About halfway along today’s Via del Corso, once known as Via Lata, a large Roman arch used to span the street until the mid-17th century. Originally called the Arcus Hadriani, the arch was renamed Arco di Portogallo (Arch of Portugal) in the 16th century because it was located near the residence of the Portuguese ambassador, the… Continue reading The Hadrianic reliefs from the Arch of Portugal (Arco di Portogallo), Rome
As she talks, her lips breathe spring roses: I was Chloris, who am now called Flora. Ovid This week's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a marble statue of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and the spring season. While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses,… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble statue of Flora, goddess of flowers and the season of spring
From The Telegraph "Italian archaeologists have discovered a hidden tunnel beneath Hadrian’s Villa near Rome, part of a network of galleries and passageways that would have been used by slaves to discreetly service the sprawling imperial palace. The newly-found tunnel was large enough to have taken carts and wagons, which would have ferried food, fire… Continue reading Archaeologists discover hidden slave tunnel beneath Hadrian’s Villa
The temple dedicated to the Venus of Knidos is a small circular temple with doric columns situated in the Temple Valley at Hadrian's Villa. It belongs to the second building phase of the villa, between AD 125-134. The circular plan of the central structure, the use of the Doric order, and the discovery of a… Continue reading Picture of the day: The circular temple dedicated to the Venus of Knidos, Hadrian’s Villa (Tivoli, Italy)
