Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Fragment of the Roman floor mosaic showing Emperor Hadrian (ruled 117-138 CE). It adorns the Venus bath in Baiae (southern Italy).

Roman miniature (4.7 cm high) head sculpture Emperor Octavian Augustus, made of black glass with a turquoise-green coating. Object dated to the beginning of the 1st century CE.

A fragment of the right part of the niche, which had the form of aedicula – a shrine. The niche adorned the tombstone, and the painting showed the scene of a funeral banquet.

The ancient vessel, the so-called guttus – made of black ceramics – in the shape of a black man’s head. The building dates back to the 3rd century BCE; currently on display at the Parco Archeologico di Lilibeo in Marsala (Sicily).

An Etruscan head sculpture of a young man. The object was made of bronze and was found on an island in Lake Bolsena (central Italy). It is possible that the object was offered as a gift to an Etruscan deity. The artifact is dated to the 4th century BCE and is now in the British Museum.

Roman marble relief depicting a couple having sex on a boat while sailing the Nile. A steersman in a pointy hat is standing nearby, and a hippo’s rump is visible in front of the boat. The sex scene is possibly a satirical depiction of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.

Roman mosaic showing the domina in the company of Germanic slaves with long blond hair and servants carrying boxes and tools for massage oils.

Column-shaped stone tombstone, dated to the 3rd century CE, with a visible Greek inscription.

Punic urns that were discovered in the necropolis of Marsala (ancient Lilybaeum). The urns are made of white limestone and simply decorated. Remnants of cremated skeletons have been found in urns.