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Depending on your personal view, ancient Rome was responsible for giving the modern world a number of traditions, including various legal ideas, democracy, and some of our religious celebrations. However, there are still many ancient Roman traditions that are slightly obscure, mostly relegated to the dustbin of history. Here are some lesser known ones.
从您个人的角度来看，古罗马负责给现代世界留下许多传统，其中包括各种法律观念，民主主义以及一些宗教庆典。然而，仍旧有许多古罗马的传统略显晦涩，这些大多都被扔进了历史的垃圾堆里。这里就有一些鲜为人知的。
10、Mos Maiorum
祖先之法
The mos maiorum was an unwritten code pertaining to behavioral customs mostly derived from the traditions of the Romans’ ancestors. Much like the Jews in the first song in Fiddler on the Roof, the Romans loved tradition and felt that moral decay would occur if they strayed too far from the ideals of the past. Therefore, obedience to the mos maiorum was seen as tantamount to maintaining a proper civilized Rome and was almost given legal standing.
祖先之法是一条关于行为习俗的不成文的法则，大体上源自于罗马人祖先的传统。就像犹太人在《屋顶上的小提琴手》中所唱的开篇序曲那样，罗马人热爱传统并且认为如果太过于偏离过去的思想，那将会导致道德的沦丧。因此，遵循祖先之法被视为无异于维持罗马文明的一种方式，甚至几乎拥有法律地位。
There were occasions where breaking tradition was seen as subversive; in the case of legislation, it was considered customary to bring proposals before the Senate. Any magistrate who neglected to perform this duty ran the risk of being labeled a traitor. Even with the strict punishment handed down for certain offenses, it was still considered unwritten. As such, the transmission of the mos maiorum from one generation to the next was said to be the duty of the family, especially the paterfamilias (head of the household).
有一些打破传统的场合被视作是颠覆性的；在法律上，被认作是参议院提案的惯例。任何忽略履行这项职责的法官，都冒着被当作是叛徒的风险。即便对于某些罪行有严厉的惩罚手段，但这仍旧被看作是不成文的规定。因此，祖先之法的代代相传被当做是家庭的责任，尤其是家长（即户主）的责任。
