"She [Gaia] prayed to the Titan #Helios with submissive voice: she begged of him one red hot ray, that with its heating fire she might melt the petrified water of Zeus, by pouring his kindred radiance over frozen Typhon."
Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2. 543
🎨 Roman silver relief of Sol from Pessinus in Anatolia, dated 3rd century CE. Today in the British Museum.
This beautiful mosaic shows #Dionysos, also known in Latin as #Bacchus or #FatherLiber, pouring wine from a rhyton, a vessel from which wine or water were intended to be drunk or to be poured, either in a libation or at table. In this scene, Dionysos is pouring it to his pet panther.
🏛️ Roman mosaic, today in the National Museum of #Beirut
"Helios (the Sun), who is watchman of both gods and men [...] You [Helios] with your beams look down from the bright upper air (aitheros) over all the earth and sea."
Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter
A magnificent marble bust of #Helios, the ancient Greek sun god, that was unearthed at the ancient Agora of Athens in 1970. The holes were used for the attachment of a sun ray crown.
🎨 2nd century CE, Ancient Agora Museum. #Athens, Greece
It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
#Mercurius and #Hermes are not only the messengers of the gods, but the gods of merchants and thieves as well. Here, Mercurius is depicted with his winged hat holding a purse to signify his connection with wealth & success in business.
🏛️ Hermes-Mercurius, Roman bronze figurine, dated 1st-3rd century CE, private collection
Selene-Diana and Endymion as a couple on the ivory Querinian diptych. A diptych is any object with two flat plates forming a pair, for example the standard notebook of the ancient world.
🏛️ Selene-Diana and Endymion, Roman relief, circa 5th century CE, found in Brescia and today residing in the Museo di Santa Giulia, Brescia.
Well, my Roman summer has begun! It’s HOT and posts for the next few weeks are likely to be snaps of me with whatever ancient things I stumble across - you have all been warned 😅
"When Seirios [#Sirius, the star] scorches the flesh, when the crude grapes which #Dionysos gave to men - a joy and a sorrow both - begin to colour." #Hesiod, The Shield of Herakles 398
🏛️ Dionysos holding a kantharos, Roman statuette, Archaeological Museum of #Eleusis
"When Seirios [#Sirius, the star] scorches the flesh, when the crude grapes which Dionysos gave to men - a joy and a sorrow both - begin to colour."
Hesiod, The Shield of Herakles 398
🏛️ Dionysos holding a kantharos, Roman statuette, Archaeological Museum of Eleusis
A highlights reel of the decade that was the 420s BCE. Great for a swift overview of the challenges (and triumphs) as Rome tries to figure out how to run a republic.
While our deep dive ‘From the Founding of the City’ series is unscripted, the Partial Recap is a scripted short and snappy summary - excellent for jogging the memory!
Listen in via our website or wherever you enjoy your podcasts ☺️