Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Graffiti from Pompeii tells the story of a certain Marcus Atillus – a gladiator – who defeated Lucius Raecius Felix, the winner of 12 duels in a row. It is known that Felix survived the fight despite the defeat and was granted freedom.

31 meters long Roman barge from the 1st century CE was fished in 2011 from the Rhône River in Arles (France). After two thousand years spent in the mud, its condition is intact.

Roman tombstone commemorating the legionary standard-bearer Lucius Duccius Rufinus. The man died at the age of 28 after serving an unknown number of years in the army.

Roman sculpture showing Octavian Augustus. The object is dated to the 2nd century CE. According to the researchers, the object actually depicted a young man, but it was later adopted to represent the first emperor of Rome. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Roman mosaic showing a cockfight. The scene shows an injured, bleeding rooster (right) bowing its head as a gesture of submission.

Marble bust of a Roman man from the reign of Trajan (98-117 CE). The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Roman fresco showing a young man with a large nose. Object dated to the 1st century CE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, and it was discovered in Pompeii.

Roman relief showing a satyr, a mythological creature who was supposed to accompany Dionysus (Bacchus) in the retinue. The object is dated to the 1st century BCE and was discovered in Pompeii. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

An ancient sculpture showing a Greek strategist. The marble object was discovered in Herculaneum and is dated to the 1st century CE. It is probably a copy of a Greek original from the 5th century BCE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Ancient votive hand with an inscription on the inside of the wrist: “Arabiades and his brother Germanus supplicant, dedicate”. According to the researchers, the men sacrificed the object to Jupiter Dolichenus in gratitude for their care. The Syrian deity spread in the west of the Roman Empire in the 2nd-3rd century CE and was popular, for example, in the Roman army.