Antiquities Exhibits

Antefixes were mold-made, usually brightly painted, terracotta decorative covers to conceal the edges of joined roof tiles and protect the seams from the elements.  They often took the form of heads, either of humans or mythological creatures. The earliest examples in museum collections date back to the 6th century BCE in both Greece and Etruria.  They were also a frequent feature on Roman architecture as well.  On temple roofs, maenads and satyrs were often alternated.  The frightening features of the Gorgon, with its petrifying eyes and sharp teeth was also a popular motif to ward off evil.  A Roman example from the Augustan period features the butting heads of two billy goats.  It may have had special significance in imperial Rome since the constellation Capricorn was adopted by the emperor Augustus as his own lucky star sign and appeared on coins and legionary standards. In 2005, I visited the Villa Giulia in Rome that houses a large Etruscan colle...

Remains of Etruscan civilization at the Villa Giulia in Rome, Italy.  Built for Pope Julius III between 1550 and 1555, Villa Giulia is a Renaissance palace built in what once was the outskirts of Rome. It was converted into a museum in 1899 and now houses the city's largest collection of Etruscan artifacts, including pottery, funeral urns, jewelry, bronzes and sculptures. Among the museum’s most valuable objects are a sarcophagu s from the year 520 BCE, as well as several terracotta figures such as the Apollo of Veii and the image of Hercules and Apollo vying for a deer, both from 510 BCE. The grounds also feature a reconstructed Etruscan temple. Note: When I was at the Villa Giulia back in 2005, they only allowed me to photograph the frescoed porticos around the courtyard, the nymphaeum, and the Etruscan Temple reconstruction. Now, though, I assume photography is allowed as I see Wikimedia Commons has a lot of photographs of their collections. Image: Etruscan sarcop...