"Selene (the #Moon) at her full and all the signs with which heaven is crowned. Greetings, all you immortal gods everlasting and immortal goddesses!"
Greek Lyric V Anonymous, Fragments 937, Inscription from the shrine of Asklepios at #Epidaurus
It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
"They [the Aloadai giants] decided to fight the gods. [...] And they also bound up Ares. But Hermes secretly snatched Ares away."
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.54
🏛 #Hermes and #Ares, 300-200 BCE, limestone relief from Tarentum, Italy, Cleveland Museum of Art
This detailed ivory relief is thought to depict the goddess Roma ~ C5th–C6th CE
Roma appeared with a helmet and staff, and holds the globe in her hand while being crowned by the goddess Victory.
This is part of a diptych showcasing a personification of Constantinople but I’m afraid I don’t have a picture of that side. But pairing these two together would make perfect sense in a world where Constantinople was increasingly the central city and Rome a historic symbol…
"He has this haughty symbol on his shield: a well-crafted sky, ablaze with stars, and the brightness of the full moon (panselene) shining in the center of the shield, the moon that is the most revered of the stars, the eye of night."
Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 389
🏛️ Luna-Selene, relief on the pediment at the Roman Baths
This depiction of praetorians comes from the Arch of Claudius celebrating his invasion of Britain. The arch has not survived, but this panel suggests the artistry used to enhance the sense of military glory…
The monument of Eurysaces the baker offers us a beautiful insight into the funerary displays possible in the late Republic/early principate while also offering a great cycle of friezes exploring the making of baked goods in ancient Rome.
Delicious!
The excellent illustration allows you to see more clearly all the phases of getting the bread made from the extant sides of the monument.
This Greek marble stele commemorates a young girl. Although there is some damage to her face and what she holds (pomegranates?), the poignant grief of saying goodbye to a child too soon is clear.
Diana sits in divine nudity with her cloak offering respite from the rock ledge she sits on. She sits before a garlanded altar with a small herm, her quiver nearby.
This relief was found at Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli. The young man (Castor?) seems to be in a tousle for control with the horse while a dog watches on. Likely Roman in manufacture, but definitely inspired by the Greek style!
In this relief, we see stacks of amphorae delicately wedged together to ensure they remain upright. Next to the stack are two figures, one carries an amphora over their shoulder.
It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
For #AllHallows, have a relief of #Hermes in his role as #psychopomp. Hermes guides the souls of the dead to the underworld. Here, he takes the hand of a dead woman named Myrrhine on the way down to Hades.
🏛 Relief on Myrrhine's lekythos, ca 420-410 BCE, National Archaeological Museum, #Athens
This C2nd CE Roman relief is part of a celebration of Hadrian’s twentieth year as emperor. A bull is about to be sacrificed. The detail in the relief work is spectacular!
☀️ For #ReliefWednesday: A 4th c. AD stele with a dedication of a wife to her deceased husband, Centurion of Cataphracti: "To the Manes and in eternal memory of Klaudius Ingemuus, Centurion of the Senior Cataphracti Horsemen, who died at the approximate age of 35. Candida raised this tomb to her cherished husband and dedicated under the Ascia".
Sarcophagus with a frieze depicting the labours of Hercules. This piece is thought to have been made in Asia Minor in c. 160 CE before its transfer to Rome. Today it can be found in the Galleria Borghese.