Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Roman mosaic showing a lion and a bull’s head from a house in Ephesus, Turkey. Object dated to the 2nd century CE.

Roman bust of the god Serapis. The object was made of silver; dated to the 2nd century CE.

Roman spoon made of glass. It is an extremely rare object as spoons were usually made of metal, mainly bronze, bone or wood. Artifact dated to the 3rd – 4th century CE. The Romans used spoons, for example, for eating soup or dessert.

Roman mosaic depicting a sea scene from a female dressing room (apodyterium) in the thermal baths at Herculaneum. The scene shows the sea god Triton, holding the wheel and a fish, surrounded by dolphins, an octopus and possibly Cupid.

Roman tombstone of Flavia Augustina and her two sons, commissioned by her husband and father, Gaius Aeresius Saenus – a veteran of the legion VI Victrix. The woman died at the age of 39, and the children were barely two. The relief shows us two parents holding scrolls and in front of them their sons with balls.

Roman coins found in one place in Llanvaches (Wales). The treasury consisted of 599 silver denarii, which were hidden in the middle of the 2nd century CE.

Surgical instruments (including forceps, specula, hooks, scissors) from Roman times; found in one of the houses in Pompeii.

Roman mosaic showing a young Bacchus (Dionysus) savoring wine while riding a tiger. Object found in Faun’s house in Pompeii; now it is in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The strange appearance of the animal may be due to the fact that the artist saw the animal only once or it is only his image.

Roman relief in a precious stone showing Faustina the Younger and Marcus Aurelius. It is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Florence. Dated to the 2nd century CE.

Roman mosaic showing the philosophers at the Plato Academy of Athens listening to a lecture by Plato, sitting in the center, pointing at the globe with a stick. Behind the men is a sundial. The object adorned the villa of Titus Siminius Stephanus in Pompeii and dates back to the 1st BCE – 1st century CE.