child was doubtless the more practically important
part of the ceremony; though we may note in passing that the mystic
value attaching to names, of which there are traces in Roman usage, may
have even originally given that part a greater significance than we
should naturally attribute to it.[31] Again, when the child reaches the
age of puberty, it is all the world over believed to be in a critical or
dangerous condition, needing disinfection; of this idea, so far as I
know, the later Romans show hardly a trace, but we may suppose that the
ceremony of laying aside the _toga_ of childhood, which was accompanied
by a sacrifice, was a faint survival of some process of
purification.[32] Once more, after a death the whole family had to be
purified with particular care from the contagion of the corpse,[33]
which was here as everywhere taboo; a cypress bough was stuck over the
door of the house of a noble family to give warning to any passing
pontifex that he was not to enter it;[34] and those who followed the
funeral cortege were purified by being sprinkled with water and by
stepping over fire.[35] _Society had effectually protected itself
against the miasma in all these cases by the discovery of the means of
disinfection._

One of the commonest forms of taboo is that on women, who, especially at
certain periods, were apparently believed to be "infectious."[36] Of
this belief we have very distinct survivals in Roman ritual, which I
must here be content to mention only, leaving details to trained
anthropologists to explain. We find them both in _sacra privata_ and
_sacra publica_. Cato has preserved the formula for the propitiation of
Mars Silvanus in the private rites of the farm; it is to take place _in
silva_, and its object is the protection of the cattle, doubtless those
which have been turned out to pasture in the forest, and are therefore
in danger from evil beasts and evil spirits. Now this _res divina_ may
be performed either by a free man or a slave, _but no woman may be
present_, nor see what is going on.[37] In _sacra publica_ women were
excluded from the cult of Hercules at the Ara Maxima, and were not
allowed to swear by the name of that god; facts which are usually
connected with the doubtful identification of Hercules with Genius, or
the male principle of life.[38] More conclusive evidence of taboo in the
case of women is the fact that at certain sacrifices they were ordered
to withdraw, both _mulieres_ and _vir