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# nick        = twitter-optimoprincipi
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# updated_at  = 2022-01-20T20:33:17Z
#
2020-07-10T10:24:48Z	**1) A stranger than fiction Roman ring mystery thread**
1) A stranger than fiction Roman ring mystery thread: this enigmatic Roman gold ring was found in a ploughed field near Silchester in 1785. The square bezel has a portrait of the pagan goddess Venus, inscribed backwards SUNEV for use as a signet ring by the owner. Curiously...

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcjtATXXsAAb987.jpg)](https://t.co/Ls0QcDVNzq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1281534833320222721)
2021-10-15T18:11:14Z	**On his birthday**
On his birthday, take a road trip with Virgil across Roman Italy👇 🧳 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449075410084446208)
2021-10-14T18:34:33Z	**The spectacular gold diadem of Princess Meda**
The spectacular gold diadem of Princess Meda, wife of Alexander the Great's father, Philip II. When Philip died in 336 BC, Meda committed suicide so that she could accompany Philip to the afterlife - her gold myrtle diadem was found in Philip's tomb in Vergina, Greece in 1977.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FBrh85LXEAIcE-5.jpg)](https://t.co/BwPtx6911g) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1448718887760039938)
2021-10-14T15:44:34Z	**Make sure to visit some of Jordan’s incredible ancient sites @RealChalamet**
Make sure to visit some of Jordan’s incredible ancient sites [@RealChalamet](https://twitter.com/RealChalamet) [https://t.co/UCzvC6Z8Gv](https://twitter.com/optimoprincipi/status/1373284542711263236?s=21) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1448676110670213123)
2021-10-17T15:27:12Z	**Very geeky and involved Roman coin posts inbound if anyone is interested**
Very geeky and involved Roman coin posts inbound if anyone is interested?

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6T8ZGWUAkcvCD.jpg)](https://t.co/v4vVmUoBZB) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449758902346727433)
2021-10-17T16:56:05Z	**1) New coin**
1) New coin: Though I only recently added an excellent example of Publius Satrienus’ she-wolf denarius minted around 77 BC, I was drawn back to the series when I was able to acquire another intriguing example that offers a rare insight into the processes of the Roman mint..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6oSm7XoAIIu4A.jpg)](https://t.co/bWKuejwqNe) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449781273803825160)
2021-10-17T17:03:19Z	**3) As with many other Republican issues**
3) As with many other Republican issues, the coin type is notable for its use of 'control marks', numbers or symbols designating the precise dies used to strike obverse and reverse, possibly as a means of quality control or a systematic method to keep track of large coin issues..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6qBW3WQAc2RjW.jpg)](https://t.co/3e99OoV0nd) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449783092437192706)
2021-10-17T16:59:41Z	**2) Having explored the imagery of the type in my previous blog post**
2) Having explored the imagery of the type in my previous blog post, I won’t pause to re-examine its depiction of the famed she-wolf here. Do read my recent post here for an in-depth look at Rome's fierce but nurturing matriarch: [https://t.co/7ym7ytfWHH](https://www.harneycoins.com/post/publius-satrienus-and-the-she-wolf-mother-of-rome) ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449782177424621572)
2021-10-17T17:13:12Z	**5) My last Satrienus denarius was struck with the 34th obverse die of what we know were around 105 created for the issue**
5) My last Satrienus denarius was struck with the 34th obverse die of what we know were around 105 created for the issue. Below it is shown with a surviving example from the first numbered die, labelled simply “I”, which you would be forgiven for assuming was the first die made.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6sQZlWEAIiEyd.jpg)](https://t.co/uaqNxrT9Kd) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449785581496586253)
2021-10-17T17:11:40Z	**4) Control marks can provide evidence towards intriguing questions**
4) Control marks can provide evidence towards intriguing questions: How many coins were struck within a series? How long did coin dies last? Did obverse or reverse die wear out more rapidly? How many engravers were employed at the mint and how much artistic variation was allowed?

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6r22BWUAIJiqC.png)](https://t.co/efCqLtp9lz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449785192961429504)
2021-10-17T17:17:17Z	**7) The denarius then**
7) The denarius then, while enjoyable for its artistry and symbolism in its own right, may be seen as evidence of Roman mint workers following a production process that involved 'master' copies, examples of which might even have been made available to subsequent engravers?

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6tM9bXoAEtDmb.jpg)](https://t.co/ZtX4DAk86Z) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449786608375541767)
2021-10-17T17:15:35Z	**6) My new coin is a fascinating rarity**
6) My new coin is a fascinating rarity: one of about 10 surviving examples with no numerical control mark and one of the finer condition specimens. The lack of any numeral and its fine style suggest this obverse die may be the 'master' or prototype engraving for the series..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6syIcXIAcWia5.jpg)](https://t.co/7rUeXGXxhY) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449786181277962241)
2021-10-17T17:22:43Z	**9) Please visit my blog post on the new coin for a more detailed exploration of its background and significance**
9) Please visit my blog post on the new coin for a more detailed exploration of its background and significance. (3 mins reading) [https://t.co/gNmphs3rAl](https://www.harneycoins.com/post/another-publius-satrienus-denarius-insight-into-the-roman-mint) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449787975445983235)
2021-10-17T17:20:29Z	**8) It is even tempting to imagine engravers working from a large-scale artwork for each coin issue**
8) It is even tempting to imagine engravers working from a large-scale artwork for each coin issue, displayed in the engraving room for the men to use as their model, though this is just imaginative conjecture!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6tyfSXoAQ7nE4.jpg)](https://t.co/iRUsi00I4F) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449787413249863682)
2021-10-17T17:31:39Z	**10) A couple of final views of the denarius in hand - since with modern photography it is easy to forget that these intricate designs**
10) A couple of final views of the denarius in hand - since with modern photography it is easy to forget that these intricate designs, engraved by hand and eye with simple tools over two millennia ago, are only millimetres across!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6wZSPWEAo_nRr.jpg)](https://t.co/KAxI9HKLEu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449790223366377472)
2021-10-17T18:48:33Z	**Hellenistic gold diadem with elaborate floral motifs in gold wirework and granulation**
Hellenistic gold diadem with elaborate floral motifs in gold wirework and granulation, inset with a precious stone in the form of Medusa the Gorgon. Found in the vicinity of modern Ukraine, kept in Ukraine's Platar collection.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FB6_-9OXsAIMKN3.jpg)](https://t.co/ap0zJXNoUk) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449809577063632902)
2021-10-17T19:07:23Z	**Explore this denarius and my other Roman coins in my galleries here**
Explore this denarius and my other Roman coins in my galleries here: [https://t.co/k0JRX92J6m](https://www.harneycoins.com/republican?pgid=kb3tu085-3e176978-196c-4405-bd2d-ba6459f22072) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1449814316279115787)
2021-10-19T16:40:51Z	**A truly spectacular book 👇🏛**
A truly spectacular book 👇🏛 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1450502215861424131)
2021-10-19T17:07:43Z	**Ancient gold swivel ring with finely carved rock-crystal scarab**
Ancient gold swivel ring with finely carved rock-crystal scarab. The scarab beetle was a protective symbol associated with vitality and rebirth. The gem can be rotated to also reveal an engraved snake, a symbol of fertility and good health. c.500 BC

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCE7CdWXMAILPmG.jpg)](https://t.co/uM2qhz0Yhe) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1450508976957927429)
2021-10-20T18:44:46Z	**Greco-Scythian gold bracelet**
Greco-Scythian gold bracelet, a masterclass in ancient gold embossing, filigree and granulation - fastened with interlocking protomes of Sphinxes. Found during excavations in 1830 in the Kul-Oba royal barrow located near Kerch in eastern Crimea. c.400 BC, Hermitage Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCKaJ0nWEAwqDrY.jpg)](https://t.co/6czBOJMQm3) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1450895786007478277)
2021-10-21T18:05:17Z	**Roman gold ring with a carnelian intaglio gem depicting a scorpion**
Roman gold ring with a carnelian intaglio gem depicting a scorpion. The scorpion was the emblem of the Praetorian Guard, the Roman emperor's personal elite unit. It is not inconceivable that this ring might have been worn by a praetorian. 1st-3rd century AD

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCPcAsPWEAIzhZ9.jpg)](https://t.co/ZzazdvxzqI) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1451248238992953345)
2021-10-24T16:31:25Z	**Currently exploring ancient Malta and Gozo**
Currently exploring ancient Malta and Gozo. 🇲🇹

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCel2UpWEAwGzh6.jpg)](https://t.co/jXgJzO9mn4) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1452311778369605632)
2021-10-25T16:13:27Z	**Salt pans (salina) at Xwejni Bay**
Salt pans (salina) at Xwejni Bay, Gozo, the earliest of which date to Roman times. Salt pans have been hand-carved into the limestone rock here for 2000 years - filled with seawater to be evaporated by the sun, leaving behind crystalline salt to be collected and sold.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCjrSE4XoAIfE-M.jpg)](https://t.co/tx9b381Sz9) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1452669646029611018)
2021-10-26T16:33:18Z	**A choppy pilgrimage to Fort Ricasoli at the entrance to Valletta’s Grand Harbour**
A choppy pilgrimage to Fort Ricasoli at the entrance to Valletta’s Grand Harbour, where Gladiator was filmed in the spring of 1999. [@russellcrowe](https://twitter.com/russellcrowe)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1453036719314513920/pu/img/6RWYEefH5dgkBR3W.jpg)](https://t.co/KoCwycTbFd) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453037028011122689)
2021-10-26T17:49:47Z	**Sailing round Fort Ricasoli where all the Rome and Colosseum portions of ‘Gladiator’ were filmed in the spring of 1999**
Sailing round Fort Ricasoli where all the Rome and Colosseum portions of ‘Gladiator’ were filmed in the spring of 1999. [@russellcrowe](https://twitter.com/russellcrowe)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCpK-DDWUAMufSX.jpg)](https://t.co/6ZTpAYFUFK) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453056276745887753)
2021-10-27T16:17:49Z	**Raised a glass to Oliver Reed at “The Pub” in Valletta**
Raised a glass to Oliver Reed at “The Pub” in Valletta, Malta. On 2 May 1999, during production of ‘Gladiator’ in which he played Proximo, Reed collapsed and died in the bar after drinking eight pints of lager, twelve double rums and half a bottle of whiskey.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCt_fuGWQAk8stA.jpg)](https://t.co/GUaDIli8OP) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453395519645048844)
2021-10-27T16:25:17Z	**link**
[https://t.co/voElweB7vz](https://twitter.com/optimoprincipi/status/1256225991770476545) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453397397703479303)
2021-10-27T16:23:22Z	**link**
[https://t.co/8fUqsjqZiO](https://twitter.com/optimoprincipi/status/1256343423596015616) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453396916511838212)
2021-10-28T07:29:25Z	**Suit of armour**
Suit of armour, shield and horse chanfron of Malta’s Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1601), likely made by the Milanese armourer Geronimo Spacini. Valletta Palace Armoury

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCxQIxpXsAM8IJD.jpg)](https://t.co/hKL7JaETF2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453624932894654465)
2021-10-28T10:48:40Z	**The ‘Batavia’ set sail on her doomed maiden voyage on this day in 1628**
The ‘Batavia’ set sail on her doomed maiden voyage on this day in 1628, with a spectacular Roman treasure in its cargo. Read the almost-unbelievable story here ☠️ ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453675074641399818)
2021-10-28T10:53:31Z	**The ‘Batavia’ set sail on her doomed maiden voyage on this day in 1628**
The ‘Batavia’ set sail on her doomed maiden voyage on this day in 1628, with a spectacular Roman treasure in her cargo. Read the almost-unbelievable story here ☠️ ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453676296568020993)
2021-10-28T11:23:31Z	**Read the full unrolled thread here**
Read the full unrolled thread here: [https://t.co/DkiPqp98as](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1379365137862291456.html) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453683844587139072)
2021-10-28T14:48:58Z	**An official portrait of Alof de Wignacourt wearing this parade armour**
An official portrait of Alof de Wignacourt wearing this parade armour, early 17th century.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCy0xXEUYBIEH6A.jpg)](https://t.co/TqYlVQ0wpo) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453735547508117517)
2021-10-29T06:45:18Z	**Full story**
Full story: [https://t.co/n6tnJ5UCUc](https://news.sky.com/story/amp/hs2-roman-statues-found-by-archaeologists-at-abandoned-buckinghamshire-church-while-digging-high-speed-railway-route-12453408) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453976216864706561)
2021-10-29T06:44:34Z	**Portrait of a Roman woman discovered during HS2 excavations at St Mary’s Church**
Portrait of a Roman woman discovered during HS2 excavations at St Mary’s Church, Stoke Mandeville - along with other statues of a man and child. Incredible find from Roman Britain!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FC2Pfd4WQAAHJ5h.jpg)](https://t.co/UNK9fHAGMU) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1453976034525782017)
2021-10-31T12:08:05Z	**Roman marble column base**
Roman marble column base, hollowed out and reused as a wellhead in the early 16th century Gran Castello house, Citadel of Victoria, Gozo.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDBrq2aWUAAEwUX.jpg)](https://t.co/FeMi27aIjB) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454782225808072706)
2021-10-31T13:11:42Z	**Wonderfully creepy Roman theatrical masks; fresco details from the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill**
Wonderfully creepy Roman theatrical masks; fresco details from the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill, Rome [#Halloween](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Halloween) 🎃

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDB6fCEXsAAqyFr.png)](https://t.co/gsU0P5J8eW) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454798234577260544)
2021-10-31T14:29:07Z	**Large Roman glass funerary urn (olla)**
Large Roman glass funerary urn (olla), still holding the cremated remains of the deceased. Found in 1800 during excavations on Vajrinġa street, Gozo. The find spot formed part of the necropolis of Roman Gaulos (modern Gozo). 1st-2nd century AD, Gozo Museum of Archaeology

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDCJGcUXMAIvK3g.jpg)](https://t.co/wm0N4PAOyJ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454817717958201344)
2021-10-31T14:51:38Z	**Such “dolls” are thought to have been intended to bind the body and mind of a love interest; pins stabbed into body parts would block love rivals entering a woman’s heart**
Such “dolls” are thought to have been intended to bind the body and mind of a love interest; pins stabbed into body parts would block love rivals entering a woman’s heart, mind, ears, lips, etc. [#halloween2021](https://twitter.com/hashtag/halloween2021)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDCSGHLWYAMEeF2.jpg)](https://t.c ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454823382109855746)
2021-10-31T14:49:47Z	**A sinister Roman "voodoo doll"**
A sinister Roman "voodoo doll", showing a nude female bound and stabbed with 13 pins. Despite the disturbing appearance of the effigy it was found with a lead curse tablet carrying a binding love spell, 2nd-3rd century, Louvre Museum [#halloween2021](https://twitter.com/hashtag/halloween2021)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDCRZNaXsAIaXvr.jpg)](https://t.co/1FFSUqpou3) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454822916567314435)
2021-10-31T18:11:49Z	**1) Enjoyed this moment of classical reception in #Dune**
1) Enjoyed this moment of classical reception in [#Dune](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dune), as Paul and Leto walk through the Atreides graveyard on Caladan - with tombs seemingly inspired by ancient Lycian sarcophagi of the 4th-5th century BC.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDC9JGNWUAAXlmH.jpg)](https://t.co/fDV4HMb7rs) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454873761782669312)
2021-10-31T18:18:35Z	**1) Enjoyed this moment of classical reception in #Dune**
1) Enjoyed this moment of classical reception in [#Dune](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dune), as Paul and Leto walk through the Atreides graveyard on Caladan - with tombs seemingly inspired by ancient Lycian sarcophagi of the 4th-5th century BC.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDDBWmBX0AAnub4.jpg)](https://t.co/teKrZndiwI) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454875462791008264)
2021-10-31T18:20:48Z	**2) Sarcophagi of ancient Lycia in southern Anatolia**
2) Sarcophagi of ancient Lycia in southern Anatolia, with their distinctive ogival arches - here examples from Fethiye and Sidyma.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDDB8XNX0AAPE65.jpg)](https://t.co/YnmlJhzokj) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1454876019899437059)
2021-11-01T20:05:59Z	**2) Livia**
2) Livia, famed and long-lived wife of Augustus. Interestingly, the inscription identifies her as 'Ceres Julia Augusta', revealing that Livia is being presented in the guise of the maternal goddess of agriculture, the grain harvest and fertility.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDIjn6RWEAocgfL.jpg)](https://t.co/o2A4numOA0) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455264878709649413)
2021-11-01T20:03:10Z	**1) Roman marble statue of a draped female figure**
1) Roman marble statue of a draped female figure, no less beautiful despite missing head and arms. The woman wears a chiton buttoned up on the shoulders and over it, the heavier himation or mantle. Thanks to the surviving statue base she can be identified as none other than..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDIi---X0AQ9j9Z.jpg)](https://t.co/o3YSZGcId1) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455264169775747078)
2021-11-01T20:08:47Z	**3) In her own 87-year lifetime**
3) In her own 87-year lifetime, Livia was regularly equated with maternal goddesses of the Roman state, especially on imperial coinage - including Pax (Peace), Salus (Health), Justitia (Justice) and on a later coin from the reign of Claudius, Ceres.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDIkCVsXIAENYE6.jpg)](https://t.co/joYStEJ2UB) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455265582748733442)
2021-11-01T20:12:12Z	**4) Livia is further named as mother of the present emperor Tiberius**
4) Livia is further named as mother of the present emperor Tiberius, which seems to date the statue between 14-37 AD. It was dedicated at the citadel of Gozo (Roman Gaulos) by Lutatia, a priestess of the imperial cult and her husband, the priest Marcus Livius Optatus.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDIk0U7XsAIjbiI.jpg)](https://t.co/dlmURvWrsz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455266445798125579)
2021-11-01T20:20:32Z	**5) Incredibly**
5) Incredibly, the statue appears to have been found in-situ at the entrance to the Cittadella (citadel of Victoria on the island of Gozo, Malta) during rebuilding of the fortifications in the 16th century - seen still in place in this painting by Jean-Pierre Houël c.1776.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDIlZiQX0AQTdsU.jpg)](https://t.co/HwiOioVjEE) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455268542748704776)
2021-11-01T20:24:23Z	**6) Details of the wonderful sculpting of Livia's robes**
6) Details of the wonderful sculpting of Livia's robes.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDIneoAX0AMqbrc.jpg)](https://t.co/8LbJmcktWb) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455269511695937540)
2021-11-01T20:32:46Z	**7) The exquisite statue and its surviving base can be enjoyed at the Gozo Museum of Archaeology**
7) The exquisite statue and its surviving base can be enjoyed at the Gozo Museum of Archaeology, Malta.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDIo9WUWUAcXoBC.jpg)](https://t.co/aPHKxWkMc2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455271618461282304)
2021-11-02T20:10:32Z	**1/2) The Sleeping Lady of Malta**
1/2) The Sleeping Lady of Malta, a masterpiece of Neolithic art: this clay figurine dating to around 3300 BC was discovered in the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum and shows a woman in a sleeping position, naked from the waist upwards, perhaps representing death or eternal sleep..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDNrOb3X0Ac99Pe.jpg)](https://t.co/liPP2LVmdH) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455628412236836872)
2021-11-02T20:13:46Z	**2/2) Her legs are covered in a lightly decorated skirt giving the impression of embroidery**
2/2) Her legs are covered in a lightly decorated skirt giving the impression of embroidery. In a delightful touch, the couch on which the Sleeping Lady is lying seems to be sagging under her weight. Visit the Sleeping Lady at the National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta, Malta

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDNu9_NWYAkUco1.jpg)](https://t.co/VsbbjK06Da) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455629224505712645)
2021-11-03T19:57:19Z	**'The Venus of Malta'**
'The Venus of Malta', a clay statuette of a nude female with her left hand on her abdomen and her right hand on her thigh - a pose characteristic of the many 'fertility goddesses' found in Malta's megalithic temples. From the Ħaġar Qim temple, c.3500 BC. Valletta Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDSwzTjXEAQndI9.jpg)](https://t.co/Esi4bSUJ4b) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1455987473356673029)
2021-11-05T18:08:24Z	**What if the Gunpowder Plot had succeeded**
What if the Gunpowder Plot had succeeded? In 2005 a team built a full-size replica of the Parliament building which they destroyed with 1,000kg of gunpowder (the plotters had likely stored around 2,500kg). They concluded no one within 100m of the blast could have survived

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1456682394568826884/pu/img/nuccu-tC0-8fMCWd.jpg)](https://t.co/0CFScivDzS) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1456684842326925312)
2021-11-05T19:09:56Z	**Guy Fawkes' signatures before and after two days of torture**
Guy Fawkes' signatures before and after two days of torture. King James I conceded the plotter had “a Roman resolution". [#GunpowderPlot](https://twitter.com/hashtag/GunpowderPlot)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDc9OSEWUAM0Z_a.jpg)](https://t.co/p7t8HquMMM) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1456700324136300544)
2021-11-05T22:33:09Z	**“**
“..I saye they shall receive a terrible blow this parleament and yet they shall not seie who hurts them.” ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1456751465427619848)
2021-11-06T14:02:52Z	**I missed Russell by just a few days**
I missed Russell by just a few days! 😞 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1456985439290675204)
2021-11-06T16:18:39Z	**Another free visit to Aquae Sulis**
Another free visit to Aquae Sulis, thanks to my [@romanarchaeouk](https://twitter.com/romanarchaeouk) membership. Join up!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDhfmS1XMAoovlE.jpg)](https://t.co/CZip92kKpr) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457019607949135874)
2021-11-06T16:35:12Z	**Maximus returns to the Colosseum**
Maximus returns to the Colosseum! (Fort Ricasoli, Malta) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457023773077655554)
2021-11-06T16:36:53Z	**🤯 Maximus comes home**
🤯 Maximus comes home!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDhjyJmWQAETeCW.jpg)](https://t.co/8MTvpdbqBq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457024196245168134)
2021-11-06T23:22:17Z	**Roman gilded bronze head of the goddess Sulis-Minerva**
Roman gilded bronze head of the goddess Sulis-Minerva, discovered at Bath in 1727. The head is probably from the original cult statue of the goddess which stood within her temple beside the sacred spring of Aquae Sulis.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDjAjbOWUAsoIhV.jpg)](https://t.co/k4rDWvXiPz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457126217581268994)
2021-11-07T10:56:53Z	**Good morning from the Royal Crescent**
Good morning from the Royal Crescent.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDlfgm-XoAEDNoj.jpg)](https://t.co/LDsoQ4S4kV) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457301022326542336)
2021-11-07T11:29:17Z	**Number 1**
Number 1, Royal Crescent.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDlm8-mXIAAcgwh.jpg)](https://t.co/KamqnIevpG) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457309175227224068)
2021-11-07T15:13:47Z	**Glorious view over Aquae Sulis today (Bath**
Glorious view over Aquae Sulis today (Bath,Somerset)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDmaWBKX0AUm41x.jpg)](https://t.co/L25ti5uZDk) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457365671617208323)
2021-11-07T15:43:32Z	**Recommend the brand new Toppings bookshop in Bath**
Recommend the brand new Toppings bookshop in Bath! 📚

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDmhJ0jXMAIgTi9.jpg)](https://t.co/rfMM6n1Wk3) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457373159070515212)
2021-11-07T20:03:17Z	**Great to see the newly opened remnants of the gymnasium in the Roman baths of Aquae Sulis (Bath**
Great to see the newly opened remnants of the gymnasium in the Roman baths of Aquae Sulis (Bath, Somerset)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDnclCsXsAExB6V.jpg)](https://t.co/0JomynnFT4) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457438526727991303)
2021-11-07T20:28:19Z	**“In Britain there are hot springs adorned with sumptuous splendour for the use of mortals and their patron goddess is Minerva**
“In Britain there are hot springs adorned with sumptuous splendour for the use of mortals and their patron goddess is Minerva.”

\- Solinus (3rd century AD)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDniVSwXoA0t435.jpg)](https://t.co/dgvT2aYEUE) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457444828657106950)
2021-11-08T16:22:40Z	**A rare fragment of a marble inscription from Roman Britain**
A rare fragment of a marble inscription from Roman Britain, from a dedication to the goddess Sulis-Minerva at her baths at Aquae Sulis (Bath, Somerset) - set up by a 1st century man whose full name seems to be Tiberius Claudius Sollemnis.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDrztJDXoAU6IJl.jpg)](https://t.co/2alSgP9sUy) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457745396109910024)
2021-11-08T19:39:03Z	**The gravestone of Gaius Calpurnius Receptus**
The gravestone of Gaius Calpurnius Receptus, priest in charge of the Temple of Sulis-Minerva in the Roman spa town of Aquae Sulis (Bath, Somerset). The memorial to the 75 year old, shaped like an altar to reflect his role, was placed by his wife and freedwoman, Calpurnia Trifosa.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDsgof5aUAEcmxR.jpg)](https://t.co/quIGjgqJwl) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457794818386513923)
2021-11-08T20:23:11Z	**Roman pipeclay figurine of a puppy or lapdog wearing a collar and bell**
Roman pipeclay figurine of a puppy or lapdog wearing a collar and bell. Found in the baths of Aquae Sulis in 1989, its white clay came from the Allier region in central France. Dogs were associated with hunting and healing and this may represent a talisman of good luck or health.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDsnCg3VQAMM8Nr.jpg)](https://t.co/Bw5zApvHk4) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1457805922374402059)
2021-11-09T17:20:45Z	**The Sanctuary of Ta' Pinu with its external mosaics depicting the Passion - here Jesus is arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate**
The Sanctuary of Ta' Pinu with its external mosaics depicting the Passion - here Jesus is arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of the province of Judaea. Gozo

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDxKkJ4X0AMiBzf.jpg)](https://t.co/D6Ns8fFs6R) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458122400739078148)
2021-11-09T17:36:43Z	**Mosaic from Roman Cyprus showing a dog (perhaps a Cretan hound) that has caught a partridge**
Mosaic from Roman Cyprus showing a dog (perhaps a Cretan hound) that has caught a partridge. Above in Greek it states 'ΦΗΡΙΑ ΚΑΛΗ' = good hunting! 4th century AD, Cyprus Archaeological Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDxOO3fXEAMrPvx.jpg)](https://t.co/uXiHp9Kxn6) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458126417489760256)
2021-11-09T20:09:05Z	**A Cretan hound for comparison**
A Cretan hound for comparison:

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDxxHpIX0AQU0CV.jpg)](https://t.co/5UT4fzY1dn) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458164761892462600)
2021-11-09T21:45:33Z	**“I bought a book on the Romans to read in prison**
“I bought a book on the Romans to read in prison..” ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458189039442530317)
2021-11-09T22:02:55Z	**Suetonius**
Suetonius, Life of Nero, 28

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDyLLMzWYAcJQ9K.jpg)](https://t.co/RDraY7uN3j) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458193408116379653)
2021-11-10T18:18:28Z	**The back garden from where on 13 March 1781 composer and astronomer William Herschel discovered a seventh planet in our Solar System**
The back garden from where on 13 March 1781 composer and astronomer William Herschel discovered a seventh planet in our Solar System. Given the chance to christen his new planet, Herschel named it George. Surprisingly the name did not stick and the planet was soon renamed Uranus.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FD2hYDzXEAQh_ji.jpg)](https://t.co/e9hRCTXPvz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458499313064161282)
2021-11-10T18:30:05Z	**Herschel’s house**
Herschel’s house, now the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street, Bath [https://t.co/Lqrw0I3mwz](https://herschelmuseum.org.uk/) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458502235634155531)
2021-11-11T11:00:03Z	**The absurdity of war distilled into one of the most devastating single minutes of poetry you will ever hear**
The absurdity of war distilled into one of the most devastating single minutes of poetry you will ever hear.

..and this performance. Sean Bean just \*gets\* every word.

[#RemembranceDay](https://twitter.com/hashtag/RemembranceDay)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1458525423290179589/pu/img/JWrlTTi2EQfXdOBW.jpg)](https://t.co/lP48OHtx5s) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458751368735473668)
2021-11-11T20:40:19Z	**Roman lead pipes still in situ around the Great Bath of the natural springs of ancient Aquae Sulis (modern Bath**
Roman lead pipes still in situ around the Great Bath of the natural springs of ancient Aquae Sulis (modern Bath, Somerset). Lead pipes were used to carry the hot spa water, which rises from the sacred spring at a temperature of 46°C, around the bathing complex.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FD8LbMNX0AAJan5.jpg)](https://t.co/JyoqsFiAf5) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1458897399754203142)
2021-11-12T16:49:35Z	**In July 1551 the Maltese island of Gozo was attacked by a huge Ottoman fleet of 145 vessels**
In July 1551 the Maltese island of Gozo was attacked by a huge Ottoman fleet of 145 vessels. The ENTIRE population of around 6,000 Gozitans were taken into slavery and sold at slave markets in North Africa. (1551 Monument, Citadel of Gozo)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEAgNiiXIAMfFeJ.jpg)](https://t.co/wH5KGzk9it) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459201719464865799)
2021-11-13T11:19:00Z	**'Fat Lady' statuette from Malta's Ħaġar Qim temple c**
'Fat Lady' statuette from Malta's Ħaġar Qim temple c.3500 BC. One of many such rotund figures found at Malta's megalithic sites, these Fat Ladies have puzzled archaeologists; almost none are found with heads and while often labelled 'fertility goddesses', many appear to be male.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEDLna-XwAQmgre.jpg)](https://t.co/rqsgPoJdv2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459480913536970754)
2021-11-13T11:33:31Z	**'Fat Lady' statuette from Malta's Ħaġar Qim temple c**
'Fat Lady' statuette from Malta's Ħaġar Qim temple c.3500 BC. One of many such rotund figures found at Malta's megalithic sites, these Fat Ladies have puzzled archaeologists; almost none are found with heads and while often labelled 'fertility goddesses', many appear to be male.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEEhZ-KXIAcxCow.jpg)](https://t.co/rPKwHsDvGM) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459484569418227713)
2021-11-13T13:27:59Z	**4) Two bombs deflected off the great dome**
4) Two bombs deflected off the great dome, but a third struck more directly. The 500kg German high-explosive demolition bomb smashed through the dome above the packed congregation..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE7pS6XEAMJO13.jpg)](https://t.co/wSPfiV3xIq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459513375537479683)
2021-11-13T13:26:32Z	**3) Luftwaffe bombers returning from a raid on the nearby airfield of RAF Ta Kali**
3) Luftwaffe bombers returning from a raid on the nearby airfield of RAF Ta Kali, looked for targets on which to drop their excess bombs. At 16:40pm, as they passed directly over the great Mosta Dome, the Luftwaffe jettisoned their remaining payload...

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE7UcdXEAUYjfh.jpg)](https://t.co/wi5AzMtuGu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459513007646687237)
2021-11-13T13:25:11Z	**2) In the town of Mosta**
2) In the town of Mosta, in the Northern Region of Malta, over 300 of the town's devout Catholic inhabitants gathered defiantly for evening mass in the Rotunda of Mosta, under the spectacular dome modelled on Rome's Pantheon. Meanwhile, in the skies above..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE7Al2X0AIYxiQ.jpg)](https://t.co/n7oj8UbfE0) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459512670055538691)
2021-11-13T13:24:08Z	**1) During World War II**
1) During World War II, Malta was the most bombed place on earth, with more bombs dropped on the small island in two months of 1941 than on London during the whole war. When air raids were imminent, many took refuge in churches, praying for deliverance. As on 9th April 1942..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE6thGWYAAekfy.jpg)](https://t.co/umtuQsinGv) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459512403373273101)
2021-11-13T13:32:52Z	**6) With the church safely evacuated**
6) With the church safely evacuated, the bomb needed to be defused. Not knowing if its fuse was in fact a delayed-action time bomb or an anti-handling booby trap, the live bomb was courageously deactivated by Royal Engineers Officers Lt. Thomas Blackwell and Lt. George Carroll.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE8xSaXoAMuZbh.jpg)](https://t.co/h1O3EZBo6i) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459514601473773569)
2021-11-13T13:31:32Z	**5) After piercing the dome's coffers**
5) After piercing the dome's coffers, the bomb hit the face of Jesus on the rotunda's frescoes painted by Giuseppe Cali. Deflecting off the face of Jesus it smashed into the floor of the church ..and failed to detonate. None of the stunned parishioners in the church were injured.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE8eGPWUA0pwA7.jpg)](https://t.co/LPGouIPsi7) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459514266587963395)
2021-11-13T13:36:28Z	**8) Today the unpainted coffers of the Mosta dome and restored face of Jesus on Giuseppe Cali's wall paintings**
8) Today the unpainted coffers of the Mosta dome and restored face of Jesus on Giuseppe Cali's wall paintings, serve as reminders to the 'miracle bomb' of 9 April 1942. {END}

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE9iqcXoAQpYw2.jpg)](https://t.co/jMbgZYGulI) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459515511016988677)
2021-11-13T13:34:26Z	**7) The Mosta bomb was disposed of in the sea off Malta's west coast but one of the same type is today displayed in the church's sacristy**
7) The Mosta bomb was disposed of in the sea off Malta's west coast but one of the same type is today displayed in the church's sacristy, under the words Il-Miraklu tal-Bomba, 9 ta' April 1942 ("The Bomb Miracle, 9 April 1942").

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEE9Gd-WYAUK9AN.jpg)](https://t.co/gtCLx38lpC) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459514997516738565)
2021-11-13T17:28:04Z	**Experimenting with some new numismatic photography techniques today and thrilled with the detail I'm now achieving**
Experimenting with some new numismatic photography techniques today and thrilled with the detail I'm now achieving. Here's a taster, stay tuned! 👀📷

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEFyW-pXsAI_59F.jpg)](https://t.co/v66MrIXnFJ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459573793798733827)
2021-11-13T17:31:29Z	***This silver denarius is just 17mm across***
\*This silver denarius is just 17mm across\* ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459574653937197060)
2021-11-13T18:55:44Z	**Maximus**
Maximus: You were a gladiator?

Proximo: Yes I was…

\\* So begins the greatest imaginary prequel movie ever, with young Oliver Reed playing the rookie gladiator Proximo, as he learns to “win the crowd” and eventually wins his freedom from the emperor Marcus Aurelius! \*

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEGGsV7WYAQZcYd.jpg)](https://t.co/Ra2IRuXofx) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459595854294274049)
2021-11-13T19:05:57Z	**Greatest film never made**
Greatest film never made.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEGJCEKWYAImTsR.jpg)](https://t.co/nxoWevuLi2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459598427260608516)
2021-11-14T19:30:52Z	**The greatest movie never made**
The greatest movie never made.

Just for fun I made a poster for the film that played in all our heads when Proximo said he was once a gladiator.

"I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you will win your freedom."

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FELV0mRWYAc2A-9.jpg)](https://t.co/C6tapYoDFs) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1459967083417161730)
2021-11-15T20:17:23Z	**"Ultimately**
"Ultimately, we’re all dead men. We can't choose how ..but we can decide how we meet that end, in order that we are remembered as men.” - Proximo

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEQsZqmX0Asw1vO.jpg)](https://t.co/OY3D5KPJ9U) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1460341180068253697)
2021-11-15T20:43:40Z	**There's an alternate universe where this movie exists but for now we can watch it in our imaginations**
There's an alternate universe where this movie exists but for now we can watch it in our imaginations... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1460347793126658051)
2021-11-15T22:22:42Z	**Conversation about my tweet at 4m40s 🤯**
Conversation about my tweet at 4m40s 🤯 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1460372715274129408)
2021-11-16T17:31:18Z	**Okay last one**
Okay last one ...⚔️

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEVQCA_WYAUZEHB.jpg)](https://t.co/eC4B3Nn15x) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1460661768494194692)
2021-11-17T20:08:35Z	**Maybe I'll write up a plot synopsis of this for fun**
Maybe I'll write up a plot synopsis of this for fun. Set in the early years of the reign of Marcus Aurelius who came to power in 161 AD. ⚔️

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEa8qmaWQAEG5PB.jpg)](https://t.co/qRFiwCdHhY) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1461063741261459456)
2021-11-18T13:08:34Z	**Scott cast three veteran British and Irish actors known as much for their hellraising as their acting talent; Richard Harris**
Scott cast three veteran British and Irish actors known as much for their hellraising as their acting talent; Richard Harris, Oliver Reed and David Hemmings, expressing regret at not finding a role for Peter O'Toole and completing the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." [#Gladiator](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gladiator)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEenK0uXMAET0AQ.jpg)](ht ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1461320427058389007)
2021-11-20T10:45:56Z	**1/2) Which one are you going in**
1/2) Which one are you going in?

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEoZq7gXEAE3bgm.jpg)](https://t.co/TGAQVWUfzO) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462009309714341894)
2021-11-20T10:42:53Z	**In Oxonia**
In Oxonia

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEoY_dDXsAQNGRw.jpg)](https://t.co/VlZlPSNPjT) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462008542311993345)
2021-11-20T10:47:11Z	**2/2) Which one are you going in**
2/2) Which one are you going in?

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEoZ88pXsAEpxJ3.jpg)](https://t.co/YqTyMVFqzt) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462009623720910858)
2021-11-20T16:40:34Z	**An Ancient Greek cobbler at work**
An Ancient Greek cobbler at work. The shoemaker cuts out a leather sole around the foot of a customer, who is shown at a smaller scale to fit the space. Below the table is a bowl of water used to soften the leather before cutting. Pelike vase from Rhodes, c.500 BC. Ashmolean

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEpq3n-WYAwYUs9.jpg)](https://t.co/il1sCXddYy) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462098556194598922)
2021-11-20T18:52:45Z	**Horseman’s leather gauntlet**
Horseman’s leather gauntlet, c.1500, Ashmolean Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEqJIpuXIAwOXSQ.jpg)](https://t.co/gUezLaZLZo) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462131820468842501)
2021-11-20T19:22:25Z	**The Buddha sculpted in grey schist around 200 AD**
The Buddha sculpted in grey schist around 200 AD, his right hand raised in the fear-dispelling gesture. His finely carved head and robe show strong Greco-Roman influences. From Gandhara

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEqP5-qXwAUepr3.jpg)](https://t.co/JvOVb76J7A) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462139286149644292)
2021-11-21T10:12:09Z	**Bodhisattva**
Bodhisattva, the future Buddha, sculpted in grey schist around 150 AD. Below two donor figures perform a fire ritual. Gandhara

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEtbj0NXsAIDQzq.jpg)](https://t.co/bAdL3KPwJy) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462363195440517124)
2021-11-21T10:45:15Z	**Pagan myth in early Christian Egypt**
Pagan myth in early Christian Egypt. Limestone relief depicting Leda, wife of King Tyndaeus of Sparta, accosted by the god Zeus in the guise of a swan. c.400-500 AD, from a

woman's tomb at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. Ashmolean Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEtjIE5XsAQiAl3.jpg)](https://t.co/gDfNFTJGGa) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462371523122114560)
2021-11-21T12:59:37Z	**Birth of the Buddha**
Birth of the Buddha, sculpted in grey schist around 200 AD. Queen Maya gives birth through her right side to Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the future Buddha. The infant is received by the god Indra and other deities. Gandhara

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEuB4-YXMAEyunc.jpg)](https://t.co/0BXik8BX0s) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462405337886212098)
2021-11-21T13:44:56Z	**1/2) 'The Odda Stone' - an incredibly rare late Anglo-Saxon inscription dating to 1056**
1/2) 'The Odda Stone' - an incredibly rare late Anglo-Saxon inscription dating to 1056. "Earl Odda ordered this church to be built and dedicated it in honour of the Holy Trinity for the soul of his brother Aelfric. Dedicated with the bishop Ealdred on the...

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEuKC9QXMAAf_g2.jpg)](https://t.co/AaErT3zUap) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462416742689480719)
2021-11-21T13:47:01Z	**2/2) "**
2/2) "..12th April in the fourteenth year of Edward, king of the English (1056)."

Found in 1675 near Deerhurst, Gloucestershire. Ashmolean Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEuMuyjX0BYVVzV.jpg)](https://t.co/ymjl6ZhLA2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462417268885889028)
2021-11-21T14:27:52Z	**Head of Medusa carved in pink coral**
Head of Medusa carved in pink coral. From ancient Gandhara (modern northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan), c.1st century BC. Ashmolean Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEuVWOYX0AAwBGx.jpg)](https://t.co/giUhUoPqam) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462427548982329344)
2021-11-21T15:41:57Z	**Just photographing this handsome young chap**
Just photographing this handsome young chap. Any guesses? [#roman](https://twitter.com/hashtag/roman) [#numismatic](https://twitter.com/hashtag/numismatic) [#photography](https://twitter.com/hashtag/photography)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEum3drXEAIAoEe.jpg)](https://t.co/GmmYSHuWlo) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462446188888829959)
2021-11-21T18:48:04Z	**1) Roman marble bust of a Roman empress**
1) Roman marble bust of a Roman empress, commonly identified as Agrippina the Younger (15-59 AD), sister of Caligula, niece and wife of Claudius, as well as mother of Nero by her first husband Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEvQNu6WQAUvZuE.jpg)](https://t.co/yIN3p0mRz8) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462493027113570304)
2021-11-21T19:00:31Z	**1) Marble bust of a Roman empress**
1) Marble bust of a Roman empress, commonly identified as Agrippina the Younger (15-59 AD), sister of Caligula, niece and wife of Claudius, as well as mother of Nero by her first husband Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEvUU_qWQAEx_wm.jpg)](https://t.co/uBtj1Yp40B) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462496161231740930)
2021-11-21T19:06:31Z	**2) The empress has intricately curled and braided hair with luxuriant plaits at the back**
2) The empress has intricately curled and braided hair with luxuriant plaits at the back. She wears a diadem of flame palmettes which has been partially restored..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEvUv7IXoAEk798.jpg)](https://t.co/jVvnFclzuG) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462497672464670722)
2021-11-21T19:12:07Z	**3) While the bust has been dated to Agrippina's lifetime**
3) While the bust has been dated to Agrippina's lifetime, around 40-55 AD, certain features like the treatment of the eyes suggest to me this may be a later posthumous portrait of the Julio-Claudian empress, perhaps from the Trajanic era. We know for instance that..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEvXHElXIAgG3eU.jpg)](https://t.co/MRKLcHwkXe) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462499082543542276)
2021-11-21T19:20:24Z	**4)**
4) ..Trajan's Forum complex included numerous portraits of earlier rulers and their families, acting in many ways as an imperial hall of fame; here I compare a Decennalia bust of Trajan (image: [@carolemadge](https://twitter.com/carolemadge)) for illustrative purposes. The bust can be viewed in the Ashmolean Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEvYLteX0AQAb6S.jpg)](https://t.co/wIlHWk1jUu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462501167326498823)
2021-11-21T22:00:16Z	**Love the replies**
Love the replies, maybe I should make this a regular feature? Well done to those who guessed Severus Alexander! I'll post in more detail about the coin soon.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEv9nYtWUAIpGG1.jpg)](https://t.co/txkiCuiMm6) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462541395604869129)
2021-11-22T18:19:42Z	**Memorial plaque to “Alexander**
Memorial plaque to “Alexander, a sausage seller at the market. He lived 30 years. He was a good soul and everyone’s friend. May he sleep among the righteous”

The tombstone is carved with a menorah and was found in a Jewish catacomb on the Via Appia, 3rd-4th century AD. Ashmolean

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE0UvQXXsAELYKO.jpg)](https://t.co/Ho4LXmjNfL) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462848275879448578)
2021-11-22T20:12:24Z	**1/2) An elegant Roman marble altar which gives the exact date of its dedication in Rome**
1/2) An elegant Roman marble altar which gives the exact date of its dedication in Rome. The altar was set up by the imperial freedman Tiberius Claudius Fortunatus for the priestly order of Silvanus, deity of the woods and fields, and the Lares guardian deities..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE0pCtRXEAcSZ-i.jpg)](https://t.co/yEN7gxjDp6) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462876640300736512)
2021-11-22T20:23:37Z	**2/2)**
2/2) ..Fortunatus dedicated the altar and held a feast for four officials on 1st August in the consulship of Gaius Minicius Fundanus and Gaius Vettennius Severus (108 AD). Found in a vineyard near Rome's Porta Flumentana in 1549. Ashmolean Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE0xCHDXoAUaJsg.jpg)](https://t.co/j6QuGaetue) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462879464220770306)
2021-11-22T20:50:26Z	**If only Alexander the sausage-seller could see the love for him on @twitter this evening**
If only Alexander the sausage-seller could see the love for him on [@twitter](https://twitter.com/twitter) this evening.

"He was good soul, everyone's friend" (anima bona, omniorum amicus) - an elegant summary of a short life well-lived. ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1462886212482605056)
2021-11-23T18:01:20Z	**Stone relief of the nine planetary deities (navagraha) who often appear on the door lintels of North Indian temples**
Stone relief of the nine planetary deities (navagraha) who often appear on the door lintels of North Indian temples. The deities comprise the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn as well as Rahu and Ketu who control solar and lunar eclipses. c.1000 AD

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE5aHsbWQAka6bh.jpg)](https://t.co/dIRtKvnulu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463206042553176069)
2021-11-23T19:21:28Z	**“Here rests in a peaceful sleep**
“Here rests in a peaceful sleep, Maria. She lived 25 years more or less. She was buried on the 4th day before the nones of January in the consulship of Basilius (2nd January 546 AD)”

Interestingly, Basilius is the last recorded consul in the Roman West.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE5sd-dXoAIW8LK.jpg)](https://t.co/KTcFcQWRls) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463226211845525507)
2021-11-23T19:46:20Z	**This epitaph is from the early Christian cemetery of Aeclanum at Mirabella**
This epitaph is from the early Christian cemetery of Aeclanum at Mirabella [https://t.co/OczYs1Y0Gy](https://latininscriptions.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/xml/AN_2007_60.xml) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463232466811076624)
2021-11-23T20:31:13Z	**The gravestone of Maria is from the early Christian cemetery of Aeclanum (modern Mirabella Eclano**
The gravestone of Maria is from the early Christian cemetery of Aeclanum (modern Mirabella Eclano, Avellino) [https://t.co/OczYs1Y0Gy](https://latininscriptions.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/xml/AN_2007_60.xml) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463243763564920833)
2021-11-24T10:21:32Z	**An archaeologist holds a newly discovered fragment of a Roman bronze cavalry mask**
An archaeologist holds a newly discovered fragment of a Roman bronze cavalry mask, unearthed at the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, near modern Eskipazar, Turkey.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE86fUVXsAM6hbq.jpg)](https://t.co/X8xWXKFD7t) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463452721051279361)
2021-11-24T10:46:37Z	**link**
[https://t.co/M7LPkffZcH](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10233655/Archaeology-Roman-soldiers-FACE-MASK-dating-1-800-years-uncovered-Turkey.html) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463459033331994626)
2021-11-24T19:42:12Z	**2/2) So massive was the lime-kiln industry here burning ancient sculpture**
2/2) So massive was the lime-kiln industry here burning ancient sculpture, the entire district of Rome became known as Calcarario, the 'lime pits'. Long into the Renaissance, kilns were in constant operation across Rome fuelled by the prized marbles from the surrounding monuments

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE-6zDnWYAoC2qN.jpg)](https://t.co/0XM5n7A0q0) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463593815449743366)
2021-11-24T19:40:44Z	**1/2) Rome in the 8th century**
1/2) Rome in the 8th century: Roman marble architecture, statues and inscriptions are smashed and loaded into the huge lime-kiln set up in the exedra of Rome's Crypta Balbi - burnt in the furnace to create lime for use in medieval building..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE-pgRbX0AkUvTC.jpg)](https://t.co/H2mMxjOGrO) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463593446371901449)
2021-11-24T19:45:59Z	**(Art by Simone Boni**
(Art by Simone Boni, Inklink) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463594766185213952)
2021-11-24T22:37:10Z	**Roman terracotta bust of an older man who lived during the Roman Republic**
Roman terracotta bust of an older man who lived during the Roman Republic. The incredibly lifelike portrait exemplifies the naturalistic approach of Republican art, rendering the man's sagging jowls, crow's feet, wrinkled neck, even moles and scars. From Cumae near Naples.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE_etwKXwAAcuwd.jpg)](https://t.co/QzgJzWbamD) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463637845315403776)
2021-11-24T22:49:22Z	**An alternate view showing what is believed to be scars of healed wounds on the man's forehead**
An alternate view showing what is believed to be scars of healed wounds on the man's forehead. Amazing.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FE_ld6vXwAs6Pue.jpg)](https://t.co/wVb8R79sic) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463640916678385664)
2021-11-24T22:54:21Z	**link**
[https://t.co/1RZyyalQH9](https://collections.mfa.org/objects/155696/bust-of-a-man?ctx=079079e5-cbb6-46ab-9e2f-fee3920d20c1&idx=2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1463642170615865347)
2021-11-26T16:44:10Z	**Exciting**
Exciting! 👇 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464273786308542465)
2021-11-26T18:34:29Z	**2/4) The scene is powerfully realised in high relief emphasising the dying hero**
2/4) The scene is powerfully realised in high relief emphasising the dying hero, unlike most other classical representations of Meleager which usually show the hunt for the Calydonian boar or the hero being laid to rest in a tomb.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFI-fXCX0AoL-sM.jpg)](https://t.co/sn32GvPTFH) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464301549950279691)
2021-11-26T18:30:47Z	**1/4) Roman sarcophagus fragment depicting the death of the Greek hero Meleager**
1/4) Roman sarcophagus fragment depicting the death of the Greek hero Meleager, famous for killing the Calydonian boar. The emotive tableau focuses on the dying hero being carried home by his father and companions. 2nd century, The Met

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFI9pIiWQAQFwvV.jpg)](https://t.co/YqxTzQ1oA7) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464300619683008529)
2021-11-26T18:37:22Z	**4/4) The striking composition may look familiar; during the Renaissance the scene became the prototype for artistic representations of the Deposition of Christ**
4/4) The striking composition may look familiar; during the Renaissance the scene became the prototype for artistic representations of the Deposition of Christ.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFI_JylWUAgMGa0.jpg)](https://t.co/NC3XhzuCow) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464302274054864905)
2021-11-26T18:35:35Z	**3/4) An emotive detail of a grieving companion of the dying hero Meleager**
3/4) An emotive detail of a grieving companion of the dying hero Meleager.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFI-vcxXoAwRLjN.jpg)](https://t.co/uQ5Tfc3O8F) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464301827395100679)
2021-11-26T20:21:23Z	**link**
[https://t.co/OAiVTMtLvs](https://www.sothebys.com/en/press/two-tiaras-believed-to-have-belonged-to-empress-josephine-bonaparte-to-be-offered-at-sothebys-london%20(sothebys.com%20-%20permalink)) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464328451473776648)
2021-11-26T20:20:26Z	**Spectacular gold jewellery of Joséphine Bonaparte**
Spectacular gold jewellery of Joséphine Bonaparte, Empress of France (1763- 1814). Diadems, earrings, hair comb and belt clasp, all made from gold with blue enamel - set with numerous gemstone cameos and intaglios, some of which are thought to be ancient. Sotheby's Treasures Sale

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFJRgfNXsAgoHSv.jpg)](https://t.co/f9RfyNWnjz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464328212113244161)
2021-11-27T07:18:26Z	**Detail of the remarkable cameo of Medusa the Gorgon on Empress Joséphine Bonaparte's belt buckle**
Detail of the remarkable cameo of Medusa the Gorgon on Empress Joséphine Bonaparte's belt buckle.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFLtVEbX0AQIeIA.jpg)](https://t.co/SWCE8z5BRx) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464493803440640000)
2021-11-27T07:57:16Z	**Image**
Image: Dorothea Lange 'Farm Labourers in Yamhill County, Oregon, October 1939' ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464503576559075332)
2021-11-27T07:56:02Z	**"Fortune can rob you of your wealth**
"Fortune can rob you of your wealth, but never your courage."

Fortuna opes auferre, non animum potest

\- Seneca, Medea, 176

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFL15rEXsAQtzwq.jpg)](https://t.co/bWNwl296lO) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464503267254276096)
2021-11-27T10:15:29Z	**Migrant father and daughter**
Migrant father and daughter, California, 1936. Photograph by Dorothea Lange

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFMVi-TXwAMLAiJ.jpg)](https://t.co/xyJnPalDsz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464538361457258500)
2021-11-27T12:00:15Z	**Haven’t watched GET BACK yet but I believe the trip to Roman Libya is discussed 👇**
Haven’t watched GET BACK yet but I believe the trip to Roman Libya is discussed 👇 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464564723928768520)
2021-11-27T16:41:45Z	**1) Delighted to add to my collection this wonderful denarius of Hadrian**
1) Delighted to add to my collection this wonderful denarius of Hadrian, with the restless emperor shown near the end of his 21-year reign and celebrating himself as restorer of the lands of the world - in this case none other than his homeland of Hispania.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNtqexWUAYy9Q1.jpg)](https://t.co/zOg3gnCYUM) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464635568294354951)
2021-11-27T16:46:53Z	**3) In the last few years of his rule**
3) In the last few years of his rule, having visited most of his provinces in person, the Roman mint commemorated the emperor's grand tour in an ambitious 'travel series' of coinage, celebrating the imperial provinces visited by Hadrian and their subsequent revitalisation.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNvVHkXMAU5jhG.jpg)](https://t.co/Lh9XwtoVde) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464636858806194187)
2021-11-27T16:43:01Z	**2) Where his predecessor Trajan had travelled mainly through military campaigns and his successor Antoninus never left Italy at all during his time on the throne**
2) Where his predecessor Trajan had travelled mainly through military campaigns and his successor Antoninus never left Italy at all during his time on the throne, Hadrian spent more than half his long reign touring the provinces of a Roman empire at its most expansive.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNukS9WYAYrGSH.jpg)](https://t.co/4LRQ ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464635887770341381)
2021-11-27T16:52:23Z	**6) Hispania has some wonderful unique attributes that differentiate her from other lands**
6) Hispania has some wonderful unique attributes that differentiate her from other lands. In one arm she holds an olive branch symbolising the region's famed olive oil production. Spain remains the world's leading exporter of olive oil today.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNwsF6WQAULmpo.jpg)](https://t.co/cX8ydXEfH2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464638244939878404)
2021-11-27T16:50:42Z	**5) My denarius commemorates Hadrian's elevation of his home region Hispania (today's Iberian Peninsula)**
5) My denarius commemorates Hadrian's elevation of his home region Hispania (today's Iberian Peninsula), where he may have been born in January 76 AD at Italica near modern Seville. A toga-clad Hadrian is shown as 'restorer', helping a kneeling Hispania to her feet..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNwSobXEAMFVeH.jpg)](https://t.co/vpmlnhttpv) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464637820035817476)
2021-11-27T16:49:06Z	**4) The series celebrated the province itself**
4) The series celebrated the province itself, visualised in a female personification (their Latin names being feminine nouns like 'Germania'). Other types also honoured Hadrian's safe arrival (Adventus), his beneficence (Restitutor) and his addresses to the army (Exercitus).

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNvqGGXMAY8y0G.jpg)](https://t.co/weeo4TGYRJ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464637418926133256)
2021-11-27T16:54:23Z	**7) Between Hadrian and Hispania sits a small rabbit - so famously abundant were they in the region**
7) Between Hadrian and Hispania sits a small rabbit - so famously abundant were they in the region, the poet Catullus would label it "rabbity Spain" (Cat.37). Indeed the very name name Hispania may derive from the Phoenician "Span" - with Ispania meaning 'Land of the rabbits.'

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNxFHpWQAEkxsW.jpg)](https://t.co/NLHTP8R5Ks) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464638747484565508)
2021-11-27T17:01:59Z	**8) A final view of the spectacular ancient coin in hand**
8) A final view of the spectacular ancient coin in hand. Those interested can enjoy this and other coins in my gallery here: [https://t.co/0AWndxBRha](https://www.harneycoins.com/imperial?pgid=kb9hn9np-0780084f-813a-4af8-bf44-615b79adf22a)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFNx8WwXwAYshpK.jpg)](https://t.co/e41e8s4Um6) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1464640659743199238)
2021-11-29T19:49:23Z	**An utterly dazzling Roman mosaic glass bowl - once assumed to have been a 19th century creation**
An utterly dazzling Roman mosaic glass bowl - once assumed to have been a 19th century creation, until scientific analysis of its chemical composition in 1999 confirmed its Roman origins. From Italy, 1st-2nd century AD. The Victoria and Albert Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFYsTSkXwAkiLsV.jpg)](https://t.co/mQtagI0GEj) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1465407560522084361)
2021-11-29T17:32:16Z	**"Nothing comes from nothing**
"Nothing comes from nothing."

(Parmenides, c.475 BC, later also Lucretius and the Epicureans, 1st cent BC)

"Nothing will come of nothing."

(King Lear, Act 1.i)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFYM5TMXEA0xnvJ.jpg)](https://t.co/NWedrCrhyK) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1465373055304220681)
2021-11-28T17:42:13Z	**I was lucky enough to visit the theatre**
I was lucky enough to visit the theatre.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFTFtdxXIBU_X3s.jpg)](https://t.co/evygaUjyX4) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1465013171945672713)
2021-11-30T12:54:02Z	**"Care should always be taken that men are not punished for offenses which**
"Care should always be taken that men are not punished for offenses which, when committed by others, are allowed to pass with impunity."

(Cicero, On Duties)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFcVE_XXwAIjGlp.jpg)](https://t.co/ZyOp2Rj1ON) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1465665424952119299)
2021-11-30T12:58:01Z	**"Care should always be taken that men are not punished for offences which**
"Care should always be taken that men are not punished for offences which, when committed by others, are allowed to pass with impunity."

(Cicero, On Duties)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFcXx37XIAo1Ym5.jpg)](https://t.co/aMMGzK5njS) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1465666426736463879)
2021-11-30T14:38:04Z	**Happy 84th birthday to cinema-legend Ridley Scott**
Happy 84th birthday to cinema-legend Ridley Scott, seen here calling the shots on the sets of 'Gladiator' in 1999.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFct7BmVUAUpMYC.jpg)](https://t.co/grVexId4Db) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1465691603822022665)
2021-12-01T20:10:33Z	**Intaglio with Venus and Cupid at the Forge of Vulcan**
Intaglio with Venus and Cupid at the Forge of Vulcan. The 'Parker Jewel' was gifted to Queen Elizabeth I by Archbishop Parker, likely for her 40th birthday in 1573. The spectacular banded agate shows the naked Venus persuading her estranged husband Vulcan to make Aeneas’ armour.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFjA5vHX0AIPvVU.jpg)](https://t.co/rRl90Ay0CF) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1466137666857181196)
2021-12-01T22:56:48Z	**The new ‘Spelacchio’**
The new ‘Spelacchio’? 🎄 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1466179502388699137)
2021-12-02T19:33:57Z	**Solid silver bust of Julius Caesar**
Solid silver bust of Julius Caesar, licensed by the Vatican who gave permission for a mold to be taken directly from the Chiaramonti Caesar in the Vatican Museums. 99 of these busts were made; each from 500 ounces of pure silver and sold for $75,000 (As seen on 'Pawn Stars')

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFoCcjCXEAMeTyn.jpg)](https://t.co/awAARIhU47) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1466490842894503941)
2021-12-02T19:48:23Z	**Coming in January 🤩 'Featuring a wealth of Giuliano da Sangallo's (1443–1516) magnificent drawings**
Coming in January 🤩 'Featuring a wealth of Giuliano da Sangallo's (1443–1516) magnificent drawings, this compelling book explores his crucial role in the Renaissance recovery of antiquity, transforming the broken fragments of Rome's past into the image of a city made whole.'

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFoHWICXIAAh1OH.jpg)](https://t.co/nYjc2EMd5b) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1466494473014235141)
2021-12-03T17:57:34Z	**Always a good day when my Roman archaeology news arrives from @romanarchaeouk 📰**
Always a good day when my Roman archaeology news arrives from [@romanarchaeouk](https://twitter.com/romanarchaeouk) 📰

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFs5JSvXoAgs1v5.jpg)](https://t.co/OjdJz0R8No) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1466828973304958977)
2021-12-04T18:08:53Z	**An elegant little Roman mosaic fragment from the Bays Meadow Roman Villa in Droitwich**
An elegant little Roman mosaic fragment from the Bays Meadow Roman Villa in Droitwich. Worcester Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFyFQ5UXEAIr1Hy.jpg)](https://t.co/LEWgYCLsGq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1467194209115463689)
2021-12-04T18:18:03Z	**Funeral pall used during the funeral of Prince Arthur in 1502**
Funeral pall used during the funeral of Prince Arthur in 1502. Arthur, older brother of Henry VIII, died at the age of 15 and was buried at Worcester Cathedral; had Arthur lived, Henry would never have become king and England may have remained a Catholic country.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFyHP9qWQAcTwZT.jpg)](https://t.co/stCmzuJdnd) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1467196517509472256)
2021-12-04T18:25:30Z	**The embroidered pall was draped over the coffin during the funeral procession**
The embroidered pall was draped over the coffin during the funeral procession. Using fine gold and silk threads, the pall presents images of saints, prophets and the embroidery trade. The Commandery, Worcester

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFyJEciWUA0H51H.jpg)](https://t.co/deSxWCaKBn) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1467198390425505796)
2021-12-06T19:48:55Z	**Roman honorific inscription dedicated to the "unconquered" (invicto) emperor Constantine**
Roman honorific inscription dedicated to the "unconquered" (invicto) emperor Constantine, found in the garden wall of a house in Kempsey, Worcestershire. 4th century, Worcester Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FF8vQBeXIAMJxhX.jpg)](https://t.co/TzOE8zYUQI) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1467944161802338309)
2021-12-07T21:21:27Z	**A marble head of a bearded man with bronze inlaid eyes**
A marble head of a bearded man with bronze inlaid eyes. Deeply furrowed brows frame the man's bronze eyes which would have once gleamed brightly. The head is suffused with a degree of animated portraiture rarely seen in Gandharan sculpture. From ancient Gandhara, 3rd century

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGCMoxGWUAcoSSO.jpg)](https://t.co/GWyYBDBJna) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1468329833772068872)
2021-12-07T22:48:08Z	**“Above all**
“Above all, do not lie to yourself. A man who lies to himself and believes his own lies will reach a point where he is unable to recognise any truth, either in himself or anywhere around him.”

Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGCiCrkXsBEhelf.jpg)](https://t.co/TDA28pBGvr) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1468351649898979330)
2021-12-08T17:30:40Z	**Roman glass and rock crystal ‘amphoriskoi’ still on their metal chains**
Roman glass and rock crystal ‘amphoriskoi’ still on their metal chains. These small bottles would have held oils or perfumes and might be worn around the neck of Roman bathers or athletes after exercise.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGGi-DZXIAcw1Cr.jpg)](https://t.co/HhKeQVasp8) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1468634144565563399)
2021-12-08T19:57:25Z	**A crystal ball from the Roman era with a Greek palindromic inscription**
A crystal ball from the Roman era with a Greek palindromic inscription, found in a 4th century grave in Arslev, Denmark. The engraver tried to write the magical palindrome ABLANAΘANALBA, an incantation used in protective spells similar to Abracadabra, but spelled it incorrectly!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGG-SI4XIAgW55v.jpg)](https://t.co/R4hauVHT6b) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1468671072811819019)
2021-12-09T20:01:09Z	**Sabina died at the age of 18 - she had been a virgin ('virgo') for 15 years and 17 days**
Sabina died at the age of 18 - she had been a virgin ('virgo') for 15 years and 17 days, before being married for 3 years and 25 days. Despite her burial in the Christian catacomb of San Lorenzo, Sabina's grave marker uses the pagan formula 'Dis Manibus'. 4th century, Vatican

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGMOulxWUAUtyQO.jpg)](https://t.co/5mxptUWz01) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469034404303540226)
2021-12-11T10:09:00Z	**The skull of a 60-year-old man who lived around the 2nd century BC**
The skull of a 60-year-old man who lived around the 2nd century BC. When he died he had no teeth and severe arthritis. Saint Paul’s Catacombs, Malta

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGTvWRxXsAEnwGe.jpg)](https://t.co/3w4cHHWZto) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469610157466214400)
2021-12-11T13:37:15Z	**1/2) Pliny on the demon drink**
1/2) Pliny on the demon drink:

"Even the best drunkards shorten their lives, never seeing the sun come up. Note their pale faces, sagging cheeks, red eyes and shaking hands that spill full cups. Breath reeking of last night's wine jar and everything forgotten, memory dead..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGVKRooXwAYBOUX.jpg)](https://t.co/rt8Cmghv4K) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469662565496233987)
2021-12-11T13:39:50Z	**2/2) "**
2/2) "..Soon any sleep they do have will be haunted, all their nights restless. Some people might call this 'seizing the day' - but while we all lose yesterday behind us, this lot ensure they lose tomorrow as well."

Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 14. 147

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGVKwALXwAIjDAH.jpg)](https://t.co/sZzvfIC9Pz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469663214791180294)
2021-12-11T14:02:53Z	**The skull of a 60-year-old man who lived around the 2nd century BC**
The skull of a 60-year-old man who lived around the 2nd century BC. When he died he had no teeth and severe arthritis. St Paul’s Catacombs, Malta

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGVQLH0XoAEtbPm.jpg)](https://t.co/ryf8OsbU8t) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469669015484305410)
2021-12-11T15:14:29Z	**Dendrochronological studies of the oaks in Avebury Manor Barn have shown they were felled between 1279–1301 AD**
Dendrochronological studies of the oaks in Avebury Manor Barn have shown they were felled between 1279–1301 AD.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGVgjEtWUAEz0Jx.jpg)](https://t.co/3fkeHZIBjD) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469687034147188740)
2021-12-11T18:08:39Z	**2/2)**
2/2) ..by the time of her death she was already suffering degenerative joint disease possibly due to hard mechanical work. In 2013 a number of specialists collaborated to create this facial reconstruction of the young woman from ancient Melita. St. Paul's Catacombs, Malta.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGWIXdbWYAMZ5Jg.jpg)](https://t.co/8tZ70WKRND) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469730868075929600)
2021-12-11T18:06:48Z	**1/2) The skeleton of a woman aged 18-24 who lived in Roman Melite (Malta) in the 1st century AD**
1/2) The skeleton of a woman aged 18-24 who lived in Roman Melite (Malta) in the 1st century AD. She was buried a with a number of grave goods including cups, jugs, a glass bottle and bone hair pin. Studies on her bones show that she had a reasonably healthy childhood but...

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGWIAZSX0AkD9S7.jpg)](https://t.co/VHUvKU2bDZ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469730400901738503)
2021-12-12T10:25:50Z	**1) The remains of this 35-year-old man from the 1st-2nd century tell a pitiful tale of disability in the ancient world**
1) The remains of this 35-year-old man from the 1st-2nd century tell a pitiful tale of disability in the ancient world, yet also serve as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. When his skeleton was found near Ostia in 2008, experts were astounded to see..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGZoB9rXIAQf_5F.jpg)](https://t.co/EqzK5ZEUbL) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469976783621705729)
2021-12-12T10:32:33Z	**3)**
3) ..several of his front teeth have been removed and a hole drilled through his mouth to allow feeding, likely only eating liquid food his entire life. Nevertheless, bone analysis has shown his diet was rich and well-balanced. Other skeletal damage shows he worked in..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGZpiWeWYAAmuT1.jpg)](https://t.co/h3Y4fWepGr) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469978471145390093)
2021-12-12T10:30:49Z	**2)**
2) ..the unfortunate man suffered from a completely fused jaw (emporomandibular joint ankylosis), perhaps from trauma in childhood but most likely a congenital condition which made it impossible for him to open his mouth through his life. Incredibly, a closer look reveals that..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGZpOGTXMAEaWpE.jpg)](https://t.co/rb9W4Tm9gw) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469978035181035521)
2021-12-12T10:36:14Z	**4)**
4)..demanding physical labour for many years, almost certainly as a salt-pan worker on the nearby salt pans of Ostia. He may challenge prevailing views that the disabled would have been abandoned in the ancient world; while he would have otherwise certainly died in childhood..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGZqX2XWUAAExiY.jpg)](https://t.co/jSZ9LXyGKP) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469979399915282432)
2021-12-12T10:40:53Z	**5)**
5) ..his family or masters showed a particular interest in his survival, intervening to ensure he was well fed and reached adulthood. He was able to perform a strenuous job for many years and reach a relatively good age, and in the end buried as a full member of his community.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGZrEVXXIAExRSO.jpg)](https://t.co/imrbOfytRU) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469980571971596289)
2021-12-12T10:48:51Z	**(Skeleton 132**
(Skeleton 132, found in grave 13218 in the necropolis of Castel Malnome, dating to the 1st-2nd centuries AD. The excavations found 300 skeletons, most showing high frequencies of stress markers, suggesting they probably worked as manpower in the nearby salt pans of Ostia)

\*END\* ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1469982575661830146)
2021-12-12T20:18:33Z	**Ponder Trajan’s orb**
Ponder Trajan’s orb. ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1470125944694349824)
2021-12-13T19:52:40Z	**Memorial inscription commissioned by Lucius Julius Gamus for his grandson Lucius Julius Marcellus who lived 5 years and 41 days; with a rare clarification that the boy's body was preserved in a sarcophagus (corpus integrum conditum sarcophago) rather than being cremated**
Memorial inscription commissioned by Lucius Julius Gamus for his grandson Lucius Julius Marcellus who lived 5 years and 41 days; with a rare clarification that the boy's body was preserved in a sarcophagus (corpus integrum conditum sarcop ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1470481817832767495)
2021-12-13T20:30:32Z	**New high-resolution shot**
New high-resolution shot: Odysseus returns home after 20 years away fighting the Trojan Wars and is recognised by his ever-faithful dog Argos.

Would my followers enjoy an "Art of Coins" gallery of hi-res Roman coin scenes like this?

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGg46EhWQAAytSv.jpg)](https://t.co/Rddh5U9f3G) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1470491346230251523)
2021-12-14T16:48:28Z	**Watch the full video**
Watch the full video, amazing new discoveries in Pompeii! 👀 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1470797852402192388)
2021-12-14T18:54:44Z	**Roman gold aureus of Trajan struck in 116 AD**
Roman gold aureus of Trajan struck in 116 AD, found in the 2nd century Ahin-Posh Buddhist monastery in Afghanistan.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGltXNdXIAQymT6.jpg)](https://t.co/4NupWUryPc) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1470829629112004612)
2021-12-14T19:57:42Z	**Roman public latrines to seat as many as 100 people**
Roman public latrines to seat as many as 100 people, near the Theatre of Pompey, Rome. Illustration by Peter Connolly.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGl9u22WYAQJXqA.jpg)](https://t.co/aOAVgo6nvG) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1470845473640570889)
2021-12-14T21:17:59Z	**The critical question**
The critical question.. ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1470865676424429571)
2021-12-15T10:55:52Z	**2000 ‘likes’ for a little Roman coin**
2000 ‘likes’ for a little Roman coin, what a time to be alive 🥳 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1471071506436399104)
2021-12-15T18:16:51Z	**Interestingly**
Interestingly, Titus was emperor at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius and destruction of Herculaneum in 79 AD. Why his doctor might have been in Herculaneum or if he was there during the eruption we do not know.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGqwqc7WYAUhfM2.jpg)](https://t.co/x1As37O2Km) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1471182483056123904)
2021-12-15T18:11:30Z	**Roman graffiti found on a toilet wall in Herculaneum**
Roman graffiti found on a toilet wall in Herculaneum:

“Apollinaris, doctor of the emperor Titus, had a great shit here.”

(Apollinaris medicus Titi imp hic cacavit bene)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGqvcWaXsAYc6zm.jpg)](https://t.co/TaZKhu2rq8) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1471181134209892355)
2021-12-16T16:17:57Z	**Roman rock-crystal skyphos drinking cup**
Roman rock-crystal skyphos drinking cup, expertly cut from a single block of crystal. This transparent quartz was believed by the ancients to be formed from ice which had hardened into stone through intense freezing (Pliny the Elder, Natural History 37.9), 1st century AD

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FGvcvq5VIAkdMVt.jpg)](https://t.co/2NGXOg9Byi) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1471514947582509056)
2021-12-16T16:40:49Z	**Wonka at the Rad Cam**
Wonka at the Rad Cam. 🎬 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1471520701043650560)
2021-12-17T13:45:51Z	**Roman mosaic with an ancient market scene**
Roman mosaic with an ancient market scene. Eight traders present different products: a hare, a young wild boar, a deer, a brace of pheasants, a kid goat, a rooster and hen, a brace of partridges and eggs/or buns in baskets - at the centre the face of 'Mother Earth' or Gaia.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG0Fs1bXoAY1wDt.jpg)](https://t.co/MoOvDixqvI) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1471839056527077376)
2021-12-17T15:01:50Z	**Ancient mosaic glass bowl**
Ancient mosaic glass bowl, made with opaque yellow spirals fused in a translucent cobalt-blue matrix and cast over a drape mould to form a spectacular hemispherical bowl, 3rd-2nd century BC.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG0V-7KXoAAiwQq.jpg)](https://t.co/V54TVtUQhj) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1471858180120625156)
2021-12-18T15:41:05Z	**Exeter Cathedral**
Exeter Cathedral, begun in 1114 and completed around 1350. The cathedral’s ceiling or ‘vault’ measures almost 100m, the longest continuous medieval stone vault in the world.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG5pvYZXoAAfgzC.jpg)](https://t.co/PyuED6TxWL) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472230444032835595)
2021-12-18T19:23:52Z	**Cathedral Close**
Cathedral Close, Exeter - from where the young solicitor Jonathan Harker sets out on his trip to Transylvania in Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, 1897.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG6cwS5XsAw9Pt4.jpg)](https://t.co/wv4eqHDn1B) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472286512280707073)
2021-12-18T19:51:05Z	**History in the walls of Exeter**
History in the walls of Exeter: at the bottom the purple volcanic stone that surrounded Roman Isca. On top of that the white Triassic sandstone used by the Saxons. Then red breccia stone used by the Normans and at the top 17th century Civil War repairs in grey volcanic trap.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG6i_VPXsAEh2Ap.jpg)](https://t.co/aZZ7hc7VBy) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472293359196815364)
2021-12-19T16:35:53Z	**Ancient baby rattle in the shape of an owl**
Ancient baby rattle in the shape of an owl. From Cyprus, c.1500 BC, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG-_6oUXsAQCShP.jpg)](https://t.co/DU2BYbSQm6) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472606625076854792)
2021-12-19T17:03:32Z	**The Seaton Down hoard of Roman coins**
The Seaton Down hoard of Roman coins, found in 2013. The hoard consists of 22,888 copper-alloy coins from the reign of emperor Constantine and his family, buried around 350 AD. The hoard weighed 68kg and so was more than one person could comfortably lift. RAMM, Exeter

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG_GOLhXIAMshAn.jpg)](https://t.co/0Gp9Z6kKFH) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472613580163985408)
2021-12-19T17:10:33Z	**link**
[https://t.co/ckv9m3Nwx2](https://rammcollections.org.uk/object/31-1918-59/) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472615346423181319)
2021-12-19T18:10:59Z	**Roman marble portrait of a man**
Roman marble portrait of a man, sculpted in the late Hadrianic or early Antonine era, c.130-140 AD. Milwaukee Art Mussum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FG_Vr2aWQAM54O-.jpg)](https://t.co/SjdPz2hFxh) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472630556882096139)
2021-12-20T15:59:32Z	**Roman bronze portrait of Livia**
Roman bronze portrait of Livia, shown as the wise and influential advisor to her husband Augustus, who she would be married to for 52 years. Late 1st century BC - early 1st century AD

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHEBL3wXIAgiqbg.jpg)](https://t.co/whgzYSSZHu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472959864108371973)
2021-12-20T17:59:08Z	**Roman sardonyx cameo showing a 3rd century emperor and his family**
Roman sardonyx cameo showing a 3rd century emperor and his family. Multi-layered Indian sardonyx is harder than metal and was thus sculpted with abrasives rather than metal tools, possibly taking months to complete. Light passing through the thin agate creates a wondrous effect..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHEcjs9WYAo4ngQ.jpg)](https://t.co/K3BqHz0g0V) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1472989961460846600)
2021-12-20T20:10:29Z	**“Anger is similar to fire; it does not matter how great is the flame**
“Anger is similar to fire; it does not matter how great is the flame, but what it falls upon. The most solid timbers can repel a very great fire; but dry and brittle splinters nourish the smallest spark into an inferno.”

\- Seneca, Moral Letters, 18.15

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHE6oFSXMAwnnSr.jpg)](https://t.co/TmhaXFQFG0) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473023017433321483)
2021-12-21T17:17:20Z	**The ‘scissor arches’ of Wells Cathedral are often assumed by visitors to be a modern addition but were in fact added by master mason William Joy in 1338**
The ‘scissor arches’ of Wells Cathedral are often assumed by visitors to be a modern addition but were in fact added by master mason William Joy in 1338. Unique in medieval architecture, the inverted arches prevented collapse of the central tower and have worked for 7 centuries!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHJcjtdX0AUf8nV.jpg)](https:// ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473341830150377474)
2021-12-22T14:16:23Z	**Great question for the Roman urbanism experts out there**
Great question for the Roman urbanism experts out there?… 👇 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473658681896189956)
2021-12-22T15:41:29Z	**Worn steps leading to the Chapter House of Wells Cathedral**
Worn steps leading to the Chapter House of Wells Cathedral. The staircase known as the 'sea of steps' dates to the late 13th century.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHONl-AXEA09Qi9.jpg)](https://t.co/8QTLWZdhrY) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473680097718812672)
2021-12-22T16:49:40Z	**The octagonal Chapter House of Wells Cathedral**
The octagonal Chapter House of Wells Cathedral, constructed 1286-1306. Here the governing body of the cathedral, collectively referred to as the 'chapter', would meet to hear readings and discuss business.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHOcxc7X0Aw7YdH.jpg)](https://t.co/X3XYJD57tz) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473697254691254286)
2021-12-22T20:44:58Z	**A characterful Roman marble bust of a man**
A characterful Roman marble bust of a man, rendered with a striking 'warts and all' naturalism - quite literally including a wart near the man's left eye. He wears a paludamentum cloak fastened with a circular clasp, suggesting he may be a Roman military commander. 1st century AD

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHPSlRkWYAQCJrq.jpg)](https://t.co/q1mNzWoR4Y) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473756472970559497)
2021-12-23T09:35:31Z	**Vicars' Close in Wells**
Vicars' Close in Wells, Somerset - thought to be the oldest residential street with all its buildings surviving intact in Europe. Planned and constructed in the 1300s, the street comprises 44 residences with their own library, chapel and private walkway into Wells Cathedral.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHSEKQ5WUAEuGoJ.jpg)](https://t.co/50319oVaWu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473950385895362562)
2021-12-23T12:15:27Z	**The precise geometry of the ancient sundial is frankly beyond me but if you are interested in the mathematical detail of the device**
The precise geometry of the ancient sundial is frankly beyond me but if you are interested in the mathematical detail of the device, please read this excellent blog: [https://t.co/zPI4qKPrGZ](https://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/staff/saj/roman/) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473990636202336264)
2021-12-23T12:13:41Z	**2/2)**
2/2) ..selecting one of thirty Roman provinces on the reverse dial. After setting the latitude, the front dial is adjusted for the current date. When suspended the horizontal bar of the gnomon casts its shadow on the hourscale below, indicating the time!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHSqPVUXsAUPTPa.jpg)](https://t.co/4GlyC95Gl5) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473990192436584454)
2021-12-23T12:12:44Z	**1/2) Roman portable sundial - just 6cm across**
1/2) Roman portable sundial - just 6cm across, this ingenious device was the fine pocket watch of its day, telling the owner the time wherever they were in the Roman empire. The vertical disc sundial worked in a range of latitudes; first the user set their location..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHSh2kJXsAEIsOR.jpg)](https://t.co/zEzRPcAqFC) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1473989953340248066)
2021-12-23T13:04:30Z	**Glad to see I could have selected Britannia**
Glad to see I could have selected Britannia! ⏲️ (bottom right, between Italia and Hispania) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1474002979745419274)
2021-12-23T13:44:23Z	**"**
"..In most cases men willingly believe what they wish to believe."

\- Julius Caesar, Gallic War, 3.18

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHS-76rXEAM0CqQ.jpg)](https://t.co/LOzkAncPpr) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1474013017104961542)
2021-12-24T08:33:24Z	**"That day**
"That day, which you fear as being your last, is the birthday of eternity."

(Dies iste, quem tamquam extremum reformidas, aeterni natalis est)

\- Seneca, Moral Letters, 102

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHXBQX6X0AE08gd.jpg)](https://t.co/k1vdtvUzIr) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1474297141506068486)
2021-12-24T09:32:33Z	**"The facts do not agree with the statements**
"The facts do not agree with the statements."

(discrepant facta cum dictis)

\- Cicero, 'De Finibus'

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHXNJn1XwAAovnU.jpg)](https://t.co/jkXKYV3iSR) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1474312025979465730)
2021-12-24T10:04:23Z	**Ancient Roman sundial still telling the time in Pompeii**
Ancient Roman sundial still telling the time in Pompeii. Romans measured time in 12 daylight hours that shifted in length depending on the season. It was the job of a civil servant known as an 'accensus' to announce the 3rd, 6th and 9th hours of the day.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHXTpYxXsAAw7zX.jpg)](https://t.co/gQR2lmftzx) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1474320039776034817)
2021-12-24T11:16:54Z	**"**
"..He was a man who could, with equal skill, pretend to be what he was not, and not be what he really was."

Sallust describing Catiline, 'Conspiracy of Catiline', 5.3

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHXmznAWUAMioUS.jpg)](https://t.co/46N7sHonyB) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1474338288202919940)
2021-12-24T14:56:05Z	**Caesar's Greetings**
Caesar's Greetings! Wishing my fantastic followers and all history lovers out there a very merry Christmas!🎄

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHYW8pPXwAQIC__.jpg)](https://t.co/qKJIg7xLLq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1474393448488837120)
2021-12-26T16:07:13Z	**“Large Roman fort built by Caligula discovered near Amsterdam” | World news | The Guardian**
“Large Roman fort built by Caligula discovered near Amsterdam” \| World news \| The Guardian [https://t.co/E0W4f2zCea](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/26/roman-fort-built-by-caligula-discovered-velsen-near-amsterdam) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475136126168059909)
2021-12-26T19:03:52Z	**“The glory of wealth and beauty is fleeting and frail; the glory of a virtuous life is bright and everlasting**
“The glory of wealth and beauty is fleeting and frail; the glory of a virtuous life is bright and everlasting.”

\- Sallust, The Catiline War, 1.4

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHjk6qdWQAEVmnD.jpg)](https://t.co/RXfwybVnnT) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475180580493053953)
2021-12-26T20:06:18Z	**Incredible marble slab listing the names of Praetorian Guards enrolled during the consulship of Torquatus and Atticus (143 AD)**
Incredible marble slab listing the names of Praetorian Guards enrolled during the consulship of Torquatus and Atticus (143 AD). They would serve the emperor Antoninus Pius for their entire 16 year career. Vatican Lapidary gallery

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHjzNKvXwAcParZ.jpg)](https://t.co/fiZFbaelYx) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475196292070531075)
2021-12-26T20:12:29Z	**The slab gives the full name and city of origin of the new recruits to the emperor’s guard**
The slab gives the full name and city of origin of the new recruits to the emperor’s guard. Most come from Italian towns but several originate from locations outside Italy like Savaria (Hungary) and Philippi (Greece).

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHj0nWwXsAQrxFF.jpg)](https://t.co/NNjtRjrKua) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475197848228700165)
2021-12-26T20:28:47Z	**Some names are also preceded by initials indicating special positions**
Some names are also preceded by initials indicating special positions: ‘tesserarius’ commander who sets the watchword, ‘signifer’ standard bearer, ‘evocatus’ recalled veteran, ‘tubicen’ bugler, ‘mensor’ surveyer, ‘speculator’ espionage.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHj4WksXwAQi92q.jpg)](https://t.co/rP7P5FwKrZ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475201950169939973)
2021-12-28T10:42:56Z	**Roman marble portrait bust of an unidentified Hellenistic ruler**
Roman marble portrait bust of an unidentified Hellenistic ruler. Though the man cannot be identified with certainty, the treatment of his hair in thick locks, side-burns and look of fierce determination are typical of Hellenistic ruler portraits. 2nd century AD, British Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHsEOUlXIAISWZp.jpg)](https://t.co/luv9zdGU08) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475779291883483136)
2021-12-28T12:12:16Z	**Christmas book haul**
Christmas book haul, shelf space be damned. 📖

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHsZ4OfWYAcfcWl.jpg)](https://t.co/tSxFr8tqAx) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475801775391354882)
2021-12-28T13:26:29Z	**Roman marble portrait bust of an unidentified Hellenistic ruler**
Roman marble portrait bust of an unidentified Hellenistic ruler. Though the man cannot be identified with certainty, his thick and wavy locks, side-burns and look of fierce determination are typical of Hellenistic ruler portraits. 2nd century AD, British Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHsq3mZWUAIOe4Q.jpg)](https://t.co/tGspCnQOsR) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475820449380642823)
2021-12-28T15:05:31Z	**1) An amazingly preserved textile wall-hanging from late-Roman Egypt**
1) An amazingly preserved textile wall-hanging from late-Roman Egypt. Despite the suppression of paganism, the large tapestry-woven textile dating to the 4th-5th century AD seems to show two figures from classical mythology, Actaeon and Artemis, goddess of the hunt..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtBdggWQAA2mi4.jpg)](https://t.co/rQwh8c5pQq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475845373499482117)
2021-12-28T15:11:37Z	**3) The designs on the linen textile are separated by dividing panels decorated with dancing male and female figures within floral borders of vine tendrils**
3) The designs on the linen textile are separated by dividing panels decorated with dancing male and female figures within floral borders of vine tendrils.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtC6jUXwAQP_Ch.jpg)](https://t.co/gHuvLgQEtQ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475846908568559620)
2021-12-28T15:08:36Z	**2) Detail of the embroidered goddess Artemis/Diana; in classical mythology**
2) Detail of the embroidered goddess Artemis/Diana; in classical mythology, she punished Actaeon after he stumbled across her while she was bathing, turning him into a stag to be subsequently torn apart by his own hunting dogs..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtCKVVWYAYKcQA.jpg)](https://t.co/l7OA2JoBb1) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475846149655437324)
2021-12-28T15:21:27Z	**4) A final view of the ancient embroidery on the figure of Actaeon**
4) A final view of the ancient embroidery on the figure of Actaeon. The tapestry was preserved in the dry, desert climate of Egypt, which has helped in the survival of so much organic material like wood, linen, papyrus and human remains. From Akhmim (Panopolis), British Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtFLF2XMAAoNFE.jpg)](https://t.co/SN3FvXLdiV) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475849384759861248)
2021-12-28T16:02:27Z	**2) Interestingly**
2) Interestingly, the face of the woman has been crafted separately to the rest of the cartonnage mask, with its plaster pressed into a mould, presumably to add a more unique likeness of the deceased. The completed face was then attached to the headdress and torso..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtOcNSXwAQVpAz.jpg)](https://t.co/CDpIGgZMbg) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475859702928056324)
2021-12-28T15:59:54Z	**1) Painted plaster funerary mask of a woman who lived and died in Roman Egypt around 100 AD**
1) Painted plaster funerary mask of a woman who lived and died in Roman Egypt around 100 AD. She wears a yellow tunic with her breasts exposed, an ornate collar decorated with a winged scarab beetle, and a garland of rosebuds in her hair..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtN-RlXIAceTvK.jpg)](https://t.co/e3WWP8r6qa) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475859060700422145)
2021-12-28T16:04:58Z	**3) In her hands the woman holds a sprig of myrtle**
3) In her hands the woman holds a sprig of myrtle. Her sleeves bear the protective wings of Isis and Nephthys, and other deities like Anubis and Re-Horakhty appear on the mask behind her hair, showing the Egyptian iconography of death still being used well into the Roman era.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtPAfoXEAEuWkX.jpg)](https://t.co/AVyQly0bvr) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475860333227134980)
2021-12-28T16:15:13Z	**4) The design of her gold earrings**
4) The design of her gold earrings, bracelets and rings as well as her hairstyle all suggest a date in the early second century AD. From Middle Egypt, exact findspot unknown. British Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHtRcuEXwAILa-S.jpg)](https://t.co/JtbVqoJJbT) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475862911776178183)
2021-12-28T22:42:37Z	**Archaeologists unearthing a Roman marble statue of Venus**
Archaeologists unearthing a Roman marble statue of Venus, goddess of love, at Villa Salar, Granada in 2018. So rare to see an ancient statue being excavated.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHuqKghWUAElAnh.jpg)](https://t.co/hmqjn9WakJ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475960405398798339)
2021-12-28T23:28:54Z	**The Latin term "otium" describes leisure**
The Latin term "otium" describes leisure, freedom, control of your own time. Conversely, “neg otium" literally means “not leisure”: a lack of all the above. A time of work, responsibility, and business dealings - from which we derive our modern word “negotiation”.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHu0wFsWQAgzCbc.jpg)](https://t.co/9kNfFoMQrS) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1475972051919851521)
2021-12-29T09:24:38Z	**"Gallic warriors fight naked**
"Gallic warriors fight naked, their bloody injuries standing out against their pale skin. They are not troubled by a gaping wound but when an arrowhead buries itself in their body they throw themselves on the ground in rage and shame at being stopped by so small a thing." (Livy)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHw9HFIX0AMnOnn.jpg)](https://t.co/RPPg8Hz8Ir) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476121974351015941)
2021-12-29T11:14:19Z	**Roman mosaic of a labyrinth rendered with a remarkable three-dimensional effect**
Roman mosaic of a labyrinth rendered with a remarkable three-dimensional effect, in the peristyle courtyard of the Domus Romana, Malta.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHxUqcXWYAI6KkJ.jpg)](https://t.co/siRmmBzZST) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476149577216667649)
2021-12-29T11:49:46Z	**Mosaic of the tablinum or office in Malta's Domus Romana comprising a central section of black and white marble tiles**
Mosaic of the tablinum or office in Malta's Domus Romana comprising a central section of black and white marble tiles, framed within a colourful labyrinth border. Later dwindling fortunes of the villa are shown in the hasty repairs using smashed ceramic tiles and marble panels.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHxeKr9XIAAT0Bc.jpg)](https://t.co/ODZXYcBYke) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476158496945147907)
2021-12-29T15:32:31Z	**1) A beautiful Roman marble statue thought to depict Claudia Antonia**
1) A beautiful Roman marble statue thought to depict Claudia Antonia, daughter and oldest surviving child of the emperor Claudius. The statue is one of an imperial group depicting Julio-Claudian family members that were displayed at the Domus Romana in ancient Melite (Malta)..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHyRDwMXoAQHLP-.jpg)](https://t.co/XRlGnIPM6W) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476214555860742147)
2021-12-29T15:37:30Z	**2) Claudia Antonia was born in 30 AD**
2) Claudia Antonia was born in 30 AD, the only child from Claudius' short-lived second marriage to Aelia Paetina. She was raised in a palace of intrigue with her father now remarried to Messalina and her cousin Caligula on the throne. When she was around 10 years old..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHySWyRXsAsgFsH.jpg)](https://t.co/XfO1kHVOnC) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476215808229584899)
2021-12-29T15:43:44Z	**3)**
3) ..Caligula was assassinated and her father was thrust into power as the new emperor. Before long she was married in quick succession to two nobleman; the first a descendant and namesake of Pompey the Great who was soon executed, the second a descendant of the dictator Sulla..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHyTrqfXwAMbxRl.jpg)](https://t.co/bGbo93cWnK) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476217377192820737)
2021-12-29T15:54:54Z	**4) Claudia Antonia survived the intrigue of her father's death and the rise of Nero and Agrippina**
4) Claudia Antonia survived the intrigue of her father's death and the rise of Nero and Agrippina ..until around 65 AD, when having apparently kicked his last wife to death, Nero asked Claudia Antonia to marry him. When she refused, he had her executed.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHyWWj1XMAA5rbR.jpg)](https://t.co/mG3EabSsjm) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476220188316086276)
2021-12-29T16:19:54Z	**Tragic theatrical masks with festoons of fruit and flowers**
Tragic theatrical masks with festoons of fruit and flowers, in the decorative borders of a Roman mosaic at the Domus Romana, Malta.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHya-7FWYAcUOHg.jpg)](https://t.co/IQruTQfOvn) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476226479230881792)
2021-12-29T16:39:14Z	**A glimpse of the manic theatrical mask of Comedy**
A glimpse of the manic theatrical mask of Comedy, in the decorative borders of a Roman mosaic at the Domus Romana, Malta.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHygj-SXIAkezGg.jpg)](https://t.co/QE5LAfJHLu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476231346079125512)
2021-12-30T09:25:44Z	**Scenes from a Roman childhood**
Scenes from a Roman childhood: a mother nurses a baby as father looks on. Later, father bounces his baby boy in his arms. Next the playful child rides a miniature chariot pulled by a goat. Lastly the boy, now holding a scroll, recites a lesson to his father who listens intently.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH2G8shXsAEFbMC.jpg)](https://t.co/Ib9mZ8cxAW) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476484641200787460)
2021-12-30T09:31:42Z	**Reliefs from the sarcophagus of Marcus Cornelius Statius**
Reliefs from the sarcophagus of Marcus Cornelius Statius, presumably the young boy shown in the scenes. From Ostia, mid 2nd century AD. Musée du Louvre

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH2HYBXWUAIKymY.jpg)](https://t.co/xkt2ob6F3S) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476486141448753152)
2021-12-30T13:47:47Z	**1/3) "No bond of fellowship is more close**
1/3) "No bond of fellowship is more close, none more dear than that which links each one of us with our country. Dear are our parents, dear are our children, dear are our relatives, and our friends; but all of these affections are encompassed in the love of our homeland..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH3CzO5WYAMqH86.jpg)](https://t.co/s6cUo5z0CE) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476550585763647493)
2021-12-30T13:50:42Z	**3/3) "If we ask then where our moral obligation is most due**
3/3) "If we ask then where our moral obligation is most due: country would come first, then our parents, next come children and family who look to us alone for support and protection, finally our kinsmen, with whom for the most part, our lot is one."

\- Cicero, 'On Duties', 1.57

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH3Dk5HWUAMSkrE.jpg)](https://t.co/t9nuTysQIt) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476551321704701959)
2021-12-30T13:49:18Z	**2/3) "Who would ever hesitate to give his life for Rome**
2/3) "Who would ever hesitate to give his life for Rome, if by his death he could render her a service? All the more sickening then are those monsters who turn against their own fatherland, trying to bring about her utter destruction."

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH3DNSsWYAIoQGF.jpg)](https://t.co/s7DECdWGd0) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476550966350655493)
2021-12-30T14:29:54Z	**Wellhead with rope marks still visible from all those who drew water in Roman times - in the peristyle courtyard of the Domus Romana**
Wellhead with rope marks still visible from all those who drew water in Roman times - in the peristyle courtyard of the Domus Romana, Malta.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH3Mf5iXIAQi8hm.jpg)](https://t.co/XHo36tOmRe) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476561185508151296)
2021-12-30T15:06:13Z	**Roman glass rhyton drinking vessel in the shape of a snail**
Roman glass rhyton drinking vessel in the shape of a snail, 1st-2nd century AD

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH3UeBVXMAcaGi4.jpg)](https://t.co/XbvoqJltwX) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476570326742056969)
2021-12-30T16:07:44Z	**A look inside a Roman insula**
A look inside a Roman insula, towering apartment blocks of rented accomodation that housed the majority of Rome's middle and lower class residents. Prone to fire and collapse, some insulae reached as high as ten storeys before laws were passed to limit their height.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH3hNIVWYAY-AQL.jpg)](https://t.co/1D2nStskH5) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476585807834238981)
2021-12-31T09:47:58Z	**Today we say goodbye (and good riddance) to Commodus**
Today we say goodbye (and good riddance) to Commodus, who was killed on New Year's Eve, 192 AD. He met a suitably risible end - sadly not defeated in the arena by [@russellcrowe's](https://twitter.com/russellcrowe's) Maximus, but strangled in the bath by his personal trainer Narcissus.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7QQpjXMAYOEhp.jpg)](https://t.co/bJKUe9bNAI) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476852622741196801)
2021-12-31T10:39:27Z	**The remarkable acclamation of the senate after Commodus' assassination**
The remarkable acclamation of the senate after Commodus' assassination, quoted at length in the Historia Augusta (Commodus 18-19). If evidence were needed at what a contemptible body they had become. Monty Python 'burn the witch' comes to mind..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7dyHeXIBgpdnM.png)](https://t.co/dnFCaSWNqf) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476865578723909640)
2021-12-31T16:01:05Z	**Time to make those offerings to Janus**
Time to make those offerings to Janus, god of transitions and new beginnings, whose two faces look both to the future and the past (yet again we all look more to the future!)..Wishing all my followers Happy New Year with this portrait of Janus from my collection.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH8qBrpXEAg5SEi.jpg)](https://t.co/b8M8qQ24re) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1476946520754765825)
2021-12-31T20:29:25Z	**Planning some exciting Ancient Roman content to celebrate *hopefully* reaching 100**
Planning some exciting Ancient Roman content to celebrate \*hopefully\* reaching 100,000 followers in 2022! History lovers stay tuned..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9h8HMXsAAbnoo.jpg)](https://t.co/OSFO8wVF9f) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1477014048009068549)
2022-01-01T13:43:28Z	**"The enemy never asks whether you beat him by cunning or by valour**
"The enemy never asks whether you beat him by cunning or by valour."

\- Virgil, Aeneid, Book II

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIBP82JWQAQscrp.jpg)](https://t.co/mQw1aRgOhF) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1477274277250580482)
2022-01-01T14:11:41Z	**“He was a man of joyous life**
“He was a man of joyous life, well versed in letters, elegant in appearance, a man of regal beauty, with a countenance that commanded respect.."

Detail of a portrait of Aelius Caesar from my collection, the intended heir of Hadrian, who died on this day in 138 AD.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIBbbyaXsAE0ldi.jpg)](https://t.co/j5K4FQEZ0U) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1477281378957991940)
2022-01-01T14:18:16Z	**Read more about Lucius Aelius Caesar here**
Read more about Lucius Aelius Caesar here: [https://t.co/Z1WyOxMGFm](https://www.harneycoins.com/post/aelius-caesar-forgotten-prince) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1477283033812193280)
2022-01-01T16:05:46Z	**On this day in 42 BC**
On this day in 42 BC, nearly two years after his assassination, the Roman senate proclaims Julius Caesar a god, to be known thereafter as 'Divus Julius'. The first Roman to be deified. Into the bargain, his heir Octavian was allowed to title himself 'Divi Filius' - son of a god.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIB1TnEXsAsHsYx.jpg)](https://t.co/iHxoWc7lEv) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1477310087458959361)
2022-01-02T11:09:55Z	**“Favours are acceptable**
“Favours are acceptable, while the receiver thinks he may return them. When they go beyond that, hatred will be given instead of thanks.”

\- Tacitus, Annals, 4.18

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIF7jprXsAYBwEz.jpg)](https://t.co/E97CxyDKiA) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1477598020489420801)
2022-01-03T17:00:32Z	**“He who at the moment of victory restrains himself**
“He who at the moment of victory restrains himself, conquers twice.”

\- Publilius Syrus

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIMVaHoWQAMWQz9.jpg)](https://t.co/X2NFOm75ZR) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478048646377754630)
2022-01-03T20:10:03Z	**Parthian cataphract camel units in combat against Roman legionaries at the Battle of Nisibis**
Parthian cataphract camel units in combat against Roman legionaries at the Battle of Nisibis, 217 AD. Cataphract riders and mounts were almost completely covered in armour, with the smell of the camels also known to panic the horses of Roman cavalry. (Image: Creative Assembly)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FINASePXMAEiGpo.jpg)](https://t.co/eSH0CkNtZH) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478096337128275982)
2022-01-04T08:41:43Z	**"The island of Britain is triangular in shape**
"The island of Britain is triangular in shape. One side faces Gaul. On its edge is Kent where almost all ships arrive. In total this side is about 500 miles long."

\- Caesar, Gallic War, 5.12

In Roman miles (0.92/1) Caesar's estimate of the length of Britain is roughly correct.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIPs08sXoAQxohS.jpg)](https://t.co/d3ssRVWvrV) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478285503174787075)
2022-01-04T09:19:03Z	**"The island of Britain is triangular in shape**
"The island of Britain is triangular in shape. One side faces Gaul. On its edge is Kent where almost all ships arrive. The side facing east is about 500 miles long."

Caesar, Gallic War, 5.12

In Roman miles (0.92/1) Caesar's estimate of the length of Britain is roughly correct.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIP1X_YXsAIWdhB.jpg)](https://t.co/Kk2mmz9Nny) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478294898411552770)
2022-01-04T09:20:24Z	**"The island of Britain is triangular in shape**
"The island of Britain is triangular in shape. One side faces Gaul. On its edge is Kent where almost all ships arrive. The side facing east is about 500 miles long."

Caesar, Gallic War, 5.13

In Roman miles (0.92/1) Caesar's estimate of the length of Britain is roughly correct.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIP1rpxXwAETU_9.jpg)](https://t.co/6d7EXdAJbn) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478295237030252544)
2022-01-04T09:39:53Z	**"The sky is overcast with continual rain and cloud**
"The sky is overcast with continual rain and cloud.”

Britain according to Tacitus, 98 AD.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIP6GaTXwAAeEqo.jpg)](https://t.co/uizpChcswl) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478300138393194496)
2022-01-04T10:32:19Z	**Celtic villagers inspect salt from the nearby mines around Hallstatt**
Celtic villagers inspect salt from the nearby mines around Hallstatt, Austria. c.500 BC. Salt was a vital part of the livelihood of Hallstatt peoples for millennia: The nearby city of Salzburg (“salt castle”) is even named after it. (art by Samson Goetze)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIQCHyIXIAIi0HH.jpg)](https://t.co/Hab4Pm9wfP) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478313336026578946)
2022-01-04T12:32:19Z	**"The Britons never act in unison**
"The Britons never act in unison, which is the greatest advantage we have against them. It is very rare for two or three of their factions to join forces to fend off a common enemy. So, as long they fight independently, they are all conquered."

\- Tacitus, 'Agricola', 12

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIQhjSbWQAYWmn6.jpg)](https://t.co/ap7YY6kJfi) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478343532666621956)
2022-01-04T12:43:05Z	**"The Britons never act in unison**
"The Britons never act in unison, which is the greatest advantage we have against them. It is very rare for two or three of their factions to join forces to fend off a common enemy. So, as long as they fight independently, they are all conquered."

\- Tacitus, 'Agricola', 12

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIQkAl5WUAQ1iiT.jpg)](https://t.co/KyfXevx3Eq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478346244955291648)
2022-01-04T13:54:30Z	**"The Britons have more spirit than Gauls because they are not a people made soft and lazy by a long peace**
"The Britons have more spirit than Gauls because they are not a people made soft and lazy by a long peace. Gauls were once famous for their warmongering but then came the easy life and as well as saying goodbye to their freedom, they also said goodbye to their courage."

Tacitus

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIQ0Xo3XMAkyb3n.jpg)](https://t.co/3Iam6FDUce) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478364217916993543)
2022-01-04T14:53:38Z	**Roman gold ring with jasper intaglio of a prawn**
Roman gold ring with jasper intaglio of a prawn. 🦐 1st-2nd century AD, Hermitage Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIRBywfXEAk848W.jpg)](https://t.co/QPXuYw5fns) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478379097805971457)
2022-01-04T15:14:30Z	**Miners toiling in the ancient salt mines of Hallstatt**
Miners toiling in the ancient salt mines of Hallstatt, Austria, where salt was extracted via shafts 650 to 1,000 feet deep, lit by torches and reinforced with timbers. c.500 BC (art by Samson Goetze)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIRGqcHXIAIjxUp.jpg)](https://t.co/pjEeCFpO0t) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478384347828916239)
2022-01-04T17:37:11Z	**Roman 'Swiss Army Knife' multi tool**
Roman 'Swiss Army Knife' multi tool, incorporating a knife, spoon, fork, spatula, spike for extracting snails, and a tooth pick! Made of silver, the complex tool would have been a luxury item - perhaps a useful gadget for a wealthy traveller. 3rd century AD, Fitzwilliam Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIRnO1BXMAIozXb.jpg)](https://t.co/B4xS7EOSJl) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478420256909672448)
2022-01-05T18:08:37Z	**The "magic sphere of Helios"**
The "magic sphere of Helios", an ancient marble orb covered in strange symbols. Discovered in Athens in 1866, the purpose of the sphere is still unknown but it is thought to have been used in ancient Greek magical rituals. Acropolis Museum, Athens

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIW39zmXEAcbLGY.jpg)](https://t.co/QutChpxSkP) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478790556503449605)
2022-01-05T19:53:25Z	**Roman legionary helmet (Imperial-Gallic Type I) from Brigetio**
Roman legionary helmet (Imperial-Gallic Type I) from Brigetio, Hungary, early 1st century.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIXOIhFXEAQCPSb.jpg)](https://t.co/NHpAspMplx) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478816927967502342)
2022-01-05T19:56:48Z	**link**
[https://t.co/H1WmdHJNZH](https://museum.wales/collections/online/object/9438aed3-6729-3b24-bcc2-33ea425f915c/Roman-iron-helmet/footer/) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1478817781218951169)
2022-01-06T18:51:31Z	**Theseus slays the Minotaur at the centre of the Labyrinth of Knossos - Roman mosaic dating to the 3rd century AD in the House of Theseus**
Theseus slays the Minotaur at the centre of the Labyrinth of Knossos - Roman mosaic dating to the 3rd century AD in the House of Theseus, Paphos, Cyprus.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIcI4mpXMAYpVHu.jpg)](https://t.co/nrGFHe2swS) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479163740658483200)
2022-01-06T19:58:53Z	**If anyone particularly enjoys my Roman ramblings (which I write on top of my full-time day job) and you are in the position to show your appreciation - just follow Augustus below**
If anyone particularly enjoys my Roman ramblings (which I write on top of my full-time day job) and you are in the position to show your appreciation - just follow Augustus below. CashApp, Bitcoin ..all and any will be received with a huge 'Gratias tibi ago'!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIcXiQdXIAEZxD5.jpg)](https://t. ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479180694047842308)
2022-01-07T16:35:27Z	**When you complete the set**
When you complete the set..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIg134fX0AAMpau.jpg)](https://t.co/3ZhCmtkLyZ) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479491882648485891)
2022-01-07T17:49:42Z	**“Eloquence is like a flame**
“Eloquence is like a flame: made greater by its material, fiercer with movement, and brighter the more it burns.”

\- Tacitus, Dialogue on Oratory, 36

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIhHBaDWUAgjZVs.jpg)](https://t.co/zKPBc2YwSu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479510571586367496)
2022-01-07T19:47:46Z	**"Great was the respect once paid to silver hair**
"Great was the respect once paid to silver hair. Great was the honour once given to wrinkles of age."

\- Ovid (Fasti, Book V)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIhhUG9X0AwuZbX.jpg)](https://t.co/rK2gUo6y2O) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479540283054469132)
2022-01-08T15:07:20Z	**Onesatius was tutor (paedagogus) to the emperor's children**
Onesatius was tutor (paedagogus) to the emperor's children, whilst Titus Flavius Hermes was in charge of the imperial family’s bedding. Double funerary tablet from a columbarium tomb at Rome, 2nd century AD, Verona Maffeiano Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIlrb65XwAU9606.jpg)](https://t.co/w4POL4eALl) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479832096155779075)
2022-01-08T17:58:26Z	**Eutyches has taken the names Titus Flavius**
Eutyches has taken the names Titus Flavius, telling us he gained his freedom under the Flavian dynasty. Onesatius dying in roughly same period raises the question of what imperial family with children they worked under? After Vespasian, no emp had children for almost a century. ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479875156688392195)
2022-01-08T18:00:41Z	**Hermes has taken the names Titus Flavius**
Hermes has taken the names Titus Flavius, telling us he gained his freedom under the Flavian dynasty. Onesatius dying in roughly same period raises the question of what imperial family with children they worked under? After Vespasian, no emp had children for almost a century. ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1479875722344816644)
2022-01-09T12:38:42Z	**“I prefer order to chaos**
“I prefer order to chaos, creation to destruction, gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. On the whole I think that knowledge is preferable to ignorance, and I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable than ideology." - Kenneth Clark

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqS3kuX0AA3YIW.jpg)](https://t.co/BmoI2bo0a0) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480157081407836167)
2022-01-09T13:18:01Z	**Who's up for a fun Roman yarn today**
Who's up for a fun Roman yarn today?

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video_thumb/FIqcA9VXwAEsDzn.jpg)](https://t.co/DDCJUDcYt4) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480166974974050304)
2022-01-09T14:10:40Z	**1) A fantastical Roman 'monster' story and marvellous example of an ancient urban myth - to be taken with a generous pinch of salt for sure but all the more entertaining for it**
1) A fantastical Roman 'monster' story and marvellous example of an ancient urban myth - to be taken with a generous pinch of salt for sure but all the more entertaining for it..

The bustling ancient port of Puteoli. Vessels from around the empire jostle to offload their cargo..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqnoiNXI ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480180224063123456)
2022-01-09T14:16:39Z	**4) There is only one way to solve the mystery of the vanishing fish cargo**
4) There is only one way to solve the mystery of the vanishing fish cargo: the workers nominate one of their own to stand guard that night, reassuring him he is the most courageous of them all.

As darkness descends, he hides in the locked storeroom gripping his knife tightly..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqpa9AXoAANZRi.jpg)](https://t.co/a6ylxBugOd) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480181730002837506)
2022-01-09T14:13:56Z	**3) Sifting through the broken pottery fragments and remains of the pickled produce**
3) Sifting through the broken pottery fragments and remains of the pickled produce, the men argue about who could be responsible for the night raids. Rivals in the import trade? A criminal gang? No attempt has been made upon the doors. Windows, roof and walls, all are undamaged..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqoyIDXoAgayWo.jpg)](https://t.co/YJsUqphKZD) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480181044238295042)
2022-01-09T14:12:29Z	**2) In the harbourside home of an Iberian merchant**
2) In the harbourside home of an Iberian merchant, confusion reigns. Workers stand perplexed among the smashed remnants of ceramic amphora vessels. Yet again, a large amount of their valuable cargo: prime pickled fish imported from southern Hispania, has vanished overnight..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqodc5XIAIbSTA.jpg)](https://t.co/d6tDE3LP4t) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480180679950454784)
2022-01-09T14:21:02Z	**5) Dozing off in the stillness of the early hours**
5) Dozing off in the stillness of the early hours, the sudden smash of pottery jolts him back to reality. Cold beams of full-moon light cut through the dark storeroom and, moving weirdly between them, he catches sight of the uninvited guest. Surely he must be dreaming..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqqbQNXoAAcNQi.jpg)](https://t.co/tkjbAfF3Yi) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480182831045390339)
2022-01-09T14:24:10Z	**6) Peering from the shadows**
6) Peering from the shadows, he watches fearfully as the creature wraps its enormous sucker-covered arms around the jars, like a wrestler putting a strangle-hold upon his adversary, and crushes one earthenware vessel after another before devouring the pickled contents..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqrDaMWQAEIjH_.jpg)](https://t.co/9FVxyX3VJ6) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480183620530839554)
2022-01-09T14:30:29Z	**8) The men resolve to arm themselves and wait for the creature that night as a group - some out for personal revenge**
8) The men resolve to arm themselves and wait for the creature that night as a group - some out for personal revenge, others out of curiousity for such a strange spectacle. Later they stand ready for the marauder, watching in disbelief as he emerges from the strangest of places..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqsl2GXoAYJ_9k.jpg)](https://t.co/VW6T4KSjgD) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480185210708934657)
2022-01-09T14:27:09Z	**7) He quickly decides against attacking the otherworldly brute single-handed**
7) He quickly decides against attacking the otherworldly brute single-handed, judging the eight-armed robber too much for one man. In the morning he tells the others what he saw. None of them can believe their ears. With their losses now desperate, drastic action is called for..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqrzlzX0AQA_Qf.jpg)](https://t.co/jD3w11dSDG) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480184371449679881)
2022-01-09T14:38:11Z	**9) A bizarre slurping and bubbling draws their attention to the latrine**
9) A bizarre slurping and bubbling draws their attention to the latrine, with its drop hole connecting directly to the sewers. From the hole a suckered limb emerges eerily. Soon eight arms have unravelled, hauling the hungry octopus out of the latrine for his nightly feast..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIquWqVXIA4odT_.jpg)](https://t.co/1rlDwdKU03) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480187149018402816)
2022-01-09T14:46:45Z	**11) The men set upon the octopus thief with well-sharpened cleavers**
11) The men set upon the octopus thief with well-sharpened cleavers. A chaotic fight ensues. Some are caught in the tight grip of its suckered arms but soon, like woodmen lopping branches from an oak, they cut away its slippery appendages and with them the creature's strength..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqwSmSXwAA7k6G.jpg)](https://t.co/YZyKhGH3Yu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480189303342911488)
2022-01-09T14:43:25Z	**10) They watch in disbelief as the octopus makes its way towards the fish jars**
10) They watch in disbelief as the octopus makes its way towards the fish jars, gliding surreally on its curling, slimy appendages. When it is far enough away from the latrine, the men strike, sealing off the conduit to the sewer and trapping the creature in the room ..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqvhuNWQAgiGA4.jpg)](https://t.co/693vp9V391) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480188465098674186)
2022-01-09T14:49:45Z	**12) At long last they overcome the giant octopus but not without considerable effort - the creature that had attained a monstrous bulk in the Mediterranean and felt it deserved wider pastures**
12) At long last they overcome the giant octopus but not without considerable effort - the creature that had attained a monstrous bulk in the Mediterranean and felt it deserved wider pastures, learning to prefer the food of the land to that of the sea.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqw__RWUAQfPNA.jpg)](http ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480190057709547524)
2022-01-09T14:56:43Z	**14) The octopus can indeed venture onto dry land**
14) The octopus can indeed venture onto dry land, often crossing land barriers between two bodies of water. As Aelian suggests, they are known for their intelligence, craft and mischief. Recently they have been observed using tools, for instance using coconut shells as armour..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1480191538424688650/pu/img/6Oepb95yNRAb1CF0.jpg)](https://t.co/aGYqoklhGN) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480191811423547396)
2022-01-09T14:53:29Z	**13) With the creature defeated and the mystery solved**
13) With the creature defeated and the mystery solved, the fish merchants observed how ironic it was that in the end, they made their greatest ever catch on dry land! Aelian's tale of the thieving latrine-octopus may seem outlandish but it incorporates many plausible elements..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIqx0vcXoAQzz6c.jpg)](https://t.co/iXlED0g9Lo) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480190998827393027)
2022-01-09T15:04:54Z	**15) An octopus venturing from the sea into a Roman sewer drain and up a latrine is also plausible**
15) An octopus venturing from the sea into a Roman sewer drain and up a latrine is also plausible, highlighting an unfortunate aspect of Roman plumbing: home toilets could be more curse than blessing, as with no trap system, they allowed in animals and gases from the sewer below.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIq0R8qX0AQIAp6.jpg)](https://t.co/0mAyiPOUF1) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480193873754349569)
2022-01-09T15:19:54Z	**16) Claudius Aelianus (Aelian) tells the wonderful tale of Puteoli's fish-thieving giant octopus in his work 'De Natura Animalium' - On the Nature of Animals (Book 13**
16) Claudius Aelianus (Aelian) tells the wonderful tale of Puteoli's fish-thieving giant octopus in his work 'De Natura Animalium' - On the Nature of Animals (Book 13.6)

{END}

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIq30ORWYAE2Mis.jpg)](https://t.co/rn9rxafCaT) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480197647302635521)
2022-01-09T15:32:29Z	**👀**
👀 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480200813376991235)
2022-01-09T19:40:05Z	**The Roman bronze globe that once crowned the top of the Vatican obelisk which was brought to Rome by Caligula and originally stood on the spina of his racetrack**
The Roman bronze globe that once crowned the top of the Vatican obelisk which was brought to Rome by Caligula and originally stood on the spina of his racetrack. Medieval legend had it that the orb held the ashes of Julius Caesar - it was removed and opened but found to be empty.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIrzH7hWQAMTEWw.jpg)](https:/ ... ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480263125572145158)
2022-01-09T22:50:19Z	**The things you come across when researching posts**
The things you come across when researching posts. Like humans, primates and birds, Octopuses use tools, often for self-defence. This octopus, who has been carrying around a coconut as a shelter, defends himself from an attack using a seashell as a shield!

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIsfAawXIAcCRdK.jpg)](https://t.co/OjZrdE04lU) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480310998703738886)
2022-01-09T23:04:53Z	**Me**
Me: never found a Roman coin hoard.

Badgers: [https://t.co/SM9rCYm8Uu](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/09/hungry-badger-may-have-uncovered-roman-coins-in-spanish-cave) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480314662260551681)
2022-01-10T20:34:02Z	**Incredible 9-metre Roman mosaic discovered in Aquinum in 2016**
Incredible 9-metre Roman mosaic discovered in Aquinum in 2016. The mosaic celebrates the magistrate Marcus Veccius who built baths for men and women (balneum virile et muliebre) with a gymnasium, vaults and ornamentation - all at his own expense (sua pecunia faciunda curavit).

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIxI5IEXsAYH_Gb.jpg)](https://t.co/vprw2kopBx) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480639089099653123)
2022-01-11T17:47:49Z	**Monumental block inscribed in Eteo-Cypriot - an undeciphered language**
Monumental block inscribed in Eteo-Cypriot - an undeciphered language. From Marion Arsinoe (modern Polis, Cyprus) c.400 BC. Ashmolean Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI1s8VpXIAkqgFv.jpg)](https://t.co/Oa1PQy0MX2) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480959647670575108)
2022-01-11T20:13:17Z	**The Myrtle Cottage hoard**
The Myrtle Cottage hoard: five gold aurei found under a Roman barrack block in Caerleon, fortress headquarters of the Second Augustan Legion for over two centuries. Each of the five coins represents a full month's pay for the legionary soldier that buried them and never returned.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI2MPW3XEAkqXW-.jpg)](https://t.co/DthPgvWP3v) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1480996255258103815)
2022-01-11T20:29:35Z	**From top to bottom the coins show**
From top to bottom the coins show:

1) Nero and Agrippina, 55 AD

2) Nero, 61 AD

3) Vespasian, 72 AD

4) Titus as Caesar, 74 AD

5) Domitian as Caesar, 75 AD ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481000358600224773)
2022-01-12T19:09:52Z	**Trajan is presented with the severed heads of Dacian warriors by Roman auxiliaries eager to impress the emperor**
Trajan is presented with the severed heads of Dacian warriors by Roman auxiliaries eager to impress the emperor. (Scene 24 of Trajan’s Column)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI7JUXVX0AgcoNL.jpg)](https://t.co/Xpuri0v03E) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481342684015079433)
2022-01-13T12:17:02Z	**Roman paving with large phallic graffito carving**
Roman paving with large phallic graffito carving, displayed in-situ under Zadar Archaeological Museum, Croatia [#phallusthursday](https://twitter.com/hashtag/phallusthursday)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI-0YQcXEAE3npE.jpg)](https://t.co/pdfVvQAvc8) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481601177548693504)
2022-01-13T19:26:17Z	**"Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts**
"Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts: the book of their deeds, their words and their art. Not one of these books can be understood unless we read the two others, but of the three the only trustworthy one is the last."

\- John Ruskin (1819-1900)

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJAV_JSXEAcCJuh.jpg)](https://t.co/pamPVPcQNu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481709203672780806)
2022-01-13T20:05:25Z	**The poshest toilet in ancient Rome**
The poshest toilet in ancient Rome? This luxurious commode carved in red 'rosso antico' marble has been theorised to have come from the imperial palace, perhaps used by the emperor himself. The 'stercory chair' was used in the inauguration of new popes until 1560. Vatican Museums

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJAcFAzXEAELr6k.jpg)](https://t.co/EfD4foWLEw) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481719051852427271)
2022-01-13T20:26:26Z	**The seat gave rise to amusing urban myth that during enthronement**
The seat gave rise to amusing urban myth that during enthronement, the pope-elect had to sit on the seat naked while cardinals inspected his genitalia to confirm his masculinity. In fact the 'dung chair' was used to remind the Pope "that he rises out of clay and dung,"

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJAkaY9XMAUQzjM.png)](https://t.co/KlTm0NAyiC) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481724341436153856)
2022-01-13T20:32:12Z	**The ancient seat gave rise to amusing urban myth that during enthronement**
The ancient seat gave rise to amusing urban myth that during enthronement, the pope-elect had to sit on it naked while cardinals inspected his genitalia to confirm his masculinity. In fact the 'dung chair' was used to remind the Pope "that he rises out of clay and dung."

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJAlvLzWQAEKFff.png)](https://t.co/EWsUYChEEp) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481725791281229824)
2022-01-13T20:41:56Z	**The ancient seat gave rise to an amusing urban myth that during enthronement**
The ancient seat gave rise to an amusing urban myth that during enthronement, the pope-elect had to sit on it naked while cardinals inspected his genitalia to confirm his masculinity. In fact the 'dung chair' was used to remind the Pope "that he rises out of clay and dung."

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJAn-jzXMAMs4mH.jpg)](https://t.co/nJZB6nb9ge) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1481728239324254218)
2022-01-14T18:49:53Z	**Roman wing-brooch crafted in gold and silver with carnelian gemstones**
Roman wing-brooch crafted in gold and silver with carnelian gemstones. The richly decorated brooch is an exceptional example of a type made in the Roman border province of Pannonia, on the Danube River. 2nd-3rd century AD, Metropolitan Museum of Art

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJFWSWPWQAcU16J.jpg)](https://t.co/zcEqipqh9t) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482062430486384644)
2022-01-14T19:42:06Z	**'Ruins of the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill'**
'Ruins of the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill', Cesare Biseo, 1900

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJFjfsDXoAAtWxo.jpg)](https://t.co/KAFpcWTeQw) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482075572457070600)
2022-01-14T20:21:57Z	**Details of the etching**
Details of the etching..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJFsq51XoAIDNR9.jpg)](https://t.co/VnEbu4SjAg) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482085600547254288)
2022-01-14T20:31:41Z	**At the age of sixteen and a half**
At the age of sixteen and a half, Prima Florentia was murdered by her husband Orpheus, who threw her in the River Tiber. Her parents Restutus Piscinensis and Prima Restuta made this modest funerary plaque for their "beloved" daughter. Portus, 2nd century AD

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJFtsqzXwAMN7aU.png)](https://t.co/osQsuhocJ9) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482088049395777547)
2022-01-14T20:37:24Z	**Florentia's parents were probably not successful in prosecuting her husband Orpheus and her epitaph makes no mention of his punishment**
Florentia's parents were probably not successful in prosecuting her husband Orpheus and her epitaph makes no mention of his punishment. Instead, her family resorted to condemnation by public opinion, naming him on the tablet as her murderer for all to see.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJFwLfUXMAEludE.jpg)](https://t.co/WYepErUYYN) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482089486163091458)
2022-01-15T09:44:27Z	**1/2) During an archaeological excavation in Sedgeford**
1/2) During an archaeological excavation in Sedgeford, Norfolk in 2003, a volunteer using a metal detector registered a strong signal from an unremarkable animal bone. Before investigating further, the archaeologists took the muddy bone to the nearby hospital for an X-ray..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJIkbA4XoAEA72Y.jpg)](https://t.co/LFb0mFbjJd) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482287557090156544)
2022-01-15T09:49:27Z	**2/2) The cow leg bone was found to be the hiding place of thirty-nine Iron Age gold staters minted in Gaul c**
2/2) The cow leg bone was found to be the hiding place of thirty-nine Iron Age gold staters minted in Gaul c.60-50 BC, around the time of Caesar's conquest - perhaps brought to Britain by Gallic migrants or British mercenaries returning home with their pay. Lynn Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJIlcOlWUAEDsMJ.jpg)](https://t.co/OjtrHR0J2E) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482288811992391681)
2022-01-15T12:35:04Z	**Step-by-step excavation of the Frome hoard**
Step-by-step excavation of the Frome hoard, discovered by metal detectorist Dave Crisp in 2010. The enormous pot contained 52,503 Roman coins, weighing in at 160 kg - the second largest Roman coin hoard yet found in Britain..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJJH2UeXEAQEHEk.jpg)](https://t.co/rSXpw98Ggl) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482330492800319491)
2022-01-15T12:54:02Z	**The coins were painstakingly removed from the pot in 12 separate layers and found to date from c**
The coins were painstakingly removed from the pot in 12 separate layers and found to date from c.250 to 290 AD. They cover about 30 rulers, terminating with Carausius, a renegade emperor who ruled in Britain from 286 to 293.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJJMn1NWQAcpmDF.jpg)](https://t.co/IxHmWdZ4MP) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482335264555118595)
2022-01-15T13:08:34Z	**2/2) The coins were painstakingly removed from the pot in 10 separate layers and found to date from c**
2/2) The coins were painstakingly removed from the pot in 10 separate layers and found to date from c.250 to 290 AD. They cover about 30 rulers, terminating with Carausius, a renegade emperor who ruled in Britain from 286 to 293.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJJTNR8XMAIt18u.jpg)](https://t.co/N6LyfrWljK) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482338922961199104)
2022-01-15T15:55:37Z	**A refreshing walk with Augustus above a sea of fog at my local Iron Age hill fort**
A refreshing walk with Augustus above a sea of fog at my local Iron Age hill fort.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJJ5ndYXEAg5X1F.jpg)](https://t.co/LG0mgwp64B) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482380962872938496)
2022-01-15T17:10:09Z	**Suger's Eagle**
Suger's Eagle: an ancient porphyry vase from 2nd century Roman Egypt, mounted in a medieval gilded-silver eagle. Abbot Suger (1081-1151), rebuilder of the great Church of Saint-Denis, found the vase lying forgotten in an old chest and adapted it into a liturgical vessel. Louvre

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJKFnDHXIAUm3lM.jpg)](https://t.co/1zzaJumkpP) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482399721809399811)
2022-01-15T17:18:01Z	**Suger's Eagle**
Suger's Eagle: an ancient porphyry vase from 2nd century Roman Egypt, mounted in a medieval gilded-silver eagle. Abbot Suger (1081-1151), rebuilder of the great Church of Saint-Denis, found the vase lying forgotten in an old chest and adapted it into a liturgical vessel. Louvre

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJKMYVNXoAMSrOw.jpg)](https://t.co/UpgTGWdeyG) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482401698895257600)
2022-01-15T22:54:10Z	**I hear Wes Anderson’s next film**
I hear Wes Anderson’s next film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes, will tell the story of the discovery of the Mildenhall Treasure.. ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482486294622187522)
2022-01-16T13:47:54Z	**To celebrate his receiving of the title ‘Augustus’ on this day in 27 BC - a detail of an electrifying portrait of the first emperor from my collection**
To celebrate his receiving of the title ‘Augustus’ on this day in 27 BC - a detail of an electrifying portrait of the first emperor from my collection..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJOl-t7XMAQBo__.jpg)](https://t.co/XdqE4rytr1) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482711208440565761)
2022-01-16T18:05:54Z	**A necklace and gold-garnet brooch from a fascinating period in history**
A necklace and gold-garnet brooch from a fascinating period in history. Deposited in a 7th century grave, the necklace is made of glass and amethyst beads with gold Byzantine and Frankish coins mounted as pendants and a central pendant of Roman millefiori glass. From Sarre, Kent

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJPesDLWYAQzfC7.jpg)](https://t.co/R99ONhYBbd) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482776138334314505)
2022-01-16T18:39:59Z	**Gilded-silver pepper pots from the Hoxne hoard**
Gilded-silver pepper pots from the Hoxne hoard, c.400 AD. From left to right: a hunting hound catching a hare, Hercules wrestling the giant Antaeus, and a resting ibex with blue glass eyes. Pepper was a highly valued commodity in the Roman world, imported all the way from India.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJPl09YXIAQLEGW.jpg)](https://t.co/sYv82d2MCB) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482784713169326092)
2022-01-16T19:28:29Z	**Anamorphic portrait of a young Edward VI**
Anamorphic portrait of a young Edward VI, son of Henry VIII - shown in distorted perspective (anamorphosis) to display the virtuosity of the painter and amaze the spectator. Through an eyepiece at the right Edward can be seen in correct perspective! By Guillim Scrots, 1546

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJPzoXaWQAY3ESO.jpg)](https://t.co/BMDxShLPsq) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482796921928486913)
2022-01-16T20:28:36Z	**“Praise no day until evening**
“Praise no day until evening, no wife until cremation, no sword until tested, no maiden until marriage, no ice until crossed, no ale until drunk.”

Viking proverb from 'The Hávamál' c.10th century

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJQBBfXXoAADLVb.jpg)](https://t.co/9RJuWPauqX) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1482812049667371012)
2022-01-17T16:46:25Z	**Roman marble and bronze table (1st century AD) probably used in a wealthy Roman’s villa to exhibit a particularly fine work of art or expensive metal or glass vessels**
Roman marble and bronze table (1st century AD) probably used in a wealthy Roman’s villa to exhibit a particularly fine work of art or expensive metal or glass vessels. From Boscoreale, near Pompeii. The Met

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJUYbUhXsAAuaru.jpg)](https://t.co/JLiZh3yDGu) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483118520833564678)
2022-01-17T20:05:32Z	**1/3) 'The Ideal City' of Urbino - one of three elongated 15th century paintings imagining the ultimate expression of the harmonious Renaissance cityscape**
1/3) 'The Ideal City' of Urbino - one of three elongated 15th century paintings imagining the ultimate expression of the harmonious Renaissance cityscape, utilising precise perspective and showing architecture as the perfect setting for social man...

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJVF0qmXsAM81-k.jpg)](https://t.co/njc6L6KhVa) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483168633417261063)
2022-01-17T20:11:05Z	**3/3) The square should also be a refuge of town elders 'including a handsome portico**
3/3) The square should also be a refuge of town elders 'including a handsome portico, under which the old men may spend the heat of the day. The presence of the fathers may also restrain the youth from the mischief and folly natural to their age.'

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJVHRHnWYAEB1Qe.jpg)](https://t.co/qZpdD1ryAD) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483170030309330947)
2022-01-17T20:09:54Z	**2/3) In his landmark architectural treatise 'On the Art of Building' (c**
2/3) In his landmark architectural treatise 'On the Art of Building' (c.1450) Alberti states the town square should be a communal space 'where the youth can employ themselves in all manner of exercise' and 'there should be space left in the piazza for nurses and their children..'

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJVG6OHXEAcmWnW.jpg)](https://t.co/Ufc6GtRW3h) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483169731234385920)
2022-01-17T21:32:31Z	**Click the pic for Renaissance in widescreen**
Click the pic for Renaissance in widescreen! 👀 ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483190521036165122)
2022-01-18T16:50:37Z	**2/2) Indeed**
2/2) Indeed, in his '"Meditations" Aurelius thanks Rusticus for his teaching: "From Rusticus I learned that my character required improvement and discipline; I am indebted to him for acquainting me with the discourses of Epictetus, which he gave to me out of his own collection."

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJZi-yrXsAEEW7U.jpg)](https://t.co/vLHD5wuYkg) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483481968629198852)
2022-01-18T16:49:13Z	**1/2) Basalt merchant's weight of 10 Roman pounds**
1/2) Basalt merchant's weight of 10 Roman pounds, with an official inscription: 'By the authority of Quintus Junius Rusticus, prefect of the city." As well as being a magistrate, Rusticus was a notable Stoic philosopher and teacher of the emperor Marcus Aurelius..

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJZiqV-XMAoHkrD.jpg)](https://t.co/sehKziHFlt) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483481615372361730)
2022-01-18T19:28:43Z	**An unbroken Roman glass bottle of olive oil from Pompeii**
An unbroken Roman glass bottle of olive oil from Pompeii, still sealed with its cork stopper. Though solidified after being buried since 79 AD, the contents apparently still smell strongly of olive oil.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJaHK31XEAIuynQ.jpg)](https://t.co/xCmiBQudFj) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483521756447092743)
2022-01-19T18:38:14Z	**Some essential items you'll need for your Romano-Egyptian religious ritual**
Some essential items you'll need for your Romano-Egyptian religious ritual: a sistrum bronze rattle used to summon your deity such as the goddess Isis, a miniature altar for burning offerings and making libations, and a situla stoup for pouring sacred water. Allard Pierson Museum

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJfEz74WQAMfYJn.jpg)](https://t.co/uG5wmU2YXS) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483871436011880451)
2022-01-19T20:30:18Z	**Right foot from a Roman bronze statue wearing an ornate sandal boot**
Right foot from a Roman bronze statue wearing an ornate sandal boot, laced down the front and decorated with waves and spiralling tendrils along the sides. MFA Boston

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJfddYGX0AIeD1F.jpg)](https://t.co/P0PAwoyQiR) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1483899639099187205)
2022-01-20T19:47:08Z	**The philosophers of Plato's Academy**
The philosophers of Plato's Academy, shown in a remarkable Roman mosaic from the villa of Titus Siminius Stephanus in Pompeii. The Academy hold a lecture under a sundial - led by Plato, who sits centrally in a dark robe, and points with a stick to a globe below. 1st century BC

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJkWlwDX0AgyRU9.jpg)](https://t.co/jUmFM4Xg8H) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1484251164510232576)
2022-01-20T20:30:13Z	**link**
[https://t.co/hOJ4h7G7k7](http://www.electrummagazine.com/2011/11/platos-circle-in-the-mosaic-of-pompeii/) ⌘ [Read more](https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1484262006022619136)