03-01-2011, 09:11 PM
It’s possible that even these new citizens had no idea to which tribe they belonged. As support for this idea it has been mentioned that the curiae were subdivisions of the tribes – ten to each tribe. In some festivals, particularly the Fornacalia in February, the people were supposed to gather by curiae, and hence by tribe. However, by the time of Ovid (see Fasti 2.531+) many people had no idea to which curiae they belonged, nor which curia was part of which tribe. Because of this the last day of the festival was called the “Feast of Fools.”
Note, though, that every citizen was deemed to have a place in this tribal / curial system, even if he did not know what it was. So even the “fools” who didn’t know where they belonged were still allowed to participate.
Note, though, that every citizen was deemed to have a place in this tribal / curial system, even if he did not know what it was. So even the “fools” who didn’t know where they belonged were still allowed to participate.
David J. Cord
www.davidcord.com
www.davidcord.com
