Italic and Roman goddess, protector of forests and wild animals, and of nature in general. Similar attributes can be found in Eastern deities including the Greek Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of the god Apollo. In keeping with her role, she is also invoked to help hunters. ...

The amphitheatre is a typical building of Roman public architecture, constructed in circular or elliptical brickwork with various steps built upwards. The meaning of the name corresponds to a circular space, around the central arena, intended for the audience of spectators. Because of its structure ...

Originally, the umbone (boss) was an iron relief plate placed, by ancient peoples and the Romans, in the central part of the shield. It had both a defensive function, to deflect enemy arrows and spearheads, and an offensive function, as it was also used to drive back and strike opponents. There are ...

Painting technique used to apply colour, normally composed of natural earth or mineral pigments, on a plaster base before it is dry. This way, the colour, applied “a fresco” (when wet), is absorbed by the plaster, which incorporates the pigments as it hardens and fixes them onto a strong and co...

In the classical age, the kantharos was a terracotta vase used as a wine pitcher in banquets. It has the shape of a deep cup standing on a tall base with two handles higher than the opening. It was an attribute of the god Dionysus and follows his ritual. In Roman times the predominant vessel was th...

Protome means the representation of the front, including the head and neck, of an animal or man, though the latter is not seen as often. The significance of the depicted subject is thoroughly expressed by the artist, using only the front part of the body. The considerable number of animal protomes ...

One of the three orders of classical architecture, catalogued and passed on by Vitruvius. The architectural order is a group of rules that characterises every building. There are three main orders: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, to which the Composite order was later added. The architectural orders d...

The Roman baths had a succession of rooms for the care and well-being of the body. Once past the entrance atrium, you could access the changing rooms, the apodyteria, which sometimes had stone benches leaning against the walls. In the late antiquity residence of the Villa del Casale, different roo...

The salutatio indicates the act of greeting and, by extension, visiting or offering a gift In its simplest meaning, it represents the morning greeting that the dominus or pater familias received from the clientes. The latter generally represented all people of lower rank who exercised a form of rev...

Adventus, which means “arrival”, specifically indicates an imperial visit to a city. It was a solemn event, governed by a precise ceremonial code for all citizens, who would express their assent to the emperor and encounter a sense of their collective identity. In the microcosm of the late anti...