Cape of Sounion, with its famous temple dedicated to the god Poseidon, is one of the most beautiful natural areas of Attica and one of the most impressive archaeological sites in Greece. In ancient times it was called Sounias Akra (edge) and was connected with the legends of Athens and the Aegean. Cape Sounion is… Continue reading Photoset: The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Greece
Category: Mythology
Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble statue of Flora, goddess of flowers and the season of spring
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
Roman mosaics from Lusitania (Portugal)
Among the most impressive Roman remains that can be seen today in Portugal are the large, prosperous farms and luxurious villas built in the countryside by the elite. The villas were splendidly decorated with mosaics, frescoes, and sculptures. Some of the mosaics, still in situ or exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Lisbon, are often very… Continue reading Roman mosaics from Lusitania (Portugal)
Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble statue of a crouching Venus
This week's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a marble statue of Venus, the goddess of love, crouching at her bath. The statue is modelled after the Crouching Aphrodite type, attributed to the 3rd-century BC sculptor Doidalsas of Bithynia. Venus crouches with her right knee close to the ground, turns her head to the right and,… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble statue of a crouching Venus
Monsters and mythical creatures invade Rome (photos)
The Roman National Museum at Palazzo Massimo is hosting a superb and original exhibition called “Mostri, creature fantastiche della paura e del mito” (Monsters, fantastic creatures of fear and myth). The show brings together over 100 works from 40 museums depicting fantastical creatures, all in a series of dark passages intended to resemble the Minotaur’s… Continue reading Monsters and mythical creatures invade Rome (photos)