We are enjoying this glorious column with its festoon of grain and fruit this#FrescoFriday! This fresco fragment is from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale.
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Made for the Baths of Caracalla, the Farnese Hercules is larger than life marble sculpture and is our pick for #PhallusThursday. It is thought to be based on a Greek bronze sculpture by Lysippos or someone close to him created in the fourth century BCE.
The Farnese Hercules is very muscular, a sign of his heroic strength and can be easily identified by the objects around him. He leans on his club, a common symbol connected with Hercules. This identity is reinforced by the skin of the Nemean lion which is draped over the club. He also holds the apples of the Hesperides behind his back. One of his labours required him to steal these apples.
When the sculpture was rediscovered in 1546 it soon became part of the Farnese family collection until it was moved to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli in the eighteenth century.
Aphrodite of Aphrodisias
The cult image of Aphrodite of Aphrodisias is packed with gorgeous details and is our pick for #ReliefWednesday on account of the relief decoration along her body that reflect different aspects of her divinity including: the Three Graces, Selene and Helios, Aphrodite as a sea-goat with Tritons, and three winged Erotes.
Down with the king!
Rome’s birthday can only mean one thing, Romulus and Remus are on everyone’s mind. Tired of thinking about the Roman empire? We’ve got your back, take a change of scene with the Roman regal period. A time of myth and legend (as they’d say in the opening of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), and a time of remarkable tales of Rome’s earliest history according to them!
Check out the link in our bio for where you can pick up a copy of our foray into Rome’s early history: “Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome” 
Happy Birthday, Rome! It’s a long time since the founding of the city, but we pay our reverence always to the greatest She-wolf who ever lived and the fantastic mosaic she inspired!
May your days be filled with ripe figs and all such delicious delights! This #FrescoFriday we celebrate this very tempting bowl of figs that was part of a fresco from the Villa of Poppaea in Oplontis.
The Villa Poppaea was preserved in the aftermath of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. Oplontis was very close and just to the north-west of Pompeii. Finds from the site suggest the villa may have been connected with Nero’s wife Poppaea Sabina. If so, this may explain the exceptional frescoes and mosaics discovered there.
Brand New Episode - The Fall of Veii: Part III
After ‘ten’ years of noble resistance, the Etruscan city of Veii has fallen to the Romans. This major moment in Rome’s history not only prompts a triumph but unleashes some unexpected consequences… Tune in for all the details!
#AncientRome #RomanRepublic #Podcast
https://partialhistorians.com/2025/04/17/episode-160-the-fall-of-veii-part-three/
The relief panels from the Sebasteion in Aphrodisias are incredible on their own but seeing them in context truly strengthens their impact. The central panel here shows Aeneas carrying his father away from Troy.
In the photo below, which of us is Rome and which is Veii? In other news, our third and final episode on the events of 396 BCE is out later this week
A fishy mosaic? Well, marine life was a popular subject for ancient Roman mosaics! This beauty depicts a range of different fish as well as shellfish (perhaps a lovely northern hemispherite can identify them).
You've seen it photographed a million times. But that's still not enough. Here's one more 
#Colosseum #Rome #Italy #AncientRome #RomanEmpire #AncientArchitecture #History #Travel #Europe #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #Landmark #TravelPhotography #HistoricalSite #ItalianHistory #photography
#Colosseum #Rome #Italy #AncientRome #RomanEmpire #AncientArchitecture #History #Travel #Europe #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #Landmark #TravelPhotography #HistoricalSite #ItalianHistory #photography
Perseus’ rescue of Andromeda is complicated by his murder of Medusa. Here Andromeda appears in a yellow gown and Perseus is clearly identifiable from his winged boots and the head of Medusa…
On sale for $2.99 : I am John I am Paul: A Story of Two Soldiers in Ancient Rome
On Amazon.
#Italy #Rome #historicalfiction #theEternalCity #bookish #love #TravelItaly #MustRead #AncientRome #authortube #bookbloggers #Fiction
#bookstodon
Herakles saves Prometheus from his horrific punishment for giving the gift of fire to humankind in this relief from the Sebasteion in Aphrodisias. Herakles has shot the eagle sent each day to gnaw on Prometheus’ liver and seeks to undo Prometheus’ manacles.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on our book, ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’. Available now for your ancient Roman pleasure!
For #MosaicMonday we travel to Herculaneum and the gorgeous fresco that gives its name to the location: the House of Neptune and Amphitrite. The divinities pose while elegantly draped in light blue cloth while surrounded by stunning patterns.
Gathering flowers to add your cornucopia is clearly the very best way to enjoy a spring day. This fresco fragment is often identified as Flora and was found in the Villa of Ariadne in Stabiae. Now held in the MAN Napoli.
While the chill of autumn is in the air over in the Antipodes, we long for the spring of our neighbours in the northern realms.
In a bit of #history.
> Why the Romans Stopped Reading Books https://www.openculture.com/2025/04/why-the-romans-stopped-reading-books.html
Open CultureWhy the Romans Stopped Reading BooksNobody reads books anymore. Whether or not that notion strikes you as true, you've probably heard it expressed fairly often in recent decades — just as you might have had you lived in the Roman Empire of late antiquity.
Brand New Episode - Gladiator II with Professor Martin M. Winkler
We were honoured to discuss Gladiator II with Professor Winkler whose work on Rome on screen spans over thirty years. Tune in for all the details!
