Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Roman bronze ring with stamp with, in abbreviated an mirrored form, the name of Marcus Fabius Rufus. Found in House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii.

Roman relief depicting two men pressing grapes and a young man carrying a basket. Object dated back to I century CE. Located in Museo della Civilta Romana in Rome.

Roman fresco showing a young man holding a scroll labelled ‘Homer’, House of the Apartment, Pompeii. Object dated back to I century CE.

Roman portrait of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife. The object was found in their villa (the so-called “house of Terentius”) in Pompeii and dates back to the 1st century CE. The artefact is in the collection of the Museo Archeologico di Napoli.

Fragment of a Roman wall painting showing a man reclining to drink. Found in Pompeii; dated back to I century CE.

Roman curse tablet found in London. Dated back to I-IV century CE.

Probably the oldest inscription with the words ROMA, preserved on the sword, which is dated back to IV century BCE. The “San Vittore Sword” was discovered in 2003 by Dante Sacco. The clue to making the assessment of sword’s origin was the style of engraving Macedonian stars on the sword. The inscription itself says:

Roman mosaic with a Symposium scene. Dated back to 3rd-4th century CE. Dimensions 2,5 x 3,5m. Made of stone tesserae and glass paste.

Roman fresco of the centaur Chiron instructing the young Achilles in the playing of the lyre. Object found in Herculaneum. Dated back to I century CE; located in Naples Archeological Museum.

Herma was an architectural decorative element in the form of a square pole tapering downwards, and at the top ended with a bust or a sculpture of the head. Initially (up to the 5th century BCE) the form used in Greece only for the representation of Hermes, the god of the journey. On herma also was placed the image of the phallus, which in ancient times was a symbol of happiness. Later, other gods and heroes were presented in this way.