Amphorae

There is an exhibit currently on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC called "The Body Inside and Out: Anatomical Literature and Art Theory Selections from the National Gallery of Art Library". In light of our recent focus on health and medicine throughout the ages it is an exhibit I look forward very much to seeing soon. The online catalogue describes t iby saying, "This exhibition, featuring outstanding examples of anatomy-related material from the collection of rare books in the National Gallery of Art Library, offers a glimpse into the ways anatomical studies were made available to and used by artists from the 16th to the early 19th century." Running through January 23, 2011 there's not much time left to catch it. 

My apologies, friends, for not completing my series on health issues through time, but with a show about to open and wedding work consuming my free time I've been more than a little busy. I'll finish those shortly when I've had more to time to do the research. In the meantime I leave you with a favorite quote..."Post Tenebrus Lux (After the darkness, light)"- Motto of the city of Geneva Happy holidays to all!

In the two centuries just prior to 1900 not only medical professionals, but ordinary people had taken an increased interest in new ways of maintaining their health. Spas had sprung up all over Europe and America, usually around natural sources of mineral water and hot springs. Here people went to seek cures for everything from infertility to rheumatism and paralysis. The methods used varied from curative waters to electroshock therapy, and typically included special diets and exercise regimens. One such place was the Battle Creek Sanitarium which opened in Michigan in 1866. The name was a corruption of the word "sanitorium" which usually refered to a place of rest for soldiers. It was here that the Kellogg brothers started their "wellness institute" based on the health principles of the 7th Day Adventist Church. The Toasted Corn Flake Company follwed in 1906, and provided the basis of what would become the cereal empire we know today. Famous people who attended th...

In 1929 two federal prisons were proposed to deal specifically with the treatment of drug addicts. Multiple factors had led to an increase in the number of addicts, estimated at 250,000. Amongst these were the return of soldiers after WWI who had brought with them drugs more easily attained in Europe, the Volstead Act which in outlawing alcohol drove people to other substances, and the Harrison Anti-Narcotic Act which severely limited the types of narcotics available for medicinal usage and who could prescribe them, which in turn led people to seek relief from less clinical sources intent on profit rather than relief. Statistics reported that 70% of cases began when victims were introduced to the drugs through associates who were either victims themselves or related to trafficking, 20% began as an attempt to alleviate pain, 5% through boredom and experimentation, and 5% through assorted other sources. Doctors recognized three kinds of addicts. The "genius" who used drugs t...

Whether in thanks for a good recovery or in hopes of a successful one, many votive offerings like the one to the left have been found in Roman and Greek temples and shrines across the ancient world. The Greek God Asklepios was co-opted by the Romans along with his daughter, Hygeia (from whom we get the word "hygeine"), and his followers would present representations of the body parts they were concerned with, some inscribed as the the one above which says "Tyche [dedicated this] to Asklepios and Hygieia as a thank offering." Other examples of votive offerings include ears and mouths and even placentas for those worried about safe childbirth. In some cases entire torsos were presented complete with genitalia and internal organs.

Medicine is such an interesting topic and I could easily make an entire series out of exploring what medicine was like throughout the ages, but that would be more like a book than a blog. In fact, just exploring one era would yield a whole books-worth of information, so instead I present to you a week of medically-related incidents through time. Today we begin with the topic that led me to first examine the medicine and treatments of past ages; anesthesia. Pain is universal and the desire to lessen pain and suffering led early man to begin performing surgery, but this was fraught with peril even if the operation was a success because the trauma to the body from the stress and sensation of surgery could be overwhelming. The ancient Greeks used herbal mixtures to lessen the pain of surgery but this could not rightly be called an anesthetic. The word "Anesthesia" is Greek, meaning "without sensation", but the term was not coined until the poet and physician Oliver We...

Officer and Lady

"The symptoms were not the same as in the East, where a gush of blood from the nose was the plain sign of inevitable death; but it began both in men and women with certain swellings in the groin or under the armpit. They grew to the size of a small apple or an egg, more or less, and were vulgarly called tumours. In a short space of time these tumours spread from the two parts named all over the body. Soon after this the symptoms changed and black or purple spots appeared on the arms or thighs or any other part of the body, sometimes a few large ones, sometimes many little ones. These spots were a certain sign of death, just as the original tumour had been and still remained." - Giovanni Boccaccio The Decameron

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

There were few occasions more harrowing for a Victorian lady than her presentation at court. Whether she was the daughter of noble or married to an officer in the Queen's service there were rigorous rules to be followed. Though the action of approaching the Queen, kissing her hand, and backing out of the room took only a few moments, the preparations leading up to the event took many weeks at least. In addition to learning to make a full court curtsy with the knee almost to the floor, walking with a ten-foot train, and backing out the length of the room with said train; the guidelines over what was to be worn were extensive. White was the preferred color for dresses, but light colors would be worn and typically were by married women unless they had their wedding gowns adapted for this purpose. The style of the dress itself could vary dramatically from that being worn for other occasions depending on how recently court regulations had been updated to reflect changing fashions. Reg...

Back in the office after attending to a show that has consumed my every waking hour for the last two weeks. Regular posts will recommence shortly. Talk to you soon!

One might very well start a discussion of movies set at the turn of the century with A Room with a View , and I do love that film, but today I want to introduce you to a lesser-known classic Gigi . Starring Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan,  it was directed by Vincente Minelli with a script and score by the famous Lerner and Loewe duo. The story begins with Maurice Chevalier as an old "roue" (playboy) named Honore singing the charming "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" as he points out polite society promenading in Paris, and the young girls playing in the park. Among them is Gigi, who runs off to her grandmother's apartment where she lives with her mother. Unbeknownst to Gigi she is being groomed by her Aunt Alicia to become a courtesan, as Alicia was, and her grandmother, Mamita, once dated Honore. Honore's nephew, Gaston (Jourdan), is a close friend of Mamita's and spends considerable time with her and Gigi when he is not romancing var...

The Colosseum is poised to open two new areas to visitors; the upper tier and underground chambers where gladiators and the animals they sometimes fought were both held in preparation. msnbc reports

I love Shakespeare plays made into films; 12th Night, Hamlet, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and now coming in December of 2010, The Tempest. Helen Mirren is surprisingly cast as Prospero, a typically male character, but audiences will recognize a few other familiar faces like Djimon Honsou (Gladiator), David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck), and Alan Cumming (Goldeneye). Directed by the ever-magical Julie Taymor (The Lion King, Across the Universe, Frida, The Magic Flute), it promises to be a beautiful, thought-provoking, and just simply fun film.

This 1912 gown from the House of Worth manages to look both comfortable and elegant, and the black and white with Greek key pattern detailing is classic. I want it!

Most of the different timeperiods about which I blog have their own titles; 1920's- Ermine and Pearls, Middle Ages and Renaissance- Ship of Fools, but I don't have one for the 17th century. Perhaps it's because I know the least about this era in history, which is another reason to study it. What to call it though? It is the age of Louis XIV, the sun King, and also of the English Civil War, of Cavaliers and Roundheads, the Glorious Revolution, American settlement by Europeans, many wars but also the beautiful writings of Moliere. The Thirty Years War. Peter the Great. Isaac Newton. The Salem Witch Trials. Science and Sentiment? Waging Order? A Bloody Peace? The Dawn of Glory? What would you call it?

Swing Kids , starring Robert Sean Leonard, Kenneth Branagh, and Christian Bale amongst others, is a film about the pro-jazz, non-conformist youth of Hamburg, Germany at the start of WWII. Contrary to the pressure to be nationalistic, somber and join the Hitler Youth these hipsters embraced American fashions, Swing, and a certain "joie de vivre" that authorities found unsettling, even dangerous. In the film, a group of friends finds themselves challenged by prejudice, familial pressures, and their own still-developing sense of morality. Each one makes a choice, but do those choices bring them closer together or tear them apart? I'm not going to answer that for you, you'll have to watch it for yourself. Be assured that the movie has lots of thrilling swing dance scenes with high-flying aerials (acrobatic moves), jumping music, and plenty of the pathos for which the main actors are well-known. Robert Sean Leonard, in particular, is brilliant as a kid named Peter whose f...

Wow! I'm working on a show called Enchanted April right now, which may be familiar as it was made into a movie; and it is filled with great '20s costumes, from dreary London to the golden summer of an Italian countryside. The picture above also looks like it's right out of some kind of show. There is a lot of drama going on with the a-symmetrical sleeve detail and that enormous fan. I love it!

Some of you may be familiar with a movie that came out some time ago called Vatel . Starring Gerard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, and Tim Roth, it's about a very famous 17th Century cook of the same name who (spolier alert) commits suicide after a grand feast for the visiting King, Louis XIV, goes partially awry. In the movie there is a lot more to it than that, but the film was based on true events. In a letter to a friend Mme de Sevigne recounted the events as they ocurred in April of 1671:- "It is Sunday, the 26th of April; this letter will not go till Wednesday. It is not really a letter, but an account, which Moreuil has just given me for your benefit, of what happened at Chantilly concerning Vatel. I wrote you on Friday that he had stabbed himself; here is the story in detail. The promenade, the collation in a spot carpeted with jonquils - all was perfection. Supper came; the roast failed at one or two tables on account of a number of unexpected guests. This upset Vatel. ...

Just today I received in the mail a book I have been coveting for a while; "Vintage Hairstyles" by Lauren Rennells, who is a freelance hair and makeup artist for film and television. Turning to the back of the book with the author information I found that she has a blog called Bobbypin Blog . Intrigued? You should be. Not only does she showcase styles of the past and tell you how to create them, but she posts ridiculous advice from past publications, such as the Gasoline Shampoo, or singeing hair to make it healthier (hopefully not both in combination or good-bye hair). If this were not enough the site has a charming retro playlist to put you in the right mood as you read. Go forth, check it out, and report back on your findings! I will review the book itself when I have had a chance to put it to the test.

  The 1910s were simultaneously a period that encompassed the Belle Epoque ("Beautiful Era") of painters like Tissot and Waterhouse and composers like Stauss, Debussy and Ravel; as well as the period of WWI with its mustard gas, trenches, and tanks. For this reason the phrase "Dulce et Decorum Est" seems particularly appropo to describe the timeperiod; for besides meaning "sweet and good/fitting it is", it is also the name of a poem written in 1918 by Wilfred Owen who served and died during "The Great War". DULCE ET DECORUM EST by WILFRED OWEN Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped ...

I confess that although I am not generally a fan of reality television I do enjoy Dancing With the Stars. It's nice that different styles of dance have made a resurgence (I'm looking forward to trying some Swing myself soon), and the video above showcases two of those styles, and, coincidentally, their use on DWtS. Which one do you prefer? The Quickstep Developed iin the 1920s as a faster Foxtrot, the Quickstep actually owes some of its steps to the Charleston. Meant to be danced to ragtime music the basic formula is a combination of chasses, quick jerky movements of the feet, and solid armholds punctuated by brief slower pauses and slides. It was a smooth, refined dance that worked well for more conservative dancers, in contrast to the brash youthfullness of... ...The Charleston It is both a song and a dance style, though the dance can be performed to other songs. Originating on Broadway in Runnin' Wild in October of 1923, it is thought to have been inspired by bla...

While researching ancient Greek cooking I came across an interesting tidbit. There were two main kinds of banquets; Symposiums and Syssitias. The symposiums (literally "gathering of drinkers") were a popular dinner party centered around a drinking spree at which games were played, ideas exchanged, and a "King" directed the slaves on how strong to make the wine. They even came to be associated with a genre of writing espoused by Plato, Xenophon, and Plutarch consisting of philosophy discussed  at a symposium. Syssitias were close kin of the symposiums, but much more formal events. Intended to promote companionship between men they were held at times to solidify a sense of honor and brotherhood within units of soliders. Both types of banquets were held for and by men, with the only women in attendance being high-level prostitutes known as hetaira (or hetaera). Perhaps for this reason the supper parties were also refered to as Hetairia, or Andreia; "Companion...

What could be more fitting to kick off the new blog parameters than to jump all the way from the Roman Empire to Victorian England? Well, modern society, perhaps, but be that as it may I present to you Queen Victoria's children. Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in February of 1840, and the first of their children, Victoria, was born in November of the same year. Below is a list of the couple's 9 children and some information that you may find interesting about each. Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa "Vicky" - born 21st November 1840, died 5th August 1901. Married German Emperor Frederick III, becoming Empress of Germany and Queen of Prussia. After her marriage she remained close to both her younger brother, Edward, and her mother to whom she sent more than 4,000 letters. Her education had been closely supervised and included reading, writing, French, German, literature, science, Latin, history, politics, and philosophy. Despite knowing...

I don't seem to post here often enough, especially considering that I come across interesting things to blog about all the time; it's just that those things so rarely fall into the realm of Classical Antiquity. But why limit oneself? So starting tomorrow, Sunday, I will blog about any and all timeperiods, excepting the 18th century as that is covered in my other blog, Letters from the Enlightenment . The schedule is roughly as follows:- Monday- Classical Antiquity Tuesday- Ermine and Pearls- The Roaring Twenties Wednesday- Dulce et Decorum Est (1900-1920) Thursday- Ship of Fools (Middles Ages and Renaissance) Friday- Jump, Jive, and Wail (40s and 50s) Saturday- The 17th Century Sunday- Polite Society (Regency and Victorian) Good idea? Bad idea? Indifferent? Let me know!

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is one of those rare gems; a museum which is full of interesting and beautiful art and completely free and open to the public. While there recently the Director of Special Events took the trouble of asking if we had seen Elvis yet. Why no, we answered, and to our great surprise he pointed us toward the Roman gallery. There, on a series of Sarcophagi depicting a Dionysian Triumphal Procession are four finials bearing an uncanny resemblance to Elvis Presley, right down to the forward curl of his head. Of course the sarcophagi themselves are not to missed, with incredibly intricate carvings in Thasian marble from Greece circa 190 A.D. They were acquired by Mr. Walters in 1902, and part of the generous bequest he made to the museum in 1931. Further information can be found at http://art.thewalters.org/viewwoa.aspx?id=33305

For anyone who hasn't seen this; an oldie, but a goodie...

"And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of the gods." - Aeschylus

August 8th, 70 A.D. the forces of Titus' Roman army destroyed the Antonia Fortess (aka the Tower of Antonia) during the Siege of Jerusalem. The fortress was built by Herod the Great, (the one who is depicted in the Bible as ordering the Massacre of the Innocents) and named for Herod's patron, Mark Antony (yes, that Mark Antony). It was located at the Eastern end of the city of Jerusalem and mainly used to house part of the Roman garrison, as well as some of the High Priests Vestments. It is interesting to think of a Jewish High Priest having to enter the home of the Roman soldiers in order to procure his necessary garments, it seems like a move calculated to remind him who was in charge. Perhaps he sent a servant, but still it is, I think, notable. In 66 A.D. the Jewish defenders had gained control of the city and in 70 A.D. the Romans answered with an army led by Emperor Titus himself, supported by Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command. The fortress was captu...

I was surprised Saturday to learn via the web that Agora was showing in a small art-house cinema near my home. I was surprised because it has had such an underpublicized release as to go completely unnoticed in the USA unless you are looking for it. That aside let me assure you that if you have an interest in Roman history, philosophy, or the struggles of religious factions in early Christianity you will almost certainly enjoy this film. That is, if you can approach it without a tendentious viewpoint. It has received significant criticism for perceived defamation of Christianity (more specifically of the Catholic Church), and the Religious Anti-Defamation Observatory denounced the film; but the distribution company had insisted before its release on screening it at the Vatican, which offered no objections and actually assisted with some of the depictions. There is one scene in which the Bishop of Alexandria, Cyril, reads from the Bible about the proper place of women, and if you are ...

Historians have long debated the cause of Alexander the Great's death, and theories, from septicemia to heavy drinking, abound. One persistant hypothesis, and one which some of his closest friends posited, is that he was poisoned; but by what and whom? This article  from MSNBC discusses a Discovery News report that suggests he was poisoned, and not by any common drug, but by water from the famous RiverStyx...

"Each man has his own desires; all do not possess the same inclinations. [Lat., Velle suuum cuique est, nec voto vivitur uno.]" - Persius (Aulus Persius Flaccus)

" When he came back to Athens, bringing word of the calamity, the wives of those who had been sent out on the expedition took it sorely to heart that he alone should have survived the slaughter of all the rest;—they therefore crowded round the man, and struck him with the brooches by which their dresses were fastened each, as she struck, asking him where he had left her husband. And the man died in this way. The Athenians thought the deed of the women more horrible even than the fate of the troops; as however they did not know how else to punish them, they changed their dress and compelled them to wear the costume of the Ionians. Till this time the Athenian women had worn a Dorian dress, shaped nearly like that which prevails at Corinth. Henceforth they were made to wear the linen tunic, which does not require brooches ."- Herodotus "The History" Fibulae were brooches used by men and women to fasten their garments, from the Bronze Age to the Medieval era. The stor...

Wow! The Dreamstress was kind enough to grant me this splendid award, for which I am stunned and grateful. I am supposed to tell you 7 things about myself, and pick 15 blogs to pass the award on to, but I don't even read 15 blogs. I feel guilty for reading as many as I do already, so I'll follow Dreamstress' example, and name 5. 7 Things About Me 1) I come from a military family and grew up in America and England. 2) I am engaged to be married in July of 2011 (wedding planning has me under its thrall). 3) I just received my Master of Fine Arts degree in Costume Design this May. 4) My best friend and I live far apart and actually write letters more than we e-mail. 5) I used to enjoy fencing and was a sabreur. 6) I love opera and have worked with/for several companies. 7) I hope someday to be fluent in at least five languages; English (check), French, Modern Greek, Italian, and Russian. Now to the fun stuff, the awards. 1) Lauren at American Duchess  is ...

"Hope is the pillar that holds up the world. Hope is the dream of a waking man." - Pliny the Elder

Deservedly or not Emperor Nero gets quite the bad rap, but there were kinder depictions of him. A man who saw himself as an artist (read: actor, musician, and all around performer). Some his final words are reported to have been a line from the Iliad, and "What an artist dies in me!" Though it has been likewise said that he "fiddled" while Rome burned, there is little to suggest that this is anything but rumor. It is therefore not surprising that in Moregine, just south of Pompeii, also preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius on August 24th 79AD there is a fresco of the Emperor Nero as Apollo Citheroedus , the God who inspires aethetic and artistic gifts in man. The unsurprising part is that the fresco is found in the home of a weathy patrician family, which most likely would have supported the emperor in his early years. The surprising part is that Nero deviated so drastically from his predecessors and their focus on militaristic propaganda as to be depicted primar...

The life, controversies, and rumors associated with the Emperor Nero would take many posts to encompass, but as yesterday was the anniversary of his death let us focus on that at this time. It was a suicide, or so history concludes. The reliability of some accounts has been called into question by historians, but one thing is for sure, death was coming for Nero because due to revolts in the provinces, disaffection amongst the Roman legions, and a drastic loss of favor with the senate he was declared a public enemy and was sentenced to be beaten to death. Knowing full well the gravity of his disfavor Nero weighed the choices of fleeing to the provinces which may or may not have supported him, taking his own life, going into hiding, or appealing to the people to restore him to power. Waking at his palace during the night of June 8th he found that both his guards and his friends had deserted him, and he determined to flee with four loyal servants to a villa outside the city. There he ...

"Women cannot partake of magistracies, priesthoods, triumphs, badges of office, gifts, or spoils of war; elegance, finery, and beautiful clothes are women's badges, in these they find joy and take pride, this our forebears called the women's world."- Livy, History of Rome

"All things good to know are difficult to learn." - Greek Proverb

Constantinople Becomes the Capital of the Roman Empire On May 11th 330A.D. emperor Constantine I officially made the city of Byzantium the capital of the Roman Empire, renaming it Constantinople. He did this to bring the capital of the empire closer to the frontiers, yet within easy defense of her armies. Situated on trade routes between Asia and the west it quickly became a rich and flourishing center, though initially devoid of all of the decorum of the old capital. It would remain as the center of the empire until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks captured the city.

Domina- Female form of the masculine Dominus meaning "Master". This is the term with which a slave or servant would refer to his or her mistress. It is the origin of the word "Dominate". Villa - Upper-class country house. Denarius - A small silver coin first minted in 211 BC which was the most basic coin in circulation, much like the penny or one-pence coin today. It's value was debased through decreases in it's weight over time, and it was eventually replaced by the antoninianus. Forum - Marketplace, much like a city-center today it was a hub of commerce and daily ritual. Via - Road. The Romans built extensive road networks for transporting troops and goods across the empire. Some examples include the Via Latina, Via Labicana, and Via Appia (aka the Appian Way) leading to Rome (as I've heard all roads do).

"Stranger, my message is short. Stop and read it. This is the unlovely tomb of a lovely woman. Her parents gave her the name Claudia. She loved her husband with all her heart. She bore two children, one of whom she left on earth, the other beneath it. She had a pleasing way of talking and walking. She tended the house and worked wool. I have said my piece. Go your way." (Corpus of Latin Inscriptions)

Many people know that the word "Easter" comes from the Anglo-Saxon Lunar goddess Eostre, who was said to mate with the solar god around the vernal equinox hence the references to those prolific bunnies and eggs. What you may not know is that the romans also had a vernal holiday involving a goddess-mother, Cybele, and her mate, Attis (taken from earlier Phrygian beliefs), who died and descended into the underworld to challenge the forces of death. In later years he came to be associated with the god Dionysus as well. Many of these customs were naturally based on the cycle of the seasons and the life-death-life cycle was representative of the crops, and so very dear to the cycle of people's lives. Christians and Pagans would eventually come to celebrate their very similar holidays around the same time of the year, and today much of the world has forgotten just how similar the stories are. Both traditions set the date for their celebrations around the first full moon after t...

A Don's Life , the blog of Professor Mary Beard of Cambridge, is a surprisingly funny and straight-forward look at academia and all things Roman. The latest post is on a documentary of Pompeii  that she is consulting on. As someone who is used to being on the entertainment end of such things, it's really interesting to get the opposite point of view. I think my favorite part is where she talks about being able to try on jewelry that was actually worn by the Pompeiians. Enjoy!

"He is not haggard from Venus' quiver, nor fired by her torch; the dowry it was that kindled his ardour and furnished the arrows. Her freedom is paid for; no need to conceal her notes and glances. A wealthy woman who marries a miser is as good as single..." - Juvenal (The Satires)

I have been waiting impatiently for the movie Agora to hit american theaters since last year. For anyone not familiar with this beautiful historical-epic-biopic the trailer  can be found under the link. It stars Rachel Weisz as the famous astronomer Hypatia , and follows her choices and challenges during a Christian uprising in Alexandria, Egypt in 415 AD. As this happened in March it would make sense for the film to come out this month, however no U.S. release date has yet been announced, though it is expected to be sometime this year. I'll let you know as soon as I hear more.

I like to do a series in every era of my interests on how to recreate the look of another time. This is because as a costumer I spend quite a lot of time finding and adapting garments and accessories to look like something else, and because as a costume historian I like things to be at least a little accurate. First of all me have a beautiful set of Roman jewelry, late period, in mostly gold and turquoise. Priceless no doubt. Oddly enough I think my mother owned a necklace very like that back in the 80's. It's surprisingly simple being comprised of chunky beads and gold motifs. The earrings and ring follow a similarly basic aesthetic, yet when put together they have an oppulent effect. I recently came across the Etsy shop of an international jewelry designer known as Kokomi, whose museum-inspired creations in polymer are just lovely. For more images visit ( http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19592370 ), and for an article by and about the items go to ( http://w...

It's always hard to hear that something perfect has passed you by. I would have loved to have seen the exhibition entitled "Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples", but sadly it was only at the National Gallery through March of last year, and then it went to LACMA until October. Do not despair, however, there is a very interesting article by Smithsonian.com which can be found at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Roman-Splendor-in-Pompeii.html which drops some crumbs for those of us who missed it. Did anyone catch the exhibit when it was in town? Thoughts on what you saw?

One of the first things that comes to mind when pondering the life of a woman in Rome is "What would my name have been?" Let's start with a list of known names for women:- Aemilia Agrippina Antonia Aquilia Artemis Atia Balba Caecilia Caenis Caesonia Calatoria Clodia (Claudia) Cloelia Corintha Cornelia Domitia Domna Drusilla Epicharis Fulvia Galla Graecina Hortensia Iris Julia Lepida Lesbia Licinia Livia Livilla Longina Lucilla Lucretia Maesa Marcella Matella Megallis Messalina Metrodora Murcia Octavia Paulina Placidia Plautia Politta Pomponia Poppaea Procula Publilia Pulchra Sabina Scribonia Servilia Severa Themis Urgulanilla Valeria Vipsania This is, of course, an incomplete list, and we can never know the names of all those who went unrecorded on monuments, epitaphs, or in legal records. With only 58 to choose from it is limiting, but not only could a woman have a first name, but often two names were combined, ...