Antiquities Exhibits

Remains of ancient Aventicum at the Musée Romain d'Avenches, Avenches, Switzerland. Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland (Helvetia or Civitas Helvetiorum). The city was founded after the Helvetii were conquered by Julius Caesar in the early 1st century CE. Aventicum and the Helvetii land was incorporated into the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. Tacitus, writing about 69 CE, speaks of the Helvetians  as originally a Gallic people, renowned for their valor and exploits in war, and he designates Aventicum as their Caput gentis. During the Year of the Four Emperors which followed Nero’s death, the civitas Helvetiorum supported Galba. Unaware of his death, they refused to accept the authority of his rival, Vitellius. The Legio XXI Rapax, stationed in Vindonissa and favoring Vitellius, stole the pay of a Helvetian garrison, which prompted the Helvetians to intercept the messengers and detain a Roman detachment. Aulus Caecina Alienus, a former supporter...

Ancient Art from the Palace of Ramesses III at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Ramesses III was the last great military pharaoh of the New Kingdom. In his fifth year on the throne he defeated the Libyans and brought them back to Egypt as slaves. In his eighth year he faced an even greater threat: a confederation of displaced eastern Mediterranean tribes on the move, including Greeks and Philistines, known  collectively as the Sea Peoples. Fresh from their victory over the Hittites, the Sea Peoples attempted to invade Egypt with the intention of settling there. Ramesses roundly defeated them both by sea and by land, recording his victories on the walls of his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu, "United with Eternity," which remains the best-preserved royal mortuary temple on the west bank of Thebes. Images: Tiles depicting a Hittite chief, a Nubian Chief, and a Syrian Chief recovered from the Palace of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, Egyp...

First to Third century CE Treveri and Roman remains at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Arlon, Belgium. Before the Roman conquests of Gaul, the territory of Arlon and a vast area to the southeast were settled by the Celtic Treveri tribe. The settlement was located at what would become crossroads of two important Roman roads (Reims-Trier and Metz-Tongres) after the Roman conquest of Gaul. This allowed ancient Orolaunum to prosper and  become a vibrant commercial and administrative center during the first three centuries of the common era. Then much of the city was destroyed during the Germanic invasions of the 3rd century CE despite the defensive walls that had been built on the Knipchen hill. The first archaeological discoveries made in Arlon go back to the 17th century, when remains of the defensive wall were dismantled and its foundations revealed the reuse of fragments of funerary monuments. During the 19th century a necropolis was unearthed along the a wealth of grave goods. Then ...

Gallo-Roman remains of ancient Bavacum, once the capital for the Nervii tribe in Bavay, France. Local legends point to the city of Bavay's founding by a cousin of Priam fleeing the destruction of Troy in the 12th century BCE. But archaeologists have been unable to find remains dating that far into antiquity. However, the site served as a capital of the Nervii tribe, connecting their city to the capital cities of neighbouring  Amiens via Arras, Tongeren, Cassel, Trier in the east and Reims in the south, until their defeat by Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars. The location then became known as Bavacum (or Bagacum) when it was designated a Roman civitas as the result of a reorganization by Augustus between 16 and 13 BCE. The town became an important commercial junction of seven roads on the trade routes between Germania and the naval port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. During the Claudian period through the dynasty of the Flavians, a forum, thermal baths fed by an aqueduct bringing water...

The Neo-Pompeiian art of Eduardo Ettore Forti now online on Wikipedia. Like many neo-classical painters of the late 19th century, Ettore Forti, became enthralled by ancient Roman life after the rediscovery of Pompeii in 1748 and the subsequent excavations. Although many of his extant paintings feature scenes of merchants selling carpets, jewelry, or antiquities to well-to-do Roman ladies, he also painted scenes of chariot  racing, musicians, city folk gossiping around a fountain, and even coaches bearing emperors careening down the roads leading back to Rome. These images can now be viewed online in a gallery on Ettore Forti's Wikipedia page. I searched the internet for over a week to collect as many images of his work as I could find and upload them to Wikimedia Commons (since they are now in the public domain). I strongly believe images bring history to life so I've been working hard to identify images in the public domain that portray ancient life and uploading them to W...

Pre-Achaemenid, Greek, Roman, Egyptian and ancient Asian art at the Miho Museum in Sigaraki, Japan. The Miho Museum is located southeast of Kyoto, Japan, near the town of Shigaraki. Among the objects in its 2,000-piece permanent collection are more than 1,200 objects that appear to have been produced in Achaemenid Central Asia. Some scholars have claimed these objects are part of the famous Oxus Treasure, lost shortly after its  discovery in 1877 and rediscovered in Afghanistan in 1993, although both the Miho and British Museum's material from this period point to unique findspots. In addition to the Persian objects, the museum houses Roman, Greek, and Egyptian antiquties as well as art from ancient China, Japan, and southeast Asia. Image: 1 ) Vessel with Bull Attacked by a Lion Pre-Achaemenid Period 8th-6th centuries BCE. The wounded bull is extremely serene, looking more as though the lion was embracing him. This vessel symbolizes the order of the cosmos, as the t...

Carthago: The Immortal Myth September 27, 2019 through March 29, 2020 at the Colosseum and Forum Romanum in Rome, Italy. The history and culture of one of the most powerful and fascinating cities of the ancient Mediterranean will be celebrated in the Colosseum, the Temple of Romulus, and the Imperial Ramp at the Forum Romanum beginning September 27, 2019. The exhibition will feature reconstructions and multimedia installations  alongside artefacts displayed in public for the first time, highlighting a series of historical events uniting the two great powers of the ancient world: Carthage and Rome. Objects on display include items from the collections of archaeological museums in Italy as well as the Carthage National Museum and the Bardo in Tunisia, and the national museums of Beirut in Lebanon, and Madrid and Cartagena in Spain. Visitors will be greeted by a reconstruction of the terrible deity Moloch, featured in the 1914 film Cabiria, stationed at the entrance to the Colosse...

Back in 2013, an exhibit of Luigi Bazzani's watercolors of freshly excavated Pompeii was presented at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. Fortunately for us, images of six of the 31 beautiful watercolors are still available to view online. Luigi, a painter and set designer, rendered glimpses of Pompeii from the Forum to the Baths, up to the House of the Vettii and the district of the Theaters. A number of Luigi's original watercolors of Pompeii can be seen in the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Newly excavated Pompeii fountain by Luigi Bazzani (PD) See the slideshow: https://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2013/07/03/foto/museo_archeologico_la_mostra_di_bazzano-62320333/#1

More than 5,000 years of history through art at the Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen, Netherlands. For four centuries, Nijmegen was the largest and most important location of the Romans in the region now known as The Netherlands. Highlights include the limestone pillar of the gods from the beginning of the era, the face helmets from the first century, many masterpieces of crafts from Roman tombs from the first to the fourth cent uries, a bronze portrait head of Emperor Trajan from Xanten, a silver drinking cup (kantharos) from Stevensweert and a bronze shield button from Blerick. Artifacts from prehistory and the Middle Ages are also on display. Images: 1) Modern reconstruction of a Roman cavalry helmet found on the Kops Plateau circa 150 CE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Wolfgang Sauber. 2) Nijmegen cavalry helmet, an iron mask sheathed in bronze and silver discovered in 1915 on the left bank of the Waal river near Nijmegen, second half of the first century CE...

Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Pre-Columbian art at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. Founded in 1933, this American museum offers a diverse display of ancient art, nestled within its total collection of 30,000 objects. The Chrysler's collection of Mesoamerican ceramics and sculptures represent several major pre-Columbian cultures. Citizens and heroes of ancient Greece and Rome endure through works of art created in  bronze, stone, and ceramics. Ancient Egypt is represented by displays of jewelry, ceramics, funerary art, and sculpture while the museum's Asian collection include objects from Japan, India, and China, with ceramics representing every major Chinese dynasty. Image: Basalt Head from Egypt's Greco-Roman period 200-400 CE courtesy of the Chrysler Museum of Art.

Asian art dating back to the 11th century BCE at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia. The Hermitage Museum and Gardens consists of an early 20th century historic house with a world-wide art collection surrounded by twelve acres of formal gardens with natural woodlands and wetlands as well as a Visual Arts Studio. The 42-room house was built by William and Florence Sloane, wealthy New Yorkers who came to the No rfolk area in 1893 to operate textile mills. The museum's Asian collection began with a Japanese Satsuma bowl gifted to Florence Sloane by her sister, Grace Stiles, in 1901. The collection has grown to include Chinese Neolithic jade and archaic ceremonial bronze vessels from the Western Zhou dynasty (11th century – 771 BCE), Chinese snuff bottles, Imperial jade, cloisonné and lacquer, as well as a significant holding of Tang dynasty (618-906 CE) terracotta. Image: Japanese tortoise shell dish courtesy of the Hermitage Museum and Gardens.

Ancient Roman military masks on Wikimedia Commons. If any of you have visited the museum at Kalkriese, you have probably seen one of its most important artifacts, a once-silvered mask worn by either a Roman cavalryman or possibly a standard bearer. I found a discussion thread up on Reddit in which noted historian Adrian Goldsworthy pointed out, "For a long time, these helmets were designated as "parade helmets" by histo rians and archaeologists, and it was assumed that they would not be used in battle. They seemed too ostentatious and impractical. Then we found the battlefield at the Teutoburger Wald and discovered a masked helmet among the debris. A Roman tombstone in Germany even seems to depict an infantry signifer (standard bearer) wearing such a helmet. Add in the fact that we've found almost as many of these "parade" helmets as we have "normal" helmets, and it seems quite possible to me that these masked helmets would ...

Rome's Legions through November 3, 2019 at the Kalkriese Archaeological Park and Museum in Bramsche-Kaldriese, Germany. What did the everyday life of a Roman legionary look like? How long were his day marches, where did he sleep, what was on his menu and how much baggage did he carry? Answers to these and other questions can be found in the special exhibition "Rome's Legions", which will be presented at the Kalkriese Museum and Park. The ex hibit illustrates life in the Roman army through dioramas and thousands of hand-painted tin legionaries, who show a vivid picture of the everyday life of Roman legionaries in the first centuries CE. There are numerous hands-on stations, where large and small legionaries alike can put on an original-made armor, train on the pole or grind their own grain ration. Image: Artist's renderings of Roman legionaries in the first centuries CE courtesy of the Mules of Marius exhibit company.

Celtic finds from the largest oppidum in mainland Europe at the KeltenMuseum in Heidengraben, Germany. The oppidum at Heidengraben is thought to have been created in the late La Tène period (late 2nd century BCE to early 1st century BCE). In addition to agriculture, the population had artisans engaged in metal working and glass production. Fragments of Roman amphorae dating from 130-90 BCE indicate a significant amount of Ro man wine was imported and probably enjoyed by a rich elite. However, no burial site dating to the oppidum period has been discovered. The oppidum was abandoned in the first half of the 1st century BCE but archaeologists have been unable to determine a cause. Researchers speculate that since this abandonment coincides with the abandonment of other oppida in that period, it may have been due to fundamental changes in social, economic or political circumstances. The Romans occupied the area beginning in 85 CE and evidence of farms as well as mansiones have been fo...

Archeological remains and artifacts of ancient Metapontum at the National Archaeological Museum in Metaponto, Italy. Founded around the 8th century BCE, Metapontum was a Greek colony that became quite prosperous due to its fertile soil. During the Peloponnesian War, the Metapontines, after a short period of neutrality, eventually declared support for Athens and furnished a small auxiliary force that served under Demosthenes and E urymedon. It also supported Alexander, king of Epirus, when he crossed over to Italy to wage war against the Lucanians and Brutians in 332 BCE. But, they opposed Cleonymus of Sparta in 303 BCE and ended up paying a heavy tribute after he suborned the colony. During the Pyrrhic War they lent active support to Pyrrhus and during the Second Punic War they were among the first of the cities of Magna Graecia to declare in favor of Hannibal after the battle of Cannae. But the city was occupied by the Romans until 212 BCE. Then Hannibal occupied the city until th...

Remains of ancient Octodurus at the Pierre Gianadda Foundation Museum in Martigny, Switzerland. Octodurus was originally an oppidum of the Gallic Veragri tribe and was located on the route to the strategic pass of Poeninus (now known as Great St. Bernard's Pass) in the Swiss Alps. It was conquered by the Roman Republic in 57 BCE then occupied by Servius Galba and the 12th legion. While wintering there, Galba's legion was atta cked by a Gallic force of more than 30,000 warriors. Although the Battle of Octodurus is considered a Roman victory, one third of the village was destroyed during the battle and Galba burned the remainder when he retreated. Octodurus was rebuilt and during the reign of Claudius was designated a new Roman colony named Forum Claudii Augusti then renamed Forum Claudii Vallensium Octodurensium and became the capital of Vallis Poenina Province. Roman remains include an amphitheater that was restored in 1978 and the forum. The museum itself was constructed o...

Archaeological finds from Julia Apta Vulgientium in the Museum of History and Archaeology in Apt, France.  Apt was at one time the chief town of the Vulgientes, a Gallic tribe who was part of a federation of the Albiques along with the Albienses from the Plateau of Albion and the Vordenses of Gordes.  The Vulgientes traded with Greeks at their colony of Massalia and the Phoenicians, as evidenced by Greek incscriptions and ceramics found at the site.  Apt was destroyed by the Romans about 125 BCE then restored by Julius Caesar, who conferred upon it the title  Apta Julia Vulgientium.  Apt served as an important city on the Via Domitia and the Julien Bridge over the Calavon river was constructed nearby.   Excavations have revealed a theater, a forum, a basilica and Decumanus Maximus.  Artifacts include ceramics, glass, domestic items, and funerary monuments. Image:  The Roman Pont Julien that served Apta Julia on the Via Domitia  n...

Artifacts from the last battle between the Gauls and Julius Caesar on display through August 31, 2019 at the Museum of Uxellodunum in Vayrac, France. This exhibition presents objects from archaeological excavations of the hilltop oppidum of Uxellodunum including weapons and reconstructed Roman armament. Additional materials can be viewed at the Gallo-Roman Museum located in the Palais de la Raymondie in nearby Martel. The Sieg e of Uxellodunum was one of the last battles of the Gallic Wars. Uxellodunum was heavily fortified, both by its natural position surrounded by a river and by its impressive fortifications built by the Carduci tribe. So, Julius Caesar decided to target the city's water supply, having noticed the difficulty the Gauls had climbing down a very steep slope to reach the riverbank. Caesar stationed archers and balista near the river to cover any attempt to gather water from this main source. When the Gauls resorted to a secondary spring, Caesar ordered his engin...

Roman remains from ancient Beneventum at the Sannio Museum in Benevento, Italy. Housed in the former Church of Santa Sofia, the Sannio Museum's archaeological collections include pre-Roman finds from the Paleolithic Period, terracottas and ceramics from the Samnite cities of Caudium and Telesia, Roman copies of Hellenistic Greek statues, as well as statues of Emperor Trajan and his wife, Plotina, and reliefs with a gladiatorial  theme. There is also an extensive collection of Egyptian and neo-Jewish finds from the Temple of Isis built by the Roman emperor Domitian including statues of priests, of the emperor himself, simulacra of divinities, hawks, lions, and an obelisk of the temple in a separate structure near the museum. Roman funerary monuments are exhibited in the cloister. Image: 1st century CE gladiator relief from the Roman amphitheater in ancient Beneventum. Currently housed in the Sannio Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Antonio De Capua.

Ships' rams, armor, and relics from the First Punic War's Battle of the Aegates (also called Egadi) on display at the Favignana Museum in Favignana, Sicily.  The Battle of the Aegates (also known as the Battle of the Egadi Islands) was the last major naval encounter fought between the Mediterranean powers of Carthage and the Roman Republic, in circa 241 BCE.  Locating the site of this famous ancient naval battle had been a long held dream of underwater archaeologists. Then, members of the Egadi project uncovered a treasure trove of bronze rostra (ship's rams), war helmets of the Montefortino type used by the Roman legions, and other relics off the northwest coast of Levanzo Island at a depth of about 260 feet over a ten-year period beginning in 2005.  These finds are displayed in the Ex Stabilimento Florio delle Tonnare di Favignana e Formica (a tuna fish processing plant for the islands of Favignana and Formica.  The museum also presents an immersive 3D film that...

It looks like the "Queens of Egypt" exhibit at the Natiional Geographic Museum in Washington D.C. has been extended through September 15, 2019! https://www.nationalgeographic.org/events/exhibition/queens-egypt/ Publicity photo of Claudette Colbert as Queen Cleopatra VII courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.