Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Decorated Roman knife handles, made of ivory, depicting gladiators: Pardus and Senilis. Object found in Savaria (present-day Szombathely, western Hungary).

Ancient red marble sculpture depicting a hippopotamus. The object was probably found in the Sallust gardens in Rome and was part of a fountain; water was led from the left front leg to the mouth. It is worth mentioning that hippos were identified with Egypt. The artifact is currently located in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen (Denmark); dating back to the 2nd century CE.

Roman mosaic showing eight fish, two squid and an eel. Object dated to the 1st BCE – 1st century CE; it is now in The British Museum. Found in a Roman villa in Cecchignola, Italy.

A preserved fragment of a Latin historical work (marked as No. 745), on parchment, concerning the Macedonian wars of Rome – De bellis Macedonicis. Dated on the 1st – the beginning of the 2nd century CE. The author of the work is unknown.

Interesting information was left by the Roman tombstone of Lucius Calidius Eroticus and his wife Fannia Voluptatis. The object was found in Isernia, in southern Italy, and dates back to the 1st-2nd century CE.

Antique gold-plated and silver-plated mirror from the 2nd-1st century BCE. The object sold for $ 116.500. There is a relief on the object showing Aphrodite, who is going to punish Eros with a sandal for breaking a vessel lying on the ground.

Roman mosaic showing the fauna of the Mediterranean Sea. The object was found in House VIII.2.16 in Pompeii; dated to the 2nd century BCE. Currently, the artefact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples (Italy).

Tombstone relief showing the magistrate Quintus Lollius Alkamenes, holding a bust of an unknown person in his hand (perhaps a portrait of himself as youth or of his son). The deceased was shown during contemplation. On the right, a woman, probably a wife, is making a sacrifice. The object is dated to the 1st century CE; is in the collection of Villa Albani in Rome.

Roman mosaic in Ostia showing the measurement of grain. The seizure was performed by the so-called agrimensores, who specialized in measuring the amount of material or distance.

Ancient Egyptian child’s drawing on a fragment of a pottery vessel. The object was found at Athribis (Egypt); it is dated to the 1st century BCE – 1st CE. In ancient times, the ostracon was used as a cheap writing material.