Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

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.

Remains of the Roman floor heating system – hypocaustum – in the Roman Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily. The floor rested on visible brick pillars (pilae) about 80 cm high, and in the visible space warm air, which was generated by heating in the furnace, was supported. The system was expensive and required constant servicing of slaves; therefore only richer citizens could afford it.

Fragment of a Roman mosaic showing a group of pigeons drinking from a vessel. The object adorned Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli (a city approximately 28 kilometers from Rome) in the years 118-134 CE.

Fragment of a preserved Roman leather tent from the Vercovicium fort, which formed part of Hadrian’s wall. The creation of one tent for an 8-person contubernium (the smallest unit in the legion) could require about 70 goatskins.

Roman clay plate with imprints of a child’s foot and deer claw. The object is about 1,800 years old and was found in Ummendorf (southwest Germany).

Roman mosaic showing an octopus. The object was located in a Roman villa in Villaquejida, Spain. Dated on the 2nd-3rd century CE; it is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid.