ius ▁and ▁the ▁B ona ▁De a ▁sc andal ▁The ▁Winter ▁r ites ▁of ▁ 6 2 ▁BC ▁were ▁hosted ▁by ▁Pom pe ia , ▁wife ▁of ▁Julius ▁Ca esar , ▁senior ▁magistr ate ▁in ▁residence ▁and ▁pont if ex ▁maxim us . ▁Pub lius ▁Cl od ius ▁Pul cher , ▁a ▁popular ist ▁politician ▁and ▁al ly ▁of ▁Ca esar , ▁was ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁intr ud ed , ▁dressed ▁as ▁a ▁woman ▁and ▁intent ▁on ▁the ▁host ess ' s ▁s edu ction . ▁As ▁the ▁r ites ▁had ▁been ▁v iti ated , ▁the ▁V est als ▁were ▁obliged ▁to ▁repeat ▁them , ▁and ▁after ▁further ▁inqu iry ▁by ▁the ▁sen ate ▁and ▁pont ific es , ▁Cl od ius ▁was ▁charged ▁with ▁des ec r ation , ▁which ▁carried ▁a ▁death ▁sentence . ▁Cic ero , ▁whose ▁wife ▁Ter ent ia ▁had ▁hosted ▁the ▁previous ▁year ' s ▁r ites , ▁test ified ▁for ▁the ▁pro sec ution . ▁ ▁Ca esar ▁public ly ▁dist anced ▁himself ▁from ▁the ▁affair ▁as ▁much ▁as ▁possible ▁– ▁and ▁certainly ▁from ▁Pom pe ia , ▁whom ▁he ▁divor ced ▁because ▁" Ca esar ' s ▁wife ▁must ▁be ▁above ▁susp icion ". ▁He ▁had ▁been ▁correctly ▁absent ▁from ▁the ▁r ites ▁but ▁as ▁a ▁p ater famil ias ▁he ▁was ▁responsible ▁for ▁their ▁p iety . ▁As ▁pont if ex ▁maxim us , ▁he ▁was ▁responsible ▁for ▁the ▁rit ual ▁pur ity ▁and ▁p iety ▁of ▁public ▁and ▁private ▁religion . ▁He