Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Roman mosaic showing a partridge lifting a mirror from a basket. The object is dated to the first half of the 1st century BCE. Artifact found in the Labyrinth House in Pompeii; it is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Roman fresco showing a copulating couple. The painting was part of a larger composition in one of the bedrooms (cubiculum). Object dated to the 1st century CE; possibly found in Villa Arianna in Stabiae. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Roman priest depicted in a fresco. The man holds a crown of roses and a snake in his hands. The painting was discovered in the Temple of Isis in Pompeii. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Item number 15 in the exhibition is a Roman gynecological speculum (speculum magnum matricis). Greco-Roman writers mention that medics recommended the use of such an instrument in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the vagina and uterus. However, as it turns out, many such devices have not survived our times. Mainly because they were made of bronze, so the material was used to make other products.

Different types of Roman keys. The artifacts are in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Roman relief showing tropaion. The tropaion was a form of military monument, erected by the Greeks and Romans in honour of the victory in battle. It was usually a vertical pole in the shape of a tree with outstretched arms (in later times, two crossed sticks), to which captured militaria was attached. The trophy was next sacrificed to the deities for victory.

Roman statue showing Silenus. Silenus was one of Bacchus’ (Greek Dionysus) companions and his teacher; he was the god of nature. The object was part of a fountain and was located in the House of the Grand Duke in Pompeii. The sculpture is made of marble and dates back to 40 CE.

Plaster cast of the body of a person who died as a result of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. The object is located in a glass box in the atrium of the so-called The Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii.

Roman statue showing a young deer. The object is made of bronze and was discovered in the Villa of the Papyrus in Herculaneum. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Image of an unknown Roman. The bust is dated to the reign of Emperor Trajan – 98-117 CE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.