Cow, bear, hair…
Well, I’m a total FAIL at getting today’s comic done, but here’s a cow, a bear, and a preview of the first two rows of pencils.
All those buildings will somehow be inked, and more or less accurate when they’re done.
Some historical tidbits are to be found in the comments.
When our hero decided to don his formal attire and make a proper show of his visit, he assembled what seemed to be a mandatory (or at least expected) entourage. I’m curious to know a bit more about these conventions (do you really need a scribe to come with you? why?), but my cursory googling attempts had no luck with results. Any short resources you (or any other readers) can suggest on the subject, or at least useful keywords?
Men holding political office would have an official escort, the lictors–as would high priests, vestal virgins, and royal ladies. Sometimes worthy private citizens would be given official escorts, which would be an immense honour, and an immense disgrace if your escort was reduced or eliminated by legal decree.
For example, the head of the senate (Consul) would have an escort of 12, who acted as bodyguards, vergers to push people out of the way and clear a path, and, if necessary, security officers to thump or arrest miscreants. Lower order politicians got 1-6 escorts. Domitian increased his escort to 24 (but we know how he is).
But beyond that, it just wouldn’t look good for a man of note to walk around all by himself, looking like an ordinary plebeian person, without some sort of entourage to show that he’s important: at the very least a slave to run errands and take care of little tasks, a secretary to jot down notes and create calling cards. Even a person of very ordinary means could have a slave to walk along with him and carry his things, and having a secretary along with you shows you have important words to say and vital information to record.
I’ll also speculate that, as the day grew late and the streets grew dark, you’d find safety in numbers.
Snarky comments might be made about people who puffed themselves up by walking around town absolutely dripping with parasites filling their ears with flattery, running ahead to grab good seats for them in taverns, and hoping for favours. I’m sure there’s commentary in Martial, though i can’t think of a specific example right now–I’ll poke around some more and update!
This is a great explanation — thank you. I suppose many celebrities today have something akin to the larger entourage you described for the consul, but I wasn’t sure how far the use of the entourage extended into everyday life for less-important people — our hero, for example, is not a major politician. It’s a little hard to imagine it being expected of even “people of ordinary means” today to have a person or two along to make way and take notes and get you good seats — but of course times change, and that’s part of what makes your comic so intriguing. 🙂 I appreciate the thoughtful response.
Glad to have been helpful. And hopefully entertaining 🙂
I believe these are the examples of commentary on entourages that I was thinking of from Martial–Book II (translations from here with a little tinkering for clarity) :
XVIII. TO MAXIMUS
I court your dinner invitation; alas! I am ashamed of doing so, but, Maximus, I court dinner at yours. You court someone else’s; so we are equals. I come in the morning to pay my respects to you; I am told that you are gone already to pay your respects elsewhere: again we are equals. I myself am in your escort and walk before my proud patron; you are in the escort of someone else, your patron. Again, we are equals. It’s bad enough to be a servant, but no one wants to be the servant of a servant. A man who is a patron himself, Maximus, should not have a patron too.
LXXIV. TO MATERNUS
Do you notice, Maternus, that Saufeius is accompanied in front and behind by a crowd of followers, a crowd as great as the one Regulus is escorted home by after sending his acquitted clients on their way to the temples of the lofty gods? Don’t envy him. May you never, I pray, have such an escort. Fuficulenus and Faventinus the moneylenders give him the means to buy these flocks of friends and clients.
Oh man, that’s harsh. Is the rest of Martial full of snark and cutting remarks?
Snark, cuts, and dirty jokes. If he likes you a lot, thinks you’re sexy, or if you’re buying him supper, he might be complimentary. But probably not even if you’re buying supper. But definitely complimentary if you’re emperor.
I was thinking on this question, and the thought that popped into mind was that your entourage was like your smartphone. Notes were taken, maps checked, data stored. Especially since one couldn’t do much in a toga (I can’t imaging pulling out a tablet and stylus) it helped to have people who could.
That answer wins today’s internet.
Haha! Flattery will get you everywhere!
Great observation!