#Diana-Selene wears a crescent-moon ornament in her hair and a torch in her right hand, attributes characteristic of the moon goddess. The statue has been found near the Porta San Sebastiano.
🏛️ #Selene, 1st century CE, Musei Capitolini: Palazzo Nuovo, #Rome
This coin was minted circa 206 CE, during the reign of Caracalla. The obverse depicts the laureate head of Caracalla facing right. The reverse type features #Mars, naked save for cloak hanging from his shoulder, holding a branch and spear.
"Grant, oh, grant that I ride through the air in my father's car; give me the reins, O sire, give me the right to guide your fire-bearing steeds with the flaming reins; then let Corinth [...] be consumed by flames and bring the two seas together."
Seneca, Medea 28
🏛 Helios-Sol, Roman marble decoration, 3rd century CE, Terme di Diocleziano, #Rome
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.
I finished Ovid's Metamorphoses last night. (McCarter translation)
I expected mythology but I was surprised by the amount of magic. Like, woman with wild hair in the woods at night with a wand and cauldron, mixing herbs and casting spells.
I guess I had associated that with more Germanic (Grimm fairy tales) literature. Apparently a lot of that imagery comes from Rome.
The ancient Romans had another god, similar to Janus, who could listen in two directions. He was usually portrayed as a male figure with an ear on each side of his head, but his cult has been forgotten because the statues looked like just some guy. #mythology#Rome@mythology
It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
Marble sculpture of #Hermes. After rediscovery in 1771 near #Rome, he was displayed at Lansdowne House in London. The sculpture's right leg and the palm tree originally came from a different ancient statue.
🏛️ Lansdowne Hermes, 2nd century CE Roman copy of a 4th century BCE Greek original, today in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art
I am also happy to share some information and pictures from last week. We held our annual conference on "#urbanity. History, Concept, Uses" at Ettersburg Castle near Weimar. https://urbrel.hypotheses.org/3319