Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Roman short dagger with cover. Found in the Cetina riverbed near the city of Trilj (Croatia). Dated to the end of the 1st century BCE.

Dated to the 1st century BCE an Egyptian document on which, according to the researchers, there is the only preserved handwritten signature of queen Cleopatra VII. Papyrus has survived to our times, because it was used in the first century CE to wrap the mummy in the ancient cemetery of Busiris (200 km southeast of Alexandria).

According to the records of Pliny the Elder, Roman Emperor Nero during gladiatorial fights looked at the arena through a concave emerald. In this way, he eliminated the glare of the sun and his nearsightedness.

Decorated Roman colander, made of bronze. The object was found in Pompeii and dates from the 1st century BCE.

An interesting collection of postcards from Rome from around 1890 was collected. The photos were taken using photochromic technology.

Roman hippodrome in Caesarea Maritima in Israel. This facility is the best preserved of its kind and could seat up to 20,000 spectators. It was place were mostly chariot racing were kept.

In the Archaeological Museum in Seville there is an interesting Roman mosaic showing the triumph of Bacchus after his mythological conquest of India. God is pulled in a chariot by tigers and is surrounded by satire. The object dates to the 3rd century CE.

An antique bronze plateau was laid in an Etruscan tomb from the 7th century BCE. Interestingly, the bowl has a strange figure scratched at the bottom. The object was admired by the author of the photo in Great Palaestra in Pompeii (not sure if it can be seen there still).

The marble head of the first emperor Augustus. The object was found at the Roman theater in Lisbon. Currently, the artifact can be admired in the local museum. Dated to the 1st century CE.

“Wounded warrior” sometimes also called “Farnese Gladiator” (from the collection of which he was part in modern times). The sculpture dates from the second century CE and is of course a Roman copy of an older Greek work probably made in the 5th century BCE (and for that reason alone he can’t portray a gladiator). According to ancient artistic convention, the figure is naked. This does not mean, however, that the ancient warriors did indeed fight without clothing. Such a performance is only to emphasize the heroism and beauty of the human body (so-called heroic nudity).