honorthegods:Februarius, fragment of a mosaic with the months of the year. First half third century
honorthegods:Februarius, fragment of a mosaic with the months of the year. First half third century CE. Discovered in the city of Thysdrus, Roman province of Byzacena, (modern El Djem, Tunisia). Collection of the Archaeological Museum of Sousse. Photo: © Ad Meskens, 2012 via Wikimedia Commons (X). License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 UnportedThe mosaic panel for February probably depicts the Lupercalia celebration, during which runners flogged bystanders, especially women, around the buttocks and thighs with thongs made from the hide of a sacrificed goat. The Lupercalia was so old that its origin was lost even to the Romans, but it may have started as a ritual to purify the flocks and ensure their health and fertility. Pope Gelasius incurred the ire of the aristocrats of Rome for banning Christians from participating in the ritual in the 5th century CE, but observation of the Lupercalia may have continued into the early 6th century. -- source link