Rambling Readers

The Partial Historians

Marble head of an athlete ~ c. 138–192 CE

Although we don’t have this youth’s body, their identification as an athlete is suggested by the fillet, an adornment associated with athletic victory. This Roman statue is a reimagining of a Greek statue from the C5th BCE.

But just revel in the curls! There’s a beautiful lush texture to them. The artistry on display is phenomenal.

🏛 The Met

#AncientRome #AncientGreece #History

Description from the museum: “This head of a youth wearing a fillet (band) must have belonged to the statue of a victorious athlete. He probably rested one arm lightly on his head; the remains of a rectangular support can still be seen among his curls. Roman copies often conformed to contemporary taste, and the contrast between polished flesh and deeply drilled hair on this head would have held special appeal for clients in the second century A.D.”

The Partial Historians

Marble of an athlete in the act of scraping oil ~ C1st CE

This sculpture is Roman but it is thought to emulate the work of Lysippos of Sikyon who flourished c. 370–315 BCE. The finely defined physique places the athlete in the realm of heroes.

🏛 The Getty

#AncientRome #AncientGreece #History

Front view of the sculpture. Description from the museum: “An over-life-size statue missing both arms just below the shoulder, as well as the lower parts of each leg. The remains of marble struts are preserved in the center of the chest and along the lower right ribs. The figure’s elongated body and soft facial features displays the proportions and style developed by the Greek sculptor Lysippos of Sikyon (active about 370–315 B.C.). According to Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer of the first century A.D., Lysippos made “the heads of his figures smaller… and the bodies slenderer and leaner, to give his statues the appearance of great height.” This fragmentary figure is in the pose of an athlete scraping oil from his back after a competition.”

Three quarters rear of the same sculpture with the spine and bottom clearly defined. The sculpture is missing one leg from the thigh and the other from below the knee.

Erotic Mythology 🌹

This short #nonfiction article about #Easter was the first article on my Patreon. Now you can read it on my own website 🙂

https://eroticmythology.com/ancient-culture-today-the-ancient-origins-of-easter/

@antiquidons
#ancientGreece #mythology

The Partial Historians

The Kritonios Crown ~ C4th BCE.

This beautifully intricate crown embodies a variety of flora including oak, myrtle, ivy, and rose culminating in several figures including a winged goddess.

📍The tomb of Kritonios, Armento
🏛Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich

#AncientRome #AncientGreece #History

The crown is made of gold with an intricate design of a twig of oaks with intertwined patterns variety plants including narcissus, ivy, roses and myrtle. Topped by a winged goddess.

The Partial Historians

Wandering the oceans vast are the dolphins who must be resisted for they have pointy teeth and seem to be looking for trouble.

📍House of the Dolphins, Delos

#MosaicMonday #AncientGreece #History

Two evil-looking dolphins, one being ridden by Eros form the border motif between a circular border and a square border of a larger mosaic.

The Partial Historians

Greek armband ~ C3rd–C2nd BCE

Show-stopping doesn’t begin to capture just how gorgeous this Hellenistic armband is. Gold flowers complement garnets, emeralds, and enamel decoration. Bonus: ward off the evil eye with a Herakles knot!

🏛 The Met
#AncientGreece #History

Description from the museum: “The Herakles knot on this sumptuous armband is enriched with floral decoration and inlaid with garnets, emeralds, and enamel. According to the Roman writer Pliny, the decorative device of the Herakles knot could cure wounds, and its popularity in Hellenistic jewelry suggests that it was thought to have the power to avert evil.”

Erotic Mythology 🌹

#WordWeavers 14 March: What role does ethnicity play in your world?

My works are set in (mythical) #ancientGreece for the most part, so I try to reflect ancient attitudes on ethnicity. Three of my stories are set in Asgard, with the Greek gods Hermes and Dionysos visiting the Norse gods. It was fun showcasing their differences and common ground.

For thos interested, the first part of the "Adventures in Asgard" is free to read here:
https://eroticmythology.com/free-short-story-hermes-dionysos/

The Partial Historians

#PhallusThursday

Achilles tends to the wounded Patroclus on the tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix. But look closely for more details!

📸 Bibi Saint-Pol

#AncientGreece #History @AimeeMaroux

Achilles tends to the wounded Patroclus on the tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix. Achilles is keeling to bind a wound on Patroclus’ left arm. Patroclus is sitting and his genitalia is visible.

Flavia Frisone 🎓 Greek History

🗣️ A new tale of Greek colonisation

🌊 SICILY GRECE/MAGNA GRAECIA: how to tell the story of a seminal relationship, that built the #AncientMediterranean giving shape to our cultural imaginary. An exhibition of extraordinary artefacts from various #museums of #Sicily, southern Italy and from Athens at the Salinas Archaeological #Museum of Palermo
#Exhibition curated by F. Frisone,
C. Greco

@antiquidons
#ancientgreece @archaeodons @AimeeMaroux @phistorians #GreekHistory #archaeology #storiagreca

Erotic Mythology 🌹

It's #InternationalWomensDay and the #vulva is still a taboo. The vulva is regarded as ugly and something to be ashamed of and talking about it is considered obscene and vulgar. In #ancientGreece and #ancientRome, exposure of the vulva (#Anasyrma) was considered an act that could avert evil, just like the phallus charms.
Labia are rarely found in ancient #GreekRomanArt but were they omitted or erased?

#FannyFriday @antiquidons

See alt text for more info.

Roman marble scultpure of Aphrodite with a smooth mons veneris.

Clay votive offering of a vulva depicting a hairless pubic triangle with a clear slit.

The Partial Historians

Bronze portrait of a Greek goddess ~ c. 300-270 BCE

This wonderfully detailed portrait suggests an idealised form of a goddess, often thought to be Artemis or Aphrodite, as both were connected with wavy and loosely bound hair.

Even so, the identity of the portrait is not secure, and other candidates include Arsinoë II, who was queen of Egypt in the 270s, but of the Ptolemy line which may explain the Greek style.

#AncientGreece #AncientEgypt #History

🏛️ MFA Boston, 96.712

Description from the Museum: "On iconographic grounds, this life-size female head has been considered a portrait of the Ptolemaic queen Arsinoe II (316-270 B.C.) or an image of a goddess, such as Artemis or Aphrodite. The wavy hair is parted in the center and encircled twice by a fillet (ribbon). Long, thin eyebrows frame heavy eyelids, long nose, and full lips. The eyes, now missing, would have been inserted into the hollow sockets; the lips were coated in another metal. Condition: Irregular break along the base of the face. Crack along the chin, which was reattached. Two cracks along the left cheek. Large gashes on the top of the head and large dent along the right side of the forehead. Green patina."

The Partial Historians

This pebble mosaic is just one of the many found in a house in Eretria, Greece, since dubbed ‘The House of the Mosaics’, which dates to the C4th BCE. The subject is a Nereid seemingly armed for combat riding a seahorse.

#AncientGreece #History #MosaicMonday

A Nereid sits side saddle on a seahorse while holding a spear and shield. The border is a series of waves.

The Partial Historians

When in doubt about things, you can reach greater insights by setting up an ithyphallic Herm near an altar. Just take this pelike as instructive!

#PhallusThursday #AncientGreece #History

Description from the Museum of Fine Art, Boston: “Side A: Man setting up an ithyphallic herm of Hermes, bearded, long haired with band around hair. In front of the herm, a low altar, and over it suspended, a votive tablet.”

The Partial Historians

Achilles' weapons after his death ~ c. 490 BCE

Here we see the son of Achilles, Neoptolemos, receiving his father’s weapons from Odysseus. The artist Duris, has signed this piece, so too the potter, Python.

🏛 Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

#AncientGreece #History

Description from the museum (translated): “A popular motif for vase painters since Archaic times has been the dispute over the weapons of the slain Achilles. The images on the outside and inside of this magnificent bowl form a unit. The first scene on the outside shows the argument: In the middle, Agamemnon stands behind the weapons lying on the ground. On the left Aias with his sword drawn, on the right Odysseus in a defensive position. In the voting scene (on the other hand), Athena dominates the center of the picture; in front of her is the base on which the warriors place their voting stones. On the left, Odysseus, who raises his hands joyfully at the sight of the many stones on his side; on the right Aias, who turns away sadly. The interior picture shows the end of the dispute: Neoptolemos, the son of Achilles, receives from Odysseus his father's weapons, which were created by the blacksmith god Hephaestus.”

Carsten

#Introduction

I'm just a guy with a lot of hobbies - #brewing, growing stuff, making #vinegar, collecting #AncientCoins, #photography, #boardgames, #ComputerGames, and much more.

I need a new hobby like I need a new hole in the head, but I am also powerless to resist when a new hobby strikes. Such is life.

I work as a #TechnicalWriter at a Danish software company. I have three clever and independent children who shout at me a lot, and a wife who doesn't. We live a happy normie-life in suburbia.

Back in the before-times I studied #linguistics at #AarhusUniversity. I think about #AncientRome and #AncientGreece probably every hour or so.