Images

A Roman hairpin made from bone, second half of the 4th century CE. One of the two busts at the head has broken off. The inscription reads 'Petronia Florian(u)s'. (Palazzo Massimo, Rome)

Roman gold pendants depicting various emperors. The far left pendant shows Hadrian (119-132 CE), the central shows Severus Alexander (222-235 CE), and the right example shows Gallienus as Mars (253-268 CE). (Palazzo Massimo, Rome)

Roman gold and saphire rings, second half of the 2nd century CE. The ring on the right has a garnet centre stone. From an unidentified marble sarcophagus in Rome. (Palazzo Massimo, Rome)

A Roman gold and saphire necklace, 2nd half of the 2nd century CE. From an unidentified marble sarcophagus in Rome. (Palazzo Massimo, Rome)

A marble representation of Orestes and Electra, the children of Agamemnon from Greek mythology. They stand before the tomb of their father and are in mourning as indicated by the postures and short hair of Electra. A stele behind Orestes...

A Roman mosaic depicting Orestes and Iphigenia. The mosaic was the emblemata (centrepiece) of a larger floor mosaic. From the Horti Maccenatiani, 2-3rd century CE. (Capitoline Museums, Rome)

A marble bust of Roman emeperor Valens, r. 364-378 CE. (Capitoline Museums, Rome)

A marble bust of Roman emperor Gordian I who reigned in 238 CE. (Capitoline Museums, Rome)

A marble bust of Clodius Albinus (150-197 CE) who, on the death of Pertinax in 193 CE, was declared Roman emperor by the legions in Britain and Hispania. (Capitoline Museums, Rome)

A marble herm bust of the Greek 4th century BCE orator Bias of Priene. Considered one of the seven sages his famous motto was 'Most men are bad'. Roman copy of the Hadrian period from a Greek original. (Vatican Museums, Rome)