THE ROMAN WORLD INTRODUCTION
The roots of Roman civilization can be traced back to nearly 1000 BC, and it lasted in one form or another until 500 AD. During this time it spread from a small settlement in central Italy to an empire that encompassed most of Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of Africa and the Near East. Imperial rule, initiated by the emperor Augustus in the late first century BC, established a model for all subsequent world empires, and had a profound effect on the formation of our own constitution.
Some of the material on display here is from the Museum’s excavations at Minturnae, a Roman military outpost located 40 miles northwest of Naples along the famous Appian Way.
On the opposite side of the room is a large group of sculptures discovered in the 19th century in the Sanctuary of Diana at Lake Nemi, 12 miles southeast of Rome.
One corner of the gallery focuses on Roman attitudes toward death and the afterlife. This section includes objects from the entire Roman empire, including limestone reliefs from Palmyra in Syria, a lead coffin from Tyre in Lebanon, and a series of glass vessels from tombs at Beth Shean in Israel, which were excavated by the Museum in the late 1920s.
The roots of Roman civilization can be traced back to nearly 1000 BC, and it lasted in one form or another until 500 AD. During this time it spread from a small settlement in central Italy to an empire that encompassed most of Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of Africa and the Near East. Imperial rule, initiated by the emperor Augustus in the late first century BC, established a model for all subsequent world empires, and had a profound effect on the formation of our own constitution.
Some of the material on display here is from the Museum’s excavations at Minturnae, a Roman military outpost located 40 miles northwest of Naples along the famous Appian Way.
On the opposite side of the room is a large group of sculptures discovered in the 19th century in the Sanctuary of Diana at Lake Nemi, 12 miles southeast of Rome.
One corner of the gallery focuses on Roman attitudes toward death and the afterlife. This section includes objects from the entire Roman empire, including limestone reliefs from Palmyra in Syria, a lead coffin from Tyre in Lebanon, and a series of glass vessels from tombs at Beth Shean* in Israel, which were excavated by the Museum in the late 1920s.
Some of the material on display here is from the Museum’s excavations at Minturnae, a Roman military outpost located 40 miles northwest of Naples along the famous Appian Way.
On the opposite side of the room is a large group of sculptures discovered in the 19th century in the Sanctuary of Diana at Lake Nemi, 12 miles southeast of Rome.
One corner of the gallery focuses on Roman attitudes toward death and the afterlife. This section includes objects from the entire Roman empire, including limestone reliefs from Palmyra in Syria, a lead coffin from Tyre in Lebanon, and a series of glass vessels from tombs at Beth Shean* in Israel, which were excavated by the Museum in the late 1920s.
