"Where the milky region is set in a tranquil heaven, lay kindly Venus in her bower, whence night had but lately fled, faint in the rough embrace of her Getic lord [Mars]. About the posts and pillows of her couch swarm a troop of tender Amores."
Statius, Silvae 1.2.51
Time to talk about my latest release! #PompeiiFire is a #dualtimeline#HistoricalFiction#novella of which I am very proud. Researched in person just before the pandemic and released in August of this year, the book has already garnered three awards.
#WordWeavers Do films or theatre play a role in your story?
Absolutely. In #PompeiiFire, Drusilla and Suetonius attend a production of Plautus' "Pseudolas." It gave me an opportunity to talk about social mores in ancient Roman society; men and women were not seated together at most entertainments.
Thrilling conclusion to the Wolf Den trilogy, in which the Vesuvius eruption we've all been waiting for finally happens, but the real story is how life goes on after.
Have a beautiful Day of Aphrodite aka Venus' Day aka Frigg's Day aka Friday 🌹
#Aphrodite-Venus with her iconic top-bow hairstyle as she puts on an anklet or a sandal. The gold of the jewellery and red of her lips really stands out against her dark skin.
🏛️ #Venus statuette with gold jewellery from #Pompeii. Today in the National Archaeological Museum, #Naples
Ares-Mars embraced by his love Aphrodite-Venus with a dog at their feet. The club in his hand is usually part of the iconography of #Herakles so it could also be a fresco depicting #Hercules and Megaera or Deïaneira. Does anyone know if it's Mars of Hercules?
"#Dionysos showed himself on the island [of Naxos], and because of the beauty of #Ariadne he took the maiden away from #Theseus and kept her as his lawful wife, loving her exceedingly."
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 4.61.5
🏛️ Dionysos and Ariadne, #fresco from the Triclinium in the House of Vettii, #Pompeii
A glimpse into daily life with this detailed fresco from the Praedia of Julia Felix at Pompeii. Is this a baker selling freshly baked loaves or a distributor of bread to eligible citizens? Either way, this one’s a beauty!
Have a beautiful Day of Aphrodite aka Venus' Day aka Frigg's Day aka Friday 🌹
A rare #fresco of Aphrodite Anadyomene, Aphrodite/Venus rising from the sea. The goddess is in the nude, wringing out her hair. Note her beautiful jewellery!
The Three Graces in their classic pose. This mosaic is from the garden of the House of Apollo at Pompeii. Today this scene is held by the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli.
The touches of blue background give a sense of the original richness of the piece.
This week's #MythologyMonday theme is fire and there are two major Greek gods associated with fire: #Hestia, goddess of the hearth, and #Hephaistos, god of smiths.
They represent #fire in two different forms: the sacrificial flame of the hearth as the sacred centre of domestic life and the flame of Hephaistos, source of all arts, and fuel of the funeral pyre. But both could be invoked for the cooking of sacrificial meat or a good meal:
If it did go out, only sacred fire produced by friction, or by bronze burning mirrors drawing fire from the sun, might be used to rekindle it.
A ritual from #Lemnos, the cult centre of #Hephaistos, has all fires on Lemnos extinguished for nine days until new fire is brought from the island of #Delos:
Lessons I learnt at Pompeii: never let anyone tell you that you can’t ride a shrimp. You can. And if the opportunity arises, such an act may just be captured in a fresco.