Antiquities Exhibits

Delicately sculptured head of a Roman child of the 2nd century CE at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Romans kept track of the passing of time by celebrating their birthday every year just as we do. These celebrations consisted of wine, garlands of flowers, ritual cakes, and fire on the domestic altar. A child who reached its first birthday (the stage known as anniculus) was able to have legal privileges  and the parents could apply for full Roman citizenship for their child. From the ages of 5 to 7, children were seen to have more rational minds and were expected to take on responsibility around the home such as taking care of the animals, gathering materials, and general chores around the house. Also during these years, children were considered to be aware of social and sexual roles and children’s groups were organized by gender at that time. The age of 5 was around the end of what was considered to be the infant stage (infantia). At this age Romans...

Watercolor reproductions of the murals from Room 5 of the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii ongoing at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1924, Francis W. Kelsey commissioned an Italian artist, Maria Barosso,  to reproduce the wall murals of the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. Barosso chose watercolor as her medium. The entire project was finished in just over 18 months and later exhibited in the Villa Borghese with much fanfare by Benito Mussolini. After the exhibit, the life-sized watercolors were shipped to Kelsey in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But Kelsey died before the watercolors could be housed in a new museum and the works were stored away for decades. In 2008, the Kelsey Museum undertook an exciting conservation project to preserve these beautiful watercolors and they are now on display as part of the Kelsey's permanent exhibition in their new museum. Image: Fresco from the Villa de Misteri in Pompeii 1st century CE courtesy of Wikimedia C...

Ancient Color. Through May 26, 2019 at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Roman world was a colorful place. Although we often associate the Romans with white marble statues, these statues, as well as Roman homes, clothing, and art, were vibrant with color. Merchants traded far and wide for the raw materials to produce a variety of pigments and dyes, and the many ways they were put to use by Ancient Roman s in their homes, clothing, art and buildings reflects the significance of color in Roman culture. Artifacts of every variety can retain evidence of color, from the still-vibrant red and green threads woven into a cloth bag to the invisible traces of blue pigment on a marble head. Image: Head of Bacchus. Marble, pigment. The image in the middle shows an application of color based on the locations of pigments found on the object’s surface during examination. The image on the right is a hypothetical reconstruction of the finished surface based on si...