StoneMtn Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Today, I read the following interesting fact, which got me thinking… In ancient Rome, long before the advent of the Christian Bible, Romans would swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” by placing their right hands on their testicles. It is from this ritual that we derived the term “testimony”. I could not help thinking: 1. Could women provide testimony in Ancient Roman Courts? 2. If women could provide testimony, did they have to bring a man along with them, so they had some nads on which to place their right hand; in order to swear-in? 3. If you are a witness who is swearing on your testes, what does that mean will be later done to you if the authorities later found out you lied?!? (I think I prefer the modern system!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Urbal Legend. Testify, et. al., derives from the Latin testis meaning witness. Testicle also derives from testis. The testes are witnesses to a man's virility I beat BradM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Could Eunichs testify? By the way, if you owned The Bathroom Reader, you woulda known that fact years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted January 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Are you sure it's an urban legend, Ahess? Based on what you posted, it all sounds consistent with it being the truth. (The testes bearing witness, etc...) Also, the Bathroom Reader, while hardly an encyclopaedia, usually gets stuff right. Todd, I do own a couple Bathroom Readers, but apparently not that edition.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 fu©k. I must be drunk right now. Reading that back I could see where the idea may have come from. I grab my balls now and do solemly support your wierd fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 StoneMtn: Head to http://www.etymonline.com for all/most of your etymological needs. Aloha, Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchoulia Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Are you sure it's an urban legend, Ahess? Based on what you posted, it all sounds consistent with it being the truth. (The testes bearing witness, etc...) I can provide vagification that this is correct... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted January 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 ... and exactly what are you grabbing hold of when you swear this is the truth, Ms. Phillips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchoulia Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 ... and exactly what are you grabbing hold of when you swear this is the truth, Ms. Phillips? It only seems logical, based on my research and what's been presented in the rest of this thread... :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted January 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 Somehow, I'm expecting a post from Lazlo on this topic some time soon, complete with photo-imagery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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