Curiosities of ancient Rome (Artifact)

Scene from Trajan’s Column showing the testudo (“turtle”) formation during battle. The object is located in the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest.

An uncovered sword made of wood, which was probably the toy of a young Roman who pretended to be a legionary. The object dates back to the 1st-4th century CE; discovered in London (England). The artifact is in the British Museum.

Marble sculpture showing a sitting large dog, the so-called molossus. It is a Roman copy of an original made of bronze in Greece. Dogs of this breed were mainly defensive and guarding, but they were also used in amphitheater arenas and during hunting.

Roman marble relief showing captured weapons: armor, shields, swords, battle axe, quiver of arrows, ram’s head. The object dates back to the 1st-2nd century CE. The artifact is in the British Museum and was discovered in Rome.

Roman tombstone showing Marcus Favonius Facilis of the 20th Legion. The stone used to create the tombstone was imported from France, and the man’s memorial site was commissioned by Mark’s freed slaves. Marcus Favonius Facilis was a young centurion and was depicted with a cloak and the famous rod (vitis), which was a sign of function and an instrument of punishment.

Roman tombstone showing the standard-bearer Genialis Clusiodi, who acted as an imaginifer. His task was to carry a banner with an image of the emperor – probably Claudius or Nero. The man holds a scroll in his other hand. The object dates back to the mid-1st century CE; the artifact is in the Landesmuseum Mainz (West Germany).

Roman tombstone of a certain Terentianus, a soldier who lived in the 1st century CE. The object was discovered in Mainz-Weisenau in western Germany. The artifact is on display at the Landesmuseum Mainz.

Roman fresco showing the scene when Apollo, in love, tries to kidnap the nymph Daphne. According to Greek mythology, Daphne was supposed to ask her father god Peneus to turn her into a laurel tree, which became a symbol of unavailable love. The object was discovered in Stabiae in Villa Ariadna; dating back to the 1st century CE. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Popular motif from Greek and Roman mythology – the depiction of lovers, Mars and Venus on a Roman fresco. The object dates back to the 1st century CE and discovered in Pompeii. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Roman sculpture of Sophocles, a Greek tragedian who lived in the 5th century BCE. The object dates back to the 1st century CE and is a copy of a Greek original from the 4th century BCE. The artifact is located in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.