I welcome you with a Roman greeting: hic habitat felicitas - here lives happiness

For those about to read, turn over the page if you are scrupulous... Friends, Romans, Maltese and others, lend me your ears; I come to thrash Professor Carmel Serracino and Jordan Sant, not to praise them. The evil that these men do lives after them - through this book for example.

Bawxati u Reati tal-Imperaturi Rumani tal-Ewwel Seklu WK
Publisher: Kite Group / 2024
Authors: Carmel Serracino
Illustrator: Mark Schembri

Perhaps readers noted that the introduction is taken from the speech of Mark-Anthony at the funeral of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's drama which he took from Plutarch and Suetonius.  It is with the murder of Julius Caesar that the stories in the book Bawxati and Reati begin.

The day of the book was launch, the 27th of November falls on the exact day when 2067 years ago, in the year 43 BC the (Second) Roman Triumvirate was formed between Mark Antony, Lepidus and Octavian - the latter eventually became the first Roman emperor who is the first character we read about in this book - Augustus. 

From this book I will especially concentrate on [and I quote from the Introduction]: . . .  ġennati, u eċċentriċitajiet oħrajn (madness and other eccentricities), as described by ancient authors who lived during the mentioned events or soon after and who serve as journalists from the past - often as they experienced it or knew others who did.

Interestingly, although the acts of Bawxati u Reati are intangible, archaeology and art occasionally represent tangible evidence of such happenings. 

The assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March - 15 March 1of 44 B.C. at the Curia of Pompeo in Rome is one of the most written about and acted historical moments, but there is little tangible evidence of this assassination except the murder site in the form of architectural remains at Largo di Torre Argentina in the heart of Rome where he was stabbed 23 times, the rostra (orators platform) at the Roman Forum in Rome and his funeral pyre site opposite the rostra. 

Whereas a visit to the Gabinetto Segreto at the Naples Archaeological Museum will leave you with no doubt about how the Romans perceived sex.

Carmel Serracino is the enfant terrible of Classics studies in Malta, manifested by:

• His love for films with themes of the Classical period and the theatre;
• Introduced different ways to teach the Classics with innovative and engaging teaching methods;
• such as my first experience of Carm's innovative and dynamic method was when in 2016, on the initiative of one of Carm's students, staged a play based on Homer's Odyssey as a result of Carm's course on the classic epic. Carm was the producer and even participated as an actor alongside the student actors - the production was a success.

Now, Carm together with his sidekick Jordan Sant who is also a scholar of the Classics and Latin and of Roman films and former student of Carm's, give us Bawxati u Reati tal-Imperaturi Romani in Maltese, why not?

For the first time Maltese readers can discover about Roman Bawxati u Reati in their native language, which is probably somewhat similar to the language spoken by our ancestors in the time of the Romans when these Bawxati u Reati were actually happening.

In fact, in the year 60 A.D. it is highly likely that Saint Paul, after being shipwrecked in Malta and managed to save himself, he was able to communicate with the Maltese of that time not because of miracles but because he came from the Middle East and was familiar with the Semitic languages ​​of the coastal cities of the Phoenicians, who centuries before had colonized the Maltese Islands and left us some of their tongue. 

In fact, the Evangelist Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles refers to the Maltese as barbaroi - they did not speak any Greek or Latin - unlike Carm and Jordan.

It seems that the Maltese have remained barbaroi since Carm is still trying to teach the Maltese some Greek and Latin at the University!!!!  Only to succumb to write a book about Roman Bawxati u Reati in Maltese.

The title of the book Bawxati u Reati echos the ethos of two main Roman gods - Mars and Venus - the god of war and the god of love and sex.  In fact, the Italians are still under the spell of Venus as they still call Friday as Venerdi in honor of Venus - on which day Catholics do not eat meat as a restraint on desire and pleasure and sacrifice.  

Here in this book we have the legacy of love and war in the form of sex and murder.  X'għar u casa!!!

But is it true that the Romans were sexual perverts and bloodthirsty?

The Romans were known for sexual liberty to a certain extent, although they also had sexual morals but not in the sense that we understand them today.  Sexuality was considered a normal part of everyday life without much taboo and was widely and explicitly discussed and depicted in the art and literature of the time.   This because through sexual acts the Romans believed they were honoring and pleasing the goddess Venus - it was part of their religion!!!!  Until Saint Augustine converted to Christianity and said NO.  Interpretations by modern society may differ greatly from the cultural perspectives and values ​​of the ancient Romans.

It should be noted that marriage in ancient Roman times was important mainly because of the need to procreate successors, mainly a male first born.  Roman marriage was a contract between the father-heads of the families - the pater familias, to form a union between the two families in order to capitalize on the wealth and/or power between the families.  Roman marriage was therefore not so much about love and sex between the couple, although several marriages remained in union until old age. 

Maltese law on marriage as well as on the care and tutelage of children is still anchored on the ancient Roman law (read both in parallel), and likewise are some ceremonial customs of the Roman wedding ritual which are still used today, like for example the groom carries the bride over the threshold and the wedding ring which is a remnant of the Roman key to the house of the couple new. 

The Romans also had laws against incest, rape and homosexuality, these laws only applied to Roman citizens and not to non-citizens and slaves.

Roman 'political' history is also characterized by sex and murder.  I shall mention only three events that took place long before the emperors existed:

w  The escapade of god Mars with the mortal Rhea Silvia who was a Vestal virgin and who produced the twins Romulus and Remus who ended one killing the other in a dispute about which hill Rome should be founded upon, Romulus won  and thus began the Roman Monarchy (753 BC).

w  The cunning plot of the Romans led by Romulus to obtain women to increase their population and power through the rape of the Sabine women.

w  The rape of Lucretia by the son of the last King of Rome.  Lucretia made the ultimate sacrifice to show her loyalty to her husband and father and save her honour through suicide.  Due to this event, the Roman people rebelled against the King bringing about the end of the Monarchy and the birth of the Roman Republic (509 - 27 BC).

Now, let me tell you about my own experiences why knowing about Roman bed manners was useful for me, by way that the subject, amongst others, at times came in assistance in arguments as to why knowing about the past matters, how we can learn from the past to avoid mistakes, emulate success, and uphold righteousness, morals and values with some cheeky references implied to raise interest.  Similarly, thanks to Carm and Jordan's book Bawxati u Reati Rumani the subject will hopefully become more popular amongst the Maltese.

Since my childhood, over five decades ago, my favorite subject is the ancient Romans . . . and my favorite topic about the Romans concern the baths . . . Roman architecture, engineering, sculpture and arts . . . and the military . . . and everyday life . . .  In short, I cannot stop loving the Romans.    But I was particularly intrigued by Roman amorous behavior, or Roman bawxati as Carm and Jordan politely call them in their book, because people can still relate to such physiological and emotional need despite the 2000-plus years separation. 

And that's why Carm invited me to give a speech during the launch of the book Bawxati u Reati tal-Imperaturi Rumani tal-Ewwel Seklu WK because some time ago in a parking lot at the University I was discussing with him on some of what I am going to tell you now.

How did I manage to entice some interest in some people to better understand and appreciate the ancient past of the Maltese Islands?  During discussions I often referred to good practices used by the Romans such as in architecture, engineering, leadership, law and other matters, but somehow at some point the discussion used to deviate about promiscuous practices and objects that the Romans used for sex, which was more engaging to those debating than talking about ruins, bits of pottery or stoic philosophy, discipline, law and order.

As soon as those listening immersed themselves in the subject and started to concur with what they were hearing about Roman sex, for them the Romans (i.e. the antiquities / the past) become more understandable and acceptable, therefore it was justified not to destroy ancient ruins, because according to some the Romans / the ancients were morally worse than us regarding sex!!!!

So, I told them about some aspects which you should find some references in the book Bawxati u Reati, such as:

• Ovid's book The Art of Love - a kind of Roman kama sutra.
• About references in the most incident Roman book Satyricon by Petronius and in Apuleius' The Golden Ass, now joined by Carm and Jordan's equally engaging but perhaps more respectful Bawxati u Reati tal-Impertauri Rumani.
• I was asked about what a very high-ranking Maltese clergyman meant when in August 2016 he compared the latest frenzy for tall buildings in Malta to the temples of Priapus. Who is Priapus they asked me? When they saw who Priapus was they were amazed. They really felt small!!!

• About Messalina, the wife of the emperor Claudius . . . and her silver whip. If you want to know read the book Bawxati u Reati.
• About the empress Theodora, the wife of the emperor Justinian. If you want to know more read from Procopius' Secret History or wait for Carm and Jordan's sequel book.
• And about the tintinnabulum - a bell with different shapes that was used by the Romans in the public baths, but especially those used at the entrance of Roman houses which visitors touched on entry for good luck. Nowadays one finds the tintinabulus in local churches with the title of basilica, but in the shape of a bell.
• Ah, and not to forget to mention . . . the Warren Cup. Some thought it was a tennis trophy and asked if the Romans played tennis - NO. The Warren Cup is a Roman silver chalice (cantharus). According to the Warren Cup some Romans used to exercise their passion by playing hang-on or as peeping toms.

But about similar anecdotes you can find more details in the book Bawxati u Reati tal-Imperaturi Rumani by Carm and Jordan.

Some points about the book...

Thanks to historians like Suetonius and others the Romans have left us an amount of literature that speaks for the silent stones and pottery.  Dr. Carmel Serracino and Jordan Sant made good use of them, sifted through the histories, and extracted the Bawxati and Reati which raise curiosity and capture the attention of the audience.

This is not the usual history book, but it is historically factual.

Bawxati u Reati is on the lines of the Horrible Histories series - it does not make fun of history - it makes reading history enjoyable. 

In fact, the title of the book by the Roman author Suetonius The Twelve Caesars sounds a little boring and draws little attention for some to read it.  Look at Carm and Jordan . . . they named the book with a provocative title: Bawxati u Reati which will surely attract more attention and curiosity to read.  Congratulations to whoever came up with this title - a very good marketing slogan.

If history is enjoyable more people will read the book, they will better understand history, will appreciate the past and hopefully will accept to take care of our cultural heritage better.

For those who were afraid to read volumes on Roman history and politics, Carm and Jordan provide a very good introduction containing:

• a summary of Roman politics and about the transfer of power in simple terms.
• a number of pen portraits about the ancient authors from whose texts the present book was translated from Greek and Latin; and
• how modernity, such as cinematography, generated in the authors curiosity towards Roman aspects.

I quote this time from the Introduction of the book [translated from Maltese]:

It was this common love for this genre of films that now brought them together to collaborate and create this publication, a book of a historical nature that unites many interests:

w  the Classics as an academic subject covering the study of Greek and Roman History and Literature,

w  the translation of ancient literature into a modern and spoken language [Maltese], 

w  and the culture that polarized, or rather, demonized, the Roman Emperors

In fact, a major contribution of this book is that for the first time it provides a translation in Maltese of passages from the original classical Latin and Greek writing since they have never been translated and published in Maltese, except perhaps for a few paragraphs here and there [transl. from Maltese].

This book gives us accounts of bawxati u reati for the first six emperors, though the sixth story involves four of them at once during the same year, all with daggers at each other's' throats - quite a Roman orgy!!!!

The authors explain to us how at Imperial and Senatorial levels they looked at violence and murder, I quote [from the Epilogue of the book and translated from Maltese]:

This led to several violent eliminations being almost considered 'necessary' in the context of how imperial politics worked.

Aren't these factors constantly present in the stories we read, the conspiracies, the assassinations, the frustration of the Senatorial class from losing its power, and the delicate issue of succession?

And through Suetonius and other authors, Carm and Jordan found the opportunity to gossip on the Romans.   Note the characteristics that Carm and Jordan appreciated in Suetonius, for example in the way they describe and give details, as if a script from a Sergio Leone film:

If we take Suetonius, his work is full of anecdotes that shed light on the appearance, mannerisms, characters, and vices of the Emperors. . . .  for the Senatorial elite from which these authors came, they meant everything.

And so they emphasize a lot the vices of each Emperor, their cruelty and sadism...

even to the smallest detail irrespective how trivial like the teeth of Augustus, the pimples of Tiberius, the body hair of Caligula, the laugh of Claudius, and the marks on Nero's body.

This book tells us less of the usual stuff about power and victories in battle and more about the curiosities you wanted to know about but were afraid to ask or didn't know where to find information about or who to ask.  

The relevance of studying the Classics, Latin and Ancient Greek

According to the University of Kentucky studying Latin, a highly organized and logical language, is much like studying mathematics, it sharpens the mind, cultivates mental alertness, creates keener attention to detail, develops critical thinking, and enhances problem solving abilities.  . . . learners of Latin get a better grasp of their own present and thus gain a more profound understanding of manifold aspects of our lives.   

In the U.K. the actress Joanna Lumley and the former prime minister Boris Johnson are two amongst several other celebrities who are graduates of Classics and apart from being able to recite Latin verses at will they vouch on how such education helped their personal life and career.

In Dr. Carm Serracino's own words the beauty of Latin literature is its richness in the articulation of expression, and the texts used to learn from exude lessons of morals and values that stand the test of time.  Interestingly, the twenty-something year old Jordan Sant, having just completed his M.A. studies, is testament that Latin is not a dead language or culture and that youngsters can still gain a lot for their career and lifestyle by studying the Classics.

If you want to know more, read the book Bawxati u Reati tal-Imperaturi Rumani tal-Ewwel Seklu WK