Current:Home > MyAntiquities plucked from storeroom on Roman Forum display, including colored dice and burial offerings-InfoLens
Antiquities plucked from storeroom on Roman Forum display, including colored dice and burial offerings
View Date:2024-12-23 15:53:48
Hundreds of remnants of ancient Roman life — including colored dice, rain gutter decorations depicting mythological figures, and burial offerings 3,000 years old — have long been hidden from public sight. Until now.
For the next few months, a limited number of visitors to the Roman Forum, Colosseum or Palatine Hill can view a tantalizing display of ancient statuettes, urns, even the remarkably well-preserved skeleton of a man who lived in the 10th-century B.C. All the exhibits have been plucked from storerooms in the heart of the Italian capital.
Indeed, so many artifacts are kept in storerooms that "you could open 100 museums," said Fulvio Coletti, an archaeologist with the Colosseum archaeological park. On Wednesday, Coletti stood at the entrance to a "taberna," a cavernous space which had served commercial purposes in ancient Roman times and belonged to the palace complex of the 1st-century Emperor Tiberius.
Three such "tabernae" now double as exhibition rooms for once-hidden antiquities. To give an idea of just how many more artifacts are still not on display, curators stacked enormous see-through plastic tubs, chockful of discoveries from some 2,000 years ago and bearing minimalist labels like "Ancient Well B Area of Vesta," a reference to the temple in the Forum erected to the goddess of the hearth.
One display holds row after row of ancient colored dice — 351 in all — that in the 6th century B.C. were tossed into wells as part of rituals. Also in the exhibit is a decoration from a temple rain-gutter depicting a bearded Silenus, a mythological creature associated with Dionysus, the wine god.
Some artifacts are displayed in showcases custom-made by archaeologist Giacomo Boni, whose excavations in the first years of the 20th century revealed dozens of tombs, including many of children. Some of the tombs dated from as far back as the 10 century B.C., centuries before the construction of the Roman Forum, the center of the city's political and commercial life, when the city's inhabitants dwelt in a swampy expanse near the River Tiber.
In one display case is the largely intact skeleton of a man who was a good 1.6 meters tall (about 5-foot-4 inches), on the taller side for his time, in the 10th century B.C. He was buried with some kind of belt, whose bronze clasp survived. Found in his tomb and on display are a scattering of grains, remnants of funeral rites. Layers of mud, formed in Rome's early days, helped preserve the remains.
The director of the Colosseum's Archaeological Park said staff were working to make an inventory of artifacts kept in more than 100 storerooms, whose contents up to now have been accessible to academics but few others.
"We want in some way to make objects come to light that otherwise would be invisible to the great public,'' Alfonsina Russo, the director, told The Associated Press.
"We're talking of objects that tell a story, not a big story, but a daily story, a story of daily life,'' Russo said.
Every Friday through July, visitors can admire the antiquities pulled out of the storerooms during 90-minute guided tours. The "tabernae" are small exhibition spaces, so only eight visitors can enter during each tour. Reservations are required, and visitors must buy an entrance ticket to the archaeological park. Park officials indicated they hope the initiative can be extended or renewed.
- In:
- Rome
- Museums
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Apologetic rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine gets 45 days in prison for probation violations
- 10-million-pound meat recall affects hundreds of products at Walmart, Target, Publix and more
- The movement to legalize psychedelics comes with high hopes, and even higher costs
- Liam Gallagher reacts to 'SNL' Oasis skit: 'Are they meant to be comedians'
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul VIP fight package costs a whopping $2M. Here's who bought it.
- Zoe Saldaña: Spielberg 'restored my faith' in big movies after 'Pirates of the Caribbean'
- Cavaliers break ground on new state-of-the-art training facility scheduled to open in 2027
- 2 men arrested in utility ruse that led to the killing of a Detroit-area man
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- How Taylor Swift Is Kicking Off The Last Leg of Eras Tour
Ranking
- How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
- United States men's national soccer team vs. Mexico: How to watch Tuesday's friendly
- Jamie Foxx feels 'pure joy' as he returns to stage following health scare
- Adam Levine Crashes Wife Behati Prinsloo’s Workout Ahead of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
- Megan Fox Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby With Machine Gun Kelly
- 'He was the driver': Behind $162 million lefty Carlos Rodón, Yankees capture ALCS Game 1
- Florida government finds fault with abortion ballot measure over ads and petitions
- The return of 'Panda diplomacy': National Zoo eagerly awaits giant panda arrival
Recommendation
-
Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
-
Bill Belichick has harsh words for Jets owner Woody Johnson during 'Monday Night Football'
-
Mike Tyson will 'embarrass' Jake Paul, says Muhammad Ali's grandson Nico Ali Walsh
-
What to know about shaken baby syndrome as a Texas man could be first in US executed over it
-
The Fate of Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager's Today Fourth Hour Revealed
-
Lowriding is more than just cars. It’s about family and culture for US Latinos
-
Permits put on hold for planned pipeline to fuel a new Tennessee natural gas power plant
-
I went to this bougie medical resort. A shocking test result spiked my health anxiety.