The Romans - Gallery 7: Literature

Mosaic of the epic and pastoral poet Virgil, flanked by Clio, muse of history, and Melpomene, muse of tragic and lyric poetry.(VRoma: Bardo Museum, Tunis: Barbara McManus)

(Mosaic from the Vestibule of Polyphemus, Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily: René Seindal)

Drawing of Roman writing implements, based on a wall painting at Pompeii: inkstand, pen, papyrus roll, wax tablets, stylus.( From Herman Bender, Rome und Römisches Leben in Altertum 1893: VRoma: Barbara McManus)

Private library, after the library at Villa Hadriana. The word library comes from liber. The first public library in Rome was founded by Asinius Pollio (76 BC - AD 4). (VRoma: EUR (Rome), Museum of Roman Civilization: Ann Raia)

Q. Sulpicius Maximus, who died at the age of 11, having won first prize in extemporaneous verse at the Capitoline Games in AD 95. (VRoma: Capitoline Museums, Rome: Barbara McManus)

Backstage theatrical scene with (left) two members of the chorus and flute-player, (below) tragic masks of a woman and old man, and (far right) of a man in his prime. (VRoma: House of the Tragic Poet, Pompeii: Barbara McManus)

This second-century or early first-century mosaic from Pompeii illustrates a scene from Menander's Ladies at Lunch, of which only a few lines survive. (VRoma: National Archaeological Museum, Naples: Barbara McManus)

Marble relief of theatre set design with three entrance doors. (VRoma: AICT)

Mosaic of comic masks of a young woman and a slave. (VRoma: Capitoline Museums, Rome: Barbara McManus)

Reconstruction of Roman theatre stage and marble flooring of orchestra. (VRoma: Lyon Museum: Paula Chabot)

The famous second- or first-century BC statue known as the Venus de Milo. (VRoma: Louvre, Paris: Barbara McManus)

Greek lyre player. (Illustration by John Pittaway from Picture Reference Ancient Greeks, Brockhampton Press 1974)

Modern bronze bust of Catullus, Sirmione. (VRoma: Susan Bonvallet)

Wall painting of brothel scene, Pompeii. (VRoma: Paula Chabot)

Thetis was a sea-nymph, such as is depicted in this floor mosaic from Ostia. (VRoma: Jeremy Walker)

Modern statue of Horace, Venosa (Venusia). (VRoma: Susan Bonvallet)

View of and from Horace’s Sabine farm. (VRoma: Susan Bonvallet

Gold aureus of Augustus, depicting a herald for the Saecular Games in 17 BC, holding the caduceus, his staff of office. (VRoma: British Museum: Barbara McManus)

“We all end up in the same boat. Sooner or later, having been shaken about in the urn, everybody’s number comes up, and sends us into everlasting exile” (Horace, Odes II, iii, 25 - 8). First-century AD silver drinking cup from the treasure of Boscoreale, near Pompeii, with convivial skeletons in relief. (VRoma: Louvre, Paris: Barbara McManus)

Painting in the Villa Carlotta, Lake Como, of Virgil reading from the Aeneid to Augustus, Livia, and Augustus’s sister Octavia. (VRoma: Barbara McManus)

First-century AD pastoral frieze with cattle, from the House of Livia, Prima Porta. (VRoma: Museo Massimo, Rome: Ann Raia)

The fine fourth-century AD mosaic pavement, found at Low Ham in Somerset, illustrates incidents from the first and fourth books of the Aeneid. Here, a naked Venus, goddess of love, presides over the meeting between Dido, queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, with Cupid, in the guise of Aeneas’s son Ascanius, between them. (VRoma: Somerset County Museums: Barbara McManus)

Venus stands between cupids with raised and lowered torches, signifying that Aeneas will live and Dido die. (VRoma: Somerset County Museums: Barbara McManus

Aeneas and the queen, with Ascanius, go hunting. (VRoma: Somerset County Museums: Barbara McManus)

Sheltering together from the storm engineered by Juno, Aeneas and Dido embrace. (VRoma: Somerset County Museums: Barbara McManus)

Statue of woman with a maiden, 50 - 40 BC. (VRoma: Museo Montemartini, Rome: Ann Raia)

Terracotta figurine (150 - 100 BC) of a young man and a reluctant woman on a couch. (VRoma: Louvre, Paris: Barbara McManus)

Late first-century BC bust of a woman resembling Augustus’s daughter Julia. (VRoma: Museo Montemartini, Rome: Ann Raia)

High relief of Europa and the bull, whose story appears in Book 2 of Metamorphoses. (VRoma: Vatican Museum: Lisanne Marshall)

The Colosseum as it is today. Martial’s first-known published work was a volume celebrating its opening in AD 80. (VRoma: Charles Olsen)

Petulant face of Domitian, flattered by Martial, ridiculed by Juvenal. (VRoma: Museo Montemartini: Ann Raia)

A Roman litter, carried by slaves. Juvenal was especially scathing of those who travelled by this means. (Dana C. Munro, A Source Book of Roman History 1904: VRoma: Barbara McManus)

First-century AD mosaic from Pompeii of a skeleton with two wine jugs, illustrating the Epicurean philosophy which Horace called “carpe diem” (enjoy today while you can). It seems that bronze miniature jointed skeletons were handed out as gifts at dinner-parties. At Trimalchio’s they were, of course, made of silver! (VRoma: National Archaeological Museum, Naples: Barbara McManus)

Sorcery! First- to third-century Roman lead curse tablet, hinged and fastened, which was found in a pot with bones. It contains more than twelve names. The curse itself is scratched on the surface with the words written backwards to give it more power. (VRoma: British Museum: Barbara McManus)

(VRoma: Cleveland Museum of Art: Susan Bonvallet)

First-century AD wall painting from the Temple of Isis in Pompeii depicts a statue of Harpocrates (son of Isis) in a niche, with a priest with two silver candle holders. (VRoma: National Archaeological Museum, Naples: Barbara McManus)

Silver denarius of Julius Caesar, 49 - 44 BC, depicting two female captives beneath a military trophy. (VRoma: National Museums, Rome: Barbara McManus)

Painting by Gaspare Landi (1690 - 1743) of Veturia pleading with her son Coriolanus, with his wife and children behind her, to spare Rome in 491 BC. This is one of the many legends which Livy graphically recreates. (VRoma: Pitti Palace, Florence: Barbara McManus)

Gold aureus of Tiberius AD 14 - 37. (VRoma: British Museum: Barbara McManus).

Sardonyx cameo of Claudius AD 41 - 50). (VRoma: British Museum: Barbara McManus).

Gold coin with head of Nero AD 54 - 68. (VRoma: National Museums, Rome: Barbara McManus).

Bust of Sabina, wife of Hadrian; it appears that in AD 122 Suetonius was dismissed from his imperial post for showing her disrespect. (Capitoline Museums, Rome: René Seindal)

Stoa (roofed colonnade) in Athens, late third century BC, a place of meeting. To the right a philosopher addresses his disciples. The Stoics, founded by Zeno (c. 333 - 262 BC), were so called because members met in a stoa. (From Helen and Richard Leacroft, The Buildings of Ancient Greece, Brockhampton Press 1966)

Statue of Melpomene, muse of tragedy, with tragic mask. (VRoma: Vatican Museum, Rome: Lisanne Marshall)

The universe according to Ptolemy, second-century AD astronomer and geographer, perpetuating the theory of Aristotle (384 - 324 BC) that the earth was at the centre of the universe. Pliny’s writings reflect the sphericist view of the earth propounded by Eratosthenes (c. 276 - c. 196 BC). (From Picture Reference Ancient Greeks, Brockhampton Press 1974)

Pliny’s capacity for research was phenomenal. In book 20 of his Natural History, on “medicines derived from plants”, he lists 1606 drugs and cites the works of 52 writers as sources. Environmental garden murals from a Primaporte courtyard of 30-20 BC. (VRoma: Fiesole Museum: Barbara McManus)

Aureus of Brutus, c. 43 BC, depicts his head surrounded by a laurel wreath, with the inscription: BRVTVS IMP[ERATOR], “Brutus, victorious commander”. (VRoma: British Museum: Barbara McManus)

A Roman takes down a roll from its place in a library. (From Sir John Edwin Sandys (ed.), A Companion to Latin Studies, Cambridge University Press 1913)

View of the ruins of Herculaneum, 60 feet below the modern town of Ercolano, with Vesuvius behind. (VRoma: Barbara McManus)