ROMA, ITALIA 24 DECEMBER 66 AD
Abigail and her daughter shuttled about the kitchens, cooking furiously. Nearby, Seth helped to prepare simple dishes. They were the only Jews in the household, and therefore the only ones not taking part in the revels of the festival of Saturnalia.
Honouring Saturn, the god of planting and sowing, the Saturnalia was one of the few Roman holidays that did not involve games or theatre. After the initial public feast, it was a time for bawdy, raucous revelry, a time of forced equality and gift-giving, and a time of freedom.
Originally held on a single day, over the centuries the celebrations had expanded to a full Roman week – eight days of singing, merry-making, and skylarking that culminated in a feast on December twenty-fourth. Augustus had tried to reduc
