phistorians

phistorians , 5 months ago to histodons

This delightful barbotine vessel is adorned with sweet phallic creatures with legs resembling those of chickens and either wings or maybe antlers (at a pinch).

#PhallusThursday #AncientRome #History @histodons

phistorians , 6 months ago to histodons

Chalcedony intaglio depicting Jupiter Ammon ~ C1st–C3rd CE

Jupiter Ammon catches the eye with his references to other divinities. His ram’s horns recall Zeus Ammon, he wears the modius headdress of Serapis, and extending out behind him the rays of Sol Invictus.

🏛 The Met
#AncientRome #History
@histodons

phistorians , 6 months ago to histodons

This sprightly figurine was discovered in North Yorkshire and is thought to date to the Roman period.

While the body language is positive, the figure also wears a frown, so maybe their day isn’t going quite as they planned!

📸 West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service

#PhallusThursday #AncientRome #History @histodons

SallyStrange , 6 months ago to histodons

ever heard that factoid about empires lasting 250 years? Sometimes it's claimed that this is an average, one person even claimed that it was an upper limit.

This is probably false. The claim originates with a fellow named Glubb. Dude was born in the 19th century and served as an agent of British military control of the Middle East. He wrote a short book/long essay called "The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival" in which he made that claim. He was not trained as a historian, offered no citations, and excluded American and African empires. (He did say it was an average, though.)

Anyway I thought I'd mention it since I brought it up during a conversation with @poiseunderchaos and they were like, "yeah I'm not so sure about that."

#history #Empires #MiddleEast #BritishEmpire @histodons

18+ AimeeMaroux , 6 months ago to antiquidons

Not quite as impressive as the multi-phallic chariot of the @phistorians, this woman is getting by with just one phallus 😄

#PhallusThursday #GreekRomanArt @antiquidons

phistorians , 6 months ago to mythology

Roman mirror of the goddess Diana ~ C2nd CE

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.

🏛 Art Institute, Chicago

#ReliefWednesday #AncientRome @mythology @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 6 months ago to histodons

Sardonyx cameo of Claudius as Jupiter ~ C1st CE

Claudius makes no bones about being the top dog in Rome with this cameo. He holds Jupiter’s sceptre and thunderbolt and is joined by Jupiter’s eagle. The frame is a later addition from the C16th.

🏛 Art Institute, Chicago
#AncientRome #History @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 6 months ago to histodons

Servius Tullius was touched by fire in more ways than one.

First was his conception (rumour has it that his mother was impregnated by a phantom phallus that appeared in a fire). Then as a child, he was seen wreathed in flame while sleeping. This was interpreted by the queen, Tanaquil, to mean that Servius was destined for great things and must be protected at all costs.

Hot stuff from Rome’s sixth king!

#AncientRome #History @histodons

18+ AimeeMaroux , 7 months ago to antiquidons

Not just men can party - not even in #ancientGreece - as this female reveller proves. She is playing the popular party game kottabos, flinging drops of wine sediment at a target not seen here.

🎨 Red-figure kylix attributed to Onesimos ca 490 BCE: woman reveller playing kottabos

#FannyFriday @antiquidons @phistorians #GreekRomanArt

phistorians , 7 months ago to antiquidons

This photo in no way does justice to how detailed and amazing this mosaic is, but it was the best I could find 😭 Depicted: Sol Invictus surrounded by the signs of the zodiac.

📍 Roman villa at Münster-Sarmsheim
🏛 Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn

#AncientRome #MosaicMonday @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

Sphinx of Hatshepsut ~ c. 1479–1458 BCE

This ground breaking pharaoh strikes a pose in the form of the sphinx. Hatshepsut here has all the trappings of pharaoh including the false beard!

📍Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, Deir el-Bahri
🏛 The Met, 31.3.166

#AncientEgypt @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

Detail of the ‘dancing figures’ from the so-called Villa of Cicero at Pompeii. The fluidity of the poses, as though floating in the air, combined with the arresting diaphanous material of their dresses is simply stunning.

🏛 MANN Napoli, inv. 9295

#AncientRome #FrescoFriday @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

✨ Brand New Episode - Where in the World is Carventum? ✨

We dive into the years of 411 and 410 BCE. Tension is rife between Romans when the Volscians and Aequians team up to take the strategic stronghold of Arx Carventum...

#AncientRome #Podcast @histodons @antiquidons

https://partialhistorians.com/2023/11/16/episode-144-where-in-the-world-is-carventum/

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

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!

🏛British Museum, 1805,0703.121

#ReliefWednesday #AncientRome @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

Cycladic marble female figure ~ 4500–4000 BCE

When the sculptor asked their subject to strike a pose, who knew that the essence of grumpiness would be captured for millennia?*

🏛 The Met, 1972.118.104

*May be not how this artefact came to be made but we do love the folded arms not-taking-any-bs pose!

#AncientGreece @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

Our hearts are breaking for all the suffering. Especially for the suffering of children. They are loved each and every one.

This mosaic detail shows a child with a puppy and likely dates to c. C6th CE

🏛 Great Palace Mosaic Museum, Istanbul
📸 Ard Hesselink

#MosaicMonday #AncientRome @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

One of the cutest little mice of the ancient world 🐁

The beautiful blue of the glass adds to the vibrancy of this gorgeous piece.

This flask is thought to date to the C3rd CE but the provenance is unknown.

🏛The Met, 2012.479.2

#AncientRome #Mousetodon @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

This Etruscan fresco is thought to date to c. 475 BCE. It is part of a tomb decoration from Tarquinia, legendary home of the Roman king Lucius Tarquinius Priscus though long after his time!

📍Tomb of the Leopards, Monterozzi Necropolis

#Etruscan #AncientRome #FrescoFriday @histodons @antiquidons

18+ AimeeMaroux , 7 months ago to mythology

It's the Day of Zeus / Jupiter's Day / #Thursday! ⚡

#Ganymede on Olympus, surrounded by #Zeus who offered him a cock, a goddess crowning him and #Hebe.

🏛️ Side A of an Attic black-figure amphora depicting Zeus, #Ganymedes, and Hebe, ca. 510 BCE, Staatliche Antikensammlungen #München

@antiquidons @mythology #DayOfZeus #GreekRomanArt

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

Greek marble grave stele of a girl ~ c. 450-440 BCE

Every child is precious. This stele memorialising a lost girl who loved doves is heart wrenching for the beauty and the grief conveyed.

🏛 The Met, 27.45

#ReliefWednesday #AncientGreece @histodons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

Roman marble head of Constantine I ~ c. 325–370 CE

The style of this portraiture is thought to be designed to evoke a connection back to the optimus princeps himself, Trajan. It might be a couple of centuries later but he was still the one to emulate!

🏛 The Met, 26.229

#AncientRome @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

This opus sectile panel is arresting for both its detail and subject matter. The tiger and calf share a wild look to their eyes…

📍 C4th CE Basilica of Junius Bassus, Esquiline Hill
🏛 Musei Capitolini

#MosaicMonday #AncientRome @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

Roman two-handled glass bottle ~ C1st CE

This exquisite bottle is translucent cobalt blue with handles matching in the same colour.

Looking closely at the body, you can see some bubbling in the glass as well as iridescence on the interior.

🏛The Met, 17.194.157

#AncientWorld #Glass @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

That’s a wrap on the Intelligent Speech Conference for 2023!

It was an absolute pleasure to chat about the challenges Augustus faced when thinking about who’d be his heir (in the elite family sense) and how his approach to this seemed to change as his political power became more entrenched with the principate. If only he and Livia could have had a son…

#AncientRome @histodons @antiquidons

AimeeMaroux , 7 months ago to antiquidons

Inside every man is a huge dick 😉

#PhallusThursday #GreekRomanArt #Priapus

@antiquidons @phistorians

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

✨ Brand New Special Episode ✨

We chat with Dr Emma Southon about her new book ‘A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women’!

Join us as we explore the very fascinating lives of some of the women who lived under the Romans.

#AncientRome #Podcast @histodons @antiquidons

https://partialhistorians.com/2023/11/02/special-episode-a-history-of-the-roman-empire-in-21-women-with-dr-emma-southon/

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

#ReliefWednesday

Roman marble relief with amphorae ~ C2nd CE

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.

🏛 The Met, 25.78.63.

@histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago (edited 6 months ago) to histodons

We’re gearing up for the Intelligent Speech Conference happening this weekend! We’ll be on in the US afternoon which is the crack of dawn for us ladies from the Antipodes.

There’ll be toga-wearing, and we’ll be in front of the camera to answer your history questions ☺️ Join us!

Grab your ticket here to catch us and a whole crew of amazing podcasters with a love of people and history: https://intelligentspeechonline.com/

#Podcast #History @histodons

phistorians , 7 months ago to antiquidons

#MosaicMonday in spooky season? Well, it has to be a skeleton! This mosaic can be found today in the Baths of Diocletian.

The Greek phrase ‘gnōthi sauton’ translates as ‘know thyself’.

#Halloween @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

#Halloween is neeeearly here! With the spooky times nearly upon us, it’s time to consider how best to propitiate the chthonic divinities. We hear they like libations of wine…

🏛 MAN Napoli, 9978

#AncientRome @histodons @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to mythology

#ClassicsTober23 28: Nyx

The goddess of the night in all her shadowy glory as depicted by Gustave Moreau. It is said by Homer than even Zeus fears to upset this primordial divinity who rules the darkest of times.

#AncientGreece #Myth @mythology

phistorians , 7 months ago to mythology

#FrescoFriday #ClassicsTober23 27: Pygmalion

This fresco depicts Polyphemus and the nereid Galatea in a landscape. Galatea is sometimes also the name of the statue that Pygmalion creates, though these were likely different story traditions…

#AncientRome @histodons @mythology @antiquidons

phistorians , 7 months ago to histodons

#PhallusThursday

The first temptation is to assume the nude Pan has been up to no good, but he seems to be riding the mule with some modesty. Now, the same cannot be said for the mule…

🏛 MAN Napoli, No. 27712

#AncientRome @histodons @AimeeMaroux

phistorians , 8 months ago to histodons

Roman relief? ~ Virunum

I’m not sure about the date of this piece, but it’s been repurposed as part of church in Maria Saal. The covered carriage is particularly striking.

#ReliefWednesday #AncientRome @histodons

phistorians , 8 months ago to mythology

#ClassicsTober23 24: Hephaestus

Hephaestus’ capacity in creative endeavours in metal working and carpentry sees him become the go to Olympian for armour. Here Hephaestus presents the new for Achilles' armor to Thetis (Iliad 18.617).

📍Attic red-figure Kylix, 490–480 BCE

#AncientGreece #Myth #History @mythology @histodons

phistorians , 8 months ago to mythology

#ClassicsTober23 23: Orpheus

The death of Orpheus has fascinated artists. Although not as famous as the story involving the fate of his wife Eurydice, Orpheus’ death is notable. He was thought to have been torn apart limb-from-limb by Maenads in a Bacchic frenzy…

#AncientGreece #Myth #History @mythology

phistorians , 8 months ago to mythology

#ClassicsTober23 22: Midas

Ovid tells an infamous tale of Midas’ ‘golden touch’ wherein the king’s wish - granted to him by Dionysus - becomes the bane of his life. The tragedy bound up in Midas’ wish.

This painting captures Midas’ sense of feeling his wish become a curse…

If you know the artist, do let me know so I can appropriately credit them!

#AncientGreece #Myth #History @mythology

phistorians , 8 months ago to mythology

#ClassicsTober23 17: Atalanta

A powerful figure from Greek myth here depicted by Tyler Miles Lockett slaying two centaurs after they attempted to rape her. Atalanta was a devotee of Artemis and like the huntress herself sought a life of independence.

#AncientGreece #Myth @mythology

phistorians , 8 months ago to mythology

#ClassicsTober23 16: Circe

A powerhouse woman from myth with exceptional skills in pharmaka, Circe looms large in Homer’s Odyssey. This tale sets in motion a reception of Circe that endures even now. This painting by Waterhouse is superb: her power so clear.

#AncientGreece #Myth @mythology

phistorians , 8 months ago to histodons

This beauty is one of the absolute gems at Herculaneum! So much so that the findspot is named after the two figures: the House of Neptune & Amphitrite.

The gorgeous gradations of blues sets this piece apart 💙

#MosaicMonday #AncientRome @histodons

phistorians , 8 months ago to mythology

#ClassicsTober23 15: Prometheus

A myth full of highs and abject lows. Humankind gets lucky when Prometheus creates them and also when he steals the divine fame to add a brand new spark to everyone’s day!

‘The Creation of Man by Prometheus’ by Heinrich von Füger (1790)

#AncientGreece #Myth #History @mythology