Ancient lie detector?

At the foot of the Aventine hills in an area close to the Tiber River is the tallest medieval bell tower in Rome. Constructed in the 6th century, the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin was built atop the Forum Boarium, famous for being the site of the first gladiatorial contest in Rome in 264 BC.

Around 782 BC, Greek monks escaping persecution decorated the church and called it, “de Schola la Graeca.” Because of its incredible beauty, “Cosmedin” (from Greek kosmidion), was added to its name.

Nevertheless, what does this have to do with an ancient lie detector? In Rome, that ancient lie detector is called the “Bocca Della Verità,” or the “Mouth of Truth.” I set off in search for this “mouth” on a rainy mid-September morning. After wandering around nearby streets in the pouring rain, I sought shelter in a telephone booth and decided to finally check my “trusty tourist map.” Up until this point, I was looking for this mask to be located on the side of a building or in a park like a monument. This should explain the wandering around in the general area. My map failed to indicate that the “mouth” was located inside a building.

Across the street, I saw a tour bus full of noisy teenagers stop in front of Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, excitedly clutching their cameras and wondered what they were looking at.

Housed in a small, narrow portico to the left side of the church’s entrance resides the “Bocca Della Verità”, a man-like face with an open mouth depicting an image of the river god. The piece was placed in the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin in 1632. to give you an idea of the face, and its size, here are some facts I learned about it:

1. This stone medallion is about 5 feet 9 inches (1.75m) in diameter with a width of about 7 inches (19cm).

2. It weighs approximately 26,400 lbs (1200 Kg).

3. The material used is called “Pavonazzetto” marble quarried from Docimium in Frigia, which is now modern day Turkey.

4. The estimated age of the piece is about 2200 years old.

5. Trying to get a picture without 57 kids sticking their hands in the “mouth” was slightly easier than trying to perform open-heart surgery on myself. Fortunately, my best friend is taller than me and delicately moved people out of the way to take a photo. (See slideshow).

My first question was, “How does it stay attached to the portico’s wall?” followed by, “What a scary face” and “Who’s nightmare was this an image of?” I still do not know who the artist was. Some versions of its original purpose, pre-lie detector days are: part of a fountain, a manhole cover, or unusual art (just kidding on the third one). However, the most widely accepted version of its second career was its role as a lie detector.

According to popular belief, when taking an oath, Romans would place their right hand into the mouth of the face. If they perjured themselves, the mouth would close and their hand would be stuck for all to see. Other similar versions say a liar would loose his hands if he placed them in the mouth, or the mouth would bite off his hands.

A famous story…

It is said that the wife of a roman noble was accused of adultery. The wife denied the accusations, but her husband wanted to put her to the test by making place her hand inside the stone mouth. The wife knew she was lying, feared losing her hand, and decided to trick her husband. In front of a crowd that had gathered around the “Mouth of Truth,” she had a man, her actual lover, to run up to her and kiss her. She pretended she did not know who he was, and accused him of being a “madman”, and had the crowd chase him away.

When she put her hand into the mouth, the woman said she had never kissed any other man apart from her husband except for the “madman” who had just kissed her. This trick showed she had not lied and therefore her hand was saved. After that, the “Mouth of Truth” lost its credibility and since that day, it no longer carries out its function as a moral judge.