Rome’s Colosseum reveals secret history of women
Rome’s Colosseum reveals secret history of women.
The Colosseum in Rome held a special tour to mark Women’s Day on Thursday, exploring the famous monument’s feminine angle — from female gladiators to noblewomen in love with the arena fighters.
‘From senators’ wives to humbler women, many were crazy about gladiators. They were like footballers today,’ said Lucilla Rossi, a tour guide.
She said the problem was that stories about the liaisons between Roman women and gladiators were all contained in chronicles written by men.
Read the rest of the article at Rome’s Colosseum reveals secret history of women – Khaleej Times Online
Photo by Jimmy Walker
Secret Letters Reveal Threats to Roman Catholic Church Over Henry VIII’s Marriage
Secret files reveal Henry VIII’s ‘extreme’ threats over marriage
ENGLISH nobles threatened “extreme remedies” against the Roman Catholic Church unless the Pope annulled Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, a letter contained in an exhibition of historic documents from the Vatican secret archives revealed yesterday.
The 3ft-wide parchment letter, complete with 81 wax seals and red silk ribbons, was one of the highlights of the exhibition, which chronicles more than 1,200 years of the Vatican’s dealings with kings and conquerors.
Read more of the article at Secret files reveal Henry VIII’s ‘extreme’ threats over marriage – World News – Independent.ie.
Story by Nick Squires
Ancient war heroes’ tomb reopens to public in Rome
The Scipio family is one of the most famous families of Ancient Rome. The family tomb, which was built in the 3rd century BC is now opened to the public after twenty years of restoration. Around the first century AD the tomb was abandoned and was not discovered until 1641. The most famous Scipio, Scipio Africanus, who defeated Hannibal in the Second Punic War, is not entombed in the family crypt. The Vancouver Sun reports on the opening.
The Roman tomb of the Scipioni, a family of war heroes and generals, the most famous being Scipio Africanus, who
beat Hannibal, is set to open to the public again after twenty years of restoration.
The family’s sarcophagi are spread out along a series of underground tunnels dug out of a hill of volcanic tuff near the Baths of Caracalla on the outskirts of the eternal city, which criss-cross a site 11 metres across.
The tomb, which originally lay under a temple, was built at the beginning of the third century A.D [should be BC] by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbato, whose elegant sarcophagus holds pride of place at the end of the central gallery.
Read the rest of the article at Ancient war heroes’ tomb reopens to public in Rome.
Romulus and Remus symbol of Rome could be medieval replica
Many people are familiar with the legend of the founding of Rome by brothers Romulus and Remus. The legend goes that the brothers were born to Rhea Silvia, daughter of Numitor, the King of Alba Longa (located south-east of Rome) and either the God Mars or demi-god Hercules. After their birth, Romulus and Remus were left to die by their Uncle, Amulius, however, they were rescued by a she-wolf and after conflict between the brothers, Romulus founded the city of Rome. The image of Romulus and Remus suckling on the she-wolf has been a symbol of Rome since the very beginning. The bronze statue of the she-wolf has been the manifestation on that symbol for centuries. The statue is located in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, where they contend that it was forged in the 5th century BC. However, many scholars believe that it was in fact not cast until the 13th Century AD. Nick Squires reports on the speculation of the dating of the Capitoline Wolf for the Telegraph.
The bronze statue, which encapsulates the mythical origins of the Eternal City, is one of the star attractions in Rome’s Capitoline Museums and is reproduced on countless T-shirts, key rings and postcards.
It has always been claimed that it was forged in the fifth century BC during the Etruscan era, which predated the Roman republic and empire.
Five years ago it was subjected to carbon dating testing, which suggested that it may have been made during the Middle Ages.
But curators said the tests were inconclusive and the museum continued to insist that the wolf was an Etruscan creation dating back two-and-a-half millennia.
But the controversy was reignited yesterday, with scholars saying that in all probability it dates from the 13th century, amid suspicions that the museum disregarded the original carbon dating tests in order to preserve the potency and romance of Rome’s most abiding symbol.
Read the rest of the article at Romulus and Remus symbol of Rome could be medieval replica – Telegraph.
Discovery of world’s earliest Christian engravings reveals religion’s ties to Paganism
It’s hard to believe a stone inscription would take 50 years to translate, but a team of researchers have finally pieced together the information that allowed them to make the translation. Gregory Snyder translated the inscription as ‘To my bath, the brothers of the bridal chamber carry the torches, [here] in our halls, they hunger for the [true] banquets, even while praising the Father and glorifying the Son. There [with the Father and the Son] is the only spring and source of truth.’ Gavin Allen of the Daily Mail reports on Snyder’s findings.
The discovery of the world’s earliest Christian engraving has thrown light on the life of a pagan sect and its relationship with the more orthodox religion.
Researchers at the Capitaline Museums in Rome believe they have finally translated and dated NCE 156, an inscription carved into stone in Greek.
It is now believed the stone, housed at the Capitaline, dates from the latter half of the second century when the Roman Empire was in its pomp but pagan teachings seemingly mingled with the Christian doctrine.
Gregory Snyder, a study researcher based at the Davidson College in North Carolina, revealed details of his work in the latest edition of the Journal of Early Christian Studies.
‘If it is in fact a second-century inscription, as I think it probably is, it is about the earliest Christian material object that we possess,’ Snyder told LiveScience.
Snyder’s research caps 50 years of work by a clutch of experts, who between them have sourced, dated and translated the ancient verse, which he believes to be a funeral epigram.
The mysterious inscription was initially published in an Italian archaeological journal in 1953 by Luigi Moretti.
Read the rest of the article at Discovery of world’s earliest Christian engravings reveals religion’s ties to Paganism | Mail Online.
Photo by Chris Rivait
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