r/ancientrome

fat was one of the most important food sources, especially salted and preserved pork fat. It was eaten by spreading it on bread or by boiling it, and it provided the necessary calories. It was also ideal for quick nourishment on the battlefield or in enemy territory. Other common foods included bread made from grains and olive oil. Fat was essential.

Legions near the Mediterranean also consumed plenty of green lentils, but for someone stationed on the German frontier or in the middle of Gaul, such foods were a luxury.

The villa had been reconstructed with a small museum explaining the background. Like many limes-frontier villae in raetia it was destroyed during the attack in 233.

It seems the local museum was not interested or already hat too many. Do you think they are real? It seemed almost too good to be true.

A Roman carnelian gemstone with an engraving of Asclepius and Hygeia (male and female deities of health). There is an inscription that looks like it has the Greek letters HEIOΛ although the museum’s description didn’t mention it. This dates to 60-50 BC, was set into a modern gold ring and is on display in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.

Ring 1

* Bronze with oval carnelian intaglio
* 1st–3rd century AD (approximately 1,700–2,000 years old)
* Stylized intaglio depicting a bird or insect motif

Ring 2

* Bronze with oval carnelian intaglio
* 1st–3rd century AD (approximately 1,700–2,000 years old)
* Carnelian intaglio depicting Serapis

Both rings were used as personal seals to stamp wax on documents and goods.

It’s incredible to think these everyday objects were worn by Romans nearly 2,000 years ago.

A Roman bronze statuette of Jupiter (the chief Roman deity) that dates to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD, was found locally and is on display in the National Museum of History and Art of Luxembourg.

Exceptionally preserved Roman marble sarcophagus, commissioned for a wealthy Roman aristocrat. The sarcophagus features 40 human and animal figures carved in high relief on the front and sides. The central figure is Dionysos riding a panther. He is flanked by the four Seasons, uniquely depicted as sturdy young men rather than the traditional female personifications.

Archaeological Park of the Thermal Baths. Baiae, Italy

The Roman ruins of Ostia is close to the Rome Fiumicino airport, and I was able to take this picture right before landing. That ancient river port city on the Tiber, near Rome, is an excellent place to explore for a day.