The ''Sororium Tigillum'', which translates as the "sister's beam", was a wooden beam said to have been erected on the slope of the
Oppian Hill in
Ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
by the father of
Publius Horatius, one of the three brothers
Horatii. Publius Horatius was required to pass under the beam, as if under a yoke, following the decision of the people's assembly to not to punish him for the murder of his sister.
According to
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
, writing at the end of the 1st century BC, the Sororium Tigillum remained intact in Rome until his day, having been maintained at the public expense.
Sources
*
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
, ''
Ab urbe condita'', 1:26
* ''CIL'' 6.32482
* Platner, S. B, and T. Ashby. 1929. "Tigillum Sororium.
" In ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
References
{{Reflist
Topography of the ancient city of Rome