......

 

[Tony57]

Very nice narrative, I’m from the house of Lancaster

 

[The Fallen Angel]

Part 2
The War Of the Roses
War Of The Roses Part 2

Domitian had an elder brother Titus who gained many honours and a formidable reputation during the First Jewish-Roman war. For much of his life Domitian lived in the shadow of the exploits of his elder brother Titus. Titus also had a reputation of being a ladies man and was probably envied by the more studious Domitian. When their father Vespasian died Titus took over the reigns of government. His years in power were short lived as he died most unexpectedly following a short and fatal illness in 81 A.D. (Apologies to Apostate for using A.D....I can't stand P.C.). Why a sudden and short illness was unexpected I really don't know as many poisons were freely available. Domitian succeeded Titus and ruled until 96 A.D. when surprise surprise!!....he was assassinated by his fellow senators. After his death senatorial authors such as Tacitus and Pliny the Younger basically tried to rewrite history by portraying Domitian as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. So what's new???. Domitian was anything but!. After the death of his elder brother Domitian insisted on bringing up Petrina, the daughter of Titus. Petrina missed her father even though she hadn't seen all that much of him due to demands of his career.
Domitian would take her to the Ampitheatre during her formative years where it is believed she acquired her love of the arena. As she grew older like teenagers today she became simply stroppy. Although Domitian was a firm man he had little or no influence over Petrina who soon became something of a hell-raiser. She began to attend the games unaccompanied and would sit in the Emperor's seat much to the amusement of Pliny the Younger. The sight of a naked woman whipping a Christian virgin must have aroused something in her as she used her power as the Emperor's daughter to take the place of an Arena slave in one of the contests. She appeared stark naked leading her victim to the contest. From contemporary accounts she had a well rounded body and had little problem in tying her victim to the poles. The crowd were silent. They could not believe what they were seeing. Tacitus records “An unearthly silence befell the arena as Petrina, daughter of Domitian strode naked in full view of thousands.”. She was a well known figure among the populace of Rome and that day gained a following which would last for years. Tacitus and Pliny the Younger are a little sketchy as to the details but they are in accordance with the facts that Petrina would use the vaginacaleomachina to great effect. She would choose Christian girls with masses of pubic hair and
massage the naphthalene mixture between their legs. After giving the girl her allotted lashes on her back she would turn to the front and make sure that all the pubic hair had been burnt off before giving her at least three very painful lashes. In the attached pic you can see her rubbing something into the girl's left breast. It was probably some hot chilli pepper juice...she was like that.
Domitian suffered many jibes from his political opponents until the day he ordered that two daughters of one of his tormentors be accused of being traitors of the state by being secret Christians. That was no problem...no surprise there. He then let Petrina use them in the arena and actually attended. Modern Historians suggest that this act could have led to years of hatred culminating in revenge and the assassination of Domitian.
Little is known about what became of Petrina but from the little I know I could make guesses and produce more pics.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

Part 3
The War Of the Roses
Petrina had a cousin Julia Flavia the same age as herself. Although it was most unusual for girls to attend school both went to the same elementary school and later to the same High school. Although it was all girls Petrina and Julia didn't mind. They got on very well together. Their main subjects were Rhetoric and Philosophy and they could quote Virgil and Homer without having any real interest whatsoever. During the summer holidays Petrina introduced Julia to the Flavian Amphitheater and persuaded her to take part in a whipping contest. Julia was well used to giving the household slaves a whipping for the slightest misdemeanor but nothing on this scale. She readily accepted the challenge and chose a Christian girl with bigger breasts than herself. She enjoyed tormenting her victims by telling them how many more lashes and where they would be delivered. She was a real crowd pleaser on a par with Petrina and soon became a favourite. She enjoyed many competitions with her cousin.