The Baths were unprecedented in size: 1600 Romans could bathe at the same time. Apart from the bathing facilities, there were two libraries and there were shops, offices, gardens and even an area for sport. It simply didn't fit inside of Rome, and that is why it was built just outside of it, by the Appian Way (Via Appia).
villa of livia's garden room fresco, from palazzo massimo
known as ad gallinas albas (of the white hen) because of pliny the elder's tale in his naturalis historia, recounting the myth of livia, newly bethroted to octavian augustus, having a white hen holding a laurel branch in its beak dropped into her lap by an eagle, interpreted as an omen of good fortune.
"A mindblowing 1900 year old Roman hologram effect ring.
The bust is a gold microfusion made upon a wax model, using the cera persa (lost wax) technique covered by a quartz crystal rendering the hologram effect. It shows the sophisticated craftsmanship of ancient jewellers. And also the function of jewellery as a precious keepsake.
The young man depicted in the ring is
Carvilius Gemmulus, who died at 18. His femur was fractured in 2 places, also a high percentage of arsenic was found in his hair. The ring was found in the nearby grave of his mother Aebutia Quarta who died some years later.
The luminous effect of the crystal lense gives a mysterious effect to the image of the beloved son. His mother had the ring made to keep his memory alive.
Both well-kept mummies at the Grottaferrata necropolis near Rome, were elaborately covered with garlands of flowers. He was wrapped in a shroud and completely covered with flowers. Large garlands in good condition covered the upper half of his body, one was placed around his head.
She wore a vegetal mantle made up of hundreds of garlands. On her head was placed a well-preserved wig wrapped in a net woven with fine gold thread ending in a braid.
The ring is on display at the Museo Archeologica Nazionale di Palestrina.
From: the Archeology News Network and other sources. (So if there are spelling or historical errors, they aren't mine.)
Roman Portable Shrine, Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire
One of several small altars believed to be deliberately portable, and so able to travel with individuals or families, The god is believed to represent Mars Lenus, a deity who was a Roman and Celtic amalgamation. The recessed dots would have been filled with colour, marking out the eyes, nipples, navel and genitalia.
Gold snake rings. Snakes were a common motif in jewelry during Roman times. They were associated with healing and the god Asclepius, with protection, as well as resurrection, and immortality. Roman, c. 1st century BC - 1st century AD.
The Pantheon: The Ancient Building Still Being Used After 2,000-Years
When visitors walk into the Pantheon in Rome and encounter its colossal dome, they may experience the same theatricality as its guests nearly 2,000 years ago.
"Anyone who steps inside the Pantheon immediately feels the crushing weight of human history, but also the incredible lightness of human creativity," said John Ochsendorf, professor of architecture at MIT and former director of the American Academy in Rome.
"You come into this grand space and you look up and you see the sky or a passing cloud. And you think: 'How could they have done this nearly two millennia ago?'"
The Pantheon is the oldest building in the world that's still in use today. Since the 7th century, it has been a Roman Catholic church.
Built around 125 A.D. by the Roman emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus, it was actually the third iteration of the structure. The first Pantheon caught fire around 80 A.D. and was rebuilt shortly after, but it was struck by lightning and burned down again around 110 A.D. The buildings' ill fate led to rumors that the Pantheon was cursed.
The facade of the completed structure riffed on ancient Greek motifs, with a portico entrance featuring a pediment -- a triangular top -- and two rows of Corinthian columns. The interior was sweeping and airy, capped by a dome that to this day -- is still the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world.
What was it used for?
Pantheon means "all gods," and though it's commonly thought the structure was a site of worship dedicated to Roman deities, its original purpose is actually unknown.
With scant mentions of it in Ancient texts, historians have been left somewhat in the dark. Though it could be a temple, Roman buildings were typically multi-purpose structures, said Lynne Lancaster, an architectural historian and humanities educator. "And so what actually went on in the Pantheon is hard to say."
Legends say it's the very site where Rome's founder, Romulus, ascended to heaven. Others believe the Pantheon was where the Roman emperor could communicate with the gods. Whatever the case, like many Roman architectural feats, the imposing structure was a show of might, an "important symbol of imperial power," said Luca Mercuri, the Pantheon's current director.
Indeed, Roman architecture of the time embodied wealth, strength and dignity. Centuries later, Neoclassical architects would reference the Pantheon's portico and dome combination to imbue their buildings with those same values, from the US Capitol in Washington, DC., to the Somerset House in London.
How was it built?
The Pantheon was an architectural marvel of the Roman Empire.
The oculus -- Latin for "eye" -- stretches 30 feet across, opening the structure to the heavens. The sun beams through the oculus, and when it storms, the rain comes down like a waterfall into the interior.
Legends say it's the very site where Rome's founder, Romulus, ascended to heaven. Others believe the Pantheon was where the Roman emperor could communicate with the gods. Whatever the case, like many Roman architectural feats, the imposing structure was a show of might, an "important symbol of imperial power," said Luca Mercuri, the Pantheon's current director.
Indeed, Roman architecture of the time embodied wealth, strength and dignity. Centuries later, Neoclassical architects would reference the Pantheon's portico and dome combination to imbue their buildings with those same values, from the US Capitol in Washington, DC., to the Somerset House in London.
How was it built?
The Pantheon was an architectural marvel of the Roman Empire.
The oculus -- Latin for "eye" -- stretches 30 feet across, opening the structure to the heavens. The sun beams through the oculus, and when it storms, the rain comes down like a waterfall into the interior.
"The oculus at the center seemed to tempt fate and leave (the Pantheon) open to the sky," said Ochsendorf. "But it also showed a mastery of geometry and construction -- that they could build domes on that scale and leave an oculus open at the center, in a way (that was) almost showing off."
One trick to make a large dome stable was to use progressively lighter stone in the concrete mix as it reached the top. Heavy brick could be used at the base, with spongy, light volcanic rock around the oculus.
Though the Pantheon has revealed some of its design secrets, Lancaster said she still finds magic in the details. As the day progresses, the sun flickers around the dome's interior, casting light over its sunken grid like a giant sundial.
"It's one of the few places in the world (where) you can actually watch the Earth turn."
I had two days of from work and managed to visit my local Gallo-Roman museum (the name is actually deceiving as they focus on the area between Neanderthals and Merovingians). Here are some of the things I saw!
1) Gallic Torcs in gold
2) a complete Dodecahedron in bronze
3) Late Roman dress pins in bronze
4) Lunulae, moon shaped pendants, generally believed to be a lucky charm
Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, and her temple held a sacred eternal flame that they believed was directly tied Rome's survival. I've depicted her with a patera, a religious item that was used to pour libations, to emphasise her connections to religious piety.