Amphorae

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...