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Amber in Antiquity
Amber, the fossilised resin of trees, was used throughout the ancient world for jewellery and decorative objects. The main source was the Baltic region where amber, known to mineralogists as succinite, was washed up onto beaches and easily...
Video
Phaethon and the Sun Chariot in Greek Mythology
The figure of Phaethon in Greek Mythology is best known for his attempt to drive the sun Chariot (the chariot of Helios), which ended up with disastrous results. Phaethon was the son of the titan god of the sun, Helios, and Clymene an ocean...
Definition
Helios
Helios (also Helius) was the god of the Sun in Greek mythology. Helios rode a golden chariot which brought the Sun across the skies each day from the east (Ethiopia) to the west (Hesperides). Helios was famously the subject of the Colossus...
Article
Pausanius' Guide To Ancient Athens
Pausanius (l. 110-180 CE) was a geographer and historian who traveled extensively, taking notes on points of interest, then wrote on them in guide books which could be used by tourists visiting the sites described. His works have long been...
Definition
Venus
In Roman mythology, Venus was the goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility. She was the Roman counterpart to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. However, Roman Venus had many abilities beyond the Greek Aphrodite; she was a goddess of victory...
Definition
Euripides
Euripides (c. 484-407 BCE) was one of the greatest authors of Greek tragedy. In 5th century BCE Athens his classic works such as Medeia cemented his reputation for clever dialogues, fine choral lyrics and a gritty realism in both his text...
Definition
Eos
Eos is the personification and goddess of the dawn in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia and the sister of Helios (Sun) and Selene (Moon). Dressed in a saffron-coloured mantle, Eos rides on her chariot in...
Article
A Visitor's Guide to Oplontis, Stabiae & Boscoreale
More than 2,000 years ago, extremely wealthy Romans lived on the sunny shores of the Bay of Naples at Pompeii and in opulent villas nearby, unconcerned about Mount Vesuvius in the distance. Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE), Augustus (r. 27 BCE...
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Upper Peristyle of Villa San Marco in Stabiae
The upper peristyle of Villa San Marco in Stabiae (Italy), with its surrounding portico and spiral-fluted columns, was added to the villa in the later years of its existence (just before 79 CE). The ceiling of the portico was lavishly decorated...