Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Roman bas-relief depicting the god Mercury. Object dated to the 2nd-3rd century CE. The sculpture shows the deity with a cap with wings on his head and a rooster at his side.

Roman fresco depicting the scene of the sacrifice in honor of the goddess Diana, accompanied by the sacred animal – the deer. It is located in the triclinium of the House of the Vettii in Pompeii.

Roman silver ladle. Object found in Pompeii and dated to the 1st century CE. It is now located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

One of the most popular gladiator fights in ancient Rome was the clash of secutor (“the chaser”¹) and retiarius (“net-man”). Roman mosaic from the 3rd century CE depicts perfectly the way of fighting of the “net-man”, who tried to keep his distance and immobilize his rival at all costs by throwing a net with sinkers on him and then stabbing him with a trident.

Roman tombstone relief showing a teacher with three students. The object is dated to the end of the 2nd century CE and comes from Neumagen (west Germany).

Extremely interesting Roman mosaic showing the scene of a donkey being fed by a man. The object is dated to the 5th century CE; now the artifact is in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum (Turkey).

Roman marble statue depicting a young man – called Britannicus. The photo was taken in 2011 in the so-called Nero’s Cryptoporticus in Rome. The object is dated to the 1st century CE and it was excavated at Pompeii.

Roman agate gemstone depicting Amor flying on a winged phallus with eagle legs. He holds lightning in one of the claws, while Amor holds a laurel wreath. Object dated to the 1st century BCE.

Dwarf and a rooster on the Roman mosaic. The object was found at Pompeii and is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Beautifully decorated Roman wine cup with cameo. The walls of the glass vessel show either two different chariot drivers, or the same charioteer in two different shots during the race. Object dated to the 1st century CE.