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Tag Archives: Rome
A Walk in the Imperial Fora
For the first time since it opened, I took the walk on the new pathway through the imperial fora in Rome. From the Roman Forum you can go past the curia (where, at the moment, a portion of the Magna … Continue reading
The Sarcophagus of the Muses from Isola Sacra: Manuscripts and Readers
I’ve written before about the reopening of the museum at Ostia Antica in 2024. One of my favorite displays there involves material from what is now known as Tomb E 200 from Isola Sacra–an interesting sarcophagus with equally interesting contents. … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeological context, desks, Ostia
Tagged archaeology, art-history, history, Ostia, papyrus, Roman history, Rome
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Tiny Inscriptions: The Capitoline Tabula Iliaca
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about miniaturization in the ancient Roman world, especially as it applies to books. For instance, according to Pliny the Elder, “Cicero records that a parchment copy of Homer’s poem The Iliad was enclosed in a nutshell” … Continue reading
Posted in Capitoline Museum, Cologne Mani Codex, Inscriptions
Tagged history, homer, iliad, miniatures, Rome, tabula-iliaca, tabulae-iliacae
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A Relief from Ostia Showing Writers at Desks
The museum at the archaeological park at Ostia Antica has reopened after many years of closure for renovations. The results are quite impressive, and I hope to have a chance to post some reflections about the museum itself soon, but … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeological context, Codices, desks, Ostia, Tablets
Tagged archaeology, Book History, books, copyists, desks, history, Ostia, Ostia Antica, Rome, scribes, tables, technology
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A Figurine of Venus Found in an Ancient Synagogue
The ancient synagogue in Rome’s port city of Ostia was uncovered by accident in the early 1960s during the construction of a highway between Rome and the newly built international airport in Fiumicino. The discovery of a Roman-era synagogue was … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeological context, Judaism, Ostia, Synagogues
Tagged ancient-judaism, archaeology, diaspora-judaism, history, Ostia, Ostia synagogue, Roman religion, Rome, Second temple Judaism, synagogue
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Variant Readings 