Elisa

I have recently read the writings of Plotinus on happiness (On True Happiness, On Whether Happiness Increases with Time) from the first Ennead. I found the argument according to which true happiness resides in our intellect quite convincing, but the philosophy I fully embrace is Epicureanism in its original form (absence of pain, living a simple life, etc.). Plotinus is a neo-platonic philosopher so he should be at odds with Epicureanism, which criticised Platonism, but I find that the two are not completely incompatible.

The Museo delle Navi Romane di Nemi is such an amazing museum, I love it. I actually have pictures of the other two mosaics in the museum (also on Caligula's pleasure-boat) but the files are too big and I am unable to upload them. They look very similar to the one retrieved in NYC.

Io, Saturnalia!Merry Christmas!Buon Natale everyone 😊

The cyclopean masonry of Cori includes an external wall, for defense, and internal terracing, necessary to build on the steep terrain of the hill. The external defensive wall was built between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, at the time of the Volscan invasion.

I can't seem to be able to read the epigram (it says "page not found"), will look for it, thanks! What you wrote makes perfect sense, the interesting thing I remember reading though is that the presence of the Castra Praetoria actually drove some of the wealthy residents of the area away (apparently they didn't want to be too close to them!).

Wonderful, thank you!

Has anyone read this book? If so, what do you think? Many thanks in advance! I have recently re-read S.P.Q.R. and it is such a great book! There were things about the history of Ancient Rome that we took for granted, and she really showed that they are not as certain as we thought they were.

Absolutely, and the great thing is, that way they are preserved for posterity!I have quite a few pictures of spolia plastered on the walls of Roman Renaissance palaces, as well as roman sarcofagi being used as fountains!

Indeed! I'm planning a visit to the Domus Aurea in the spring and I'll be more than happy to post pictures!I'm looking forward to it as you can also experience a reconstruction of the Villa with augmented reality goggles. Sure, very interesting! As far as I know Alta Semita was indeed a wealthy residential area in Republican times, and also during the Imperial period. I am no archaeologist but I remember reading that the 3rd cohort of the Vigiles in ancient Rome was located roughly in today's Piazza dei Cinquecento, so not exactly where the Vigili del Fuoco's HQ is located today (Via Genova). They are actually a part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Castra Praetoria were located between the Viminal Hill and the Esquiline, and the Central Logistics Grouping of the Italian Army (Caserma "Castro Pretorio") is still there, so there is definitely some continuity with its ancient past! As far as Santa Pudenziana is concerned, I wonder if there are any archaeologists reading this who could help shed some light on its past. Apparently the thesis according to which the church had been built over a thermal complex is now being questioned, in favour of the original one claiming that the church had been built on the domus of senator Pudens.

I totally agree!!!I prefer their earlier albums too, but Matte Kudaisai is still one of my favourite songs I have to say I love Adrian's vocals on that track. Beautiful, thank you!I didn't know these guys at all and they've been making music since the 70s!

This is not exactly news as the so-called Archaeological Box on the Aventine Hill has opened its doors to visitors on the 7th of May (excavations on the site started in 2014), but not that many people seem to know about it so I'm posting this here. https://www.scatolaarcheologica.it/en/

The Church of Sant’Oliva in Cori was built in the 12th century on the ruins of a Roman temple. We don’t know much about the temple itself, except that it was built between the 3rd and the 1st century BCE and was probably dedicated to a female divinity. Two of the original columns have been incorporated into the building!

I hope to be able to see King Crimson live at some point (before they retire anyway!)

I recently visited the Museo delle Navi di Nemi again so that I could see the mosaic, here's a picture I took during my visit!

If you're ever in or around Rome I recommend you visit Cori! It is located 45 km southeast of Rome and was founded by the Latins (its ancient name is Cora). The city boasts two Roman temples, the Temple of Hercules (second half of the 1st century BCE) and the temple of Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri) also from the second half of the 1st century BCE. The archaeological museum is hosted in Cori's Augustinian convent, which includes a beautiful cloister. Here are a couple of pictures I took during my last visit to Cori a few weeks ago.

Hello everyone, First of all: Io, Saturnalia! ☺️ My name's Elisa and I am actually from Rome. I am a linguist but having been born and raised in Rome I developed an interest for Roman history very early on. I am eager to learn more about ancient Rome from all of you!