The myth of Arion of Methymna is narrated by some sources including the Histories of Herodotus. The young composer was the first to write dithyrambs, original forms of tragedy, and was not inferior to anyone in his time. After a long stay with Periander of Corinth, his desire was to reach Italy and ...

“At his sweet strains the rushing stream / Its uproar stilled, and all its waves / Paused in forgetfulness of flight; ... All winged creatures of the wood / And e’en the woods themselves came near / To listen; or, if far on high / Some bird was wheeling through the air, / To that sweet music swi...

The cubiculum, a Latin word, was the bedroom of the Roman house, usually small in the domus and larger in Roman villas. Used only for sleeping, the furniture was simple, composed of a bed, often single, the lectulo, used by spouses to sleep separately; only newly-weds used a double bed called the le...

Careful observation of the subjects represented in the floor mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale offers a precise decorative project that links the scenes that animate the various rooms. It is evident that the owner of the late antiquity residence wanted to illustrate not only the life and cultu...

The protagonists of the circus races were the chariots pulled by four horses and those who drove them, the charioteers. They were some of the most popular competitions in the Roman world and required careful preparation of the crews, clearly visible in the mosaic floor in the northern apse of the ha...

A biapsidal hall indicates a room that is generally rectangular in shape, used as a passage, waiting area or hallway. The hall is biapsidal because its two short sides end in an apse. In this case, the apse is covered by a segmental hemisphere that connects with the vault covering the hall....

The hall is a quadrangular room of greater importance than the room used in the domus for reception. Its solemnity is underlined by the presence of an apse, which expands the space, covered by a segmental hemisphere; sometimes there are columns that enhance the connection between the semi-dome of th...

Large space running lengthways, used as a passage and connection between the various rooms overlooking it. The corridor also takes on the role of a reception antechamber in private villas such as Casale, when it is located in front of the basilica. ...

Large space running lengthways, used as a passage and connection between the various rooms overlooking it. The corridor also takes on the role of a reception antechamber in private villas such as Casale, when it is located in front of the basilica....

The legend of the cyclops had various versions, even in antiquity. Homer classified them as giant wild beings dedicated to sheep farming, and Hesiod identified them as the Titans, sons of Uranus and Gaea. The most common tradition considers the cyclops to be giants, Vulcan’s assistants in the forg...