Clodius got hornily curious about the ladies-only religious ceremony for the Bona Dea festival. Bona Dea was a specifically Italian goddess whose festival was held at night, in secret, in the house of the Pontifex Maximus. His wife led the ceremony, accompanied by the Vestal Virgins. It was a big thing that men weren’t allowed to participate, so obviously Clodius wanted in. Being precisely thirty years old and an idiot, he thought he might look young and feminine enough to pass so he disguised himself as a woman – presumably by putting on women’s clothes and some make-up – and climbed in
...more
