127 | 2025 Terres cuites et sociétés antiques Revue quadrimestrielle consacrée aux Sciences de l’Antiquité // Journal specialized in Classical studies (Greek and Roman history, philology, art history, archaeology)

Pallas No. 127 (2025) journals.openedition.org/pallas/29621 @openedition.bsky.social #openaccess Terres cuites et sociétés antiques @sculpsi.bsky.social

Join us on Monday at 17.00. AIAC Incontri at the Norwegian Institute in Rome

and now i cannot stop thinking about Mussolini in a squeeze between Hitler and the pope...
Really looking forward to reading this book!

Talking Classics with Mary Beard Podcast Episode · Instant Classics · 16 April · 57min

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i... This week I talk about Talking Classics (on Instant Classics). Next week it’s Grayson Perry on why he hates classical civilisation!

PROCESSION IN HONOUR OF DIANA, 209-211 CE. VATICAN MUSEUMS This fresco fragment comes from a building near Porta Laurentina in Ostia Antica, and was excavated in 1868, two years before papal collections of antiquities stopped with the taking of Rome by the kingdom of Italy. It was part of a painted calendar, and shows the celebration of the Natales Dianæ on 13 August, the main religious ceremony of the month. Against a cinnabar red background, 4 children at left, wearing formal dress, raise torches to a statue of the goddess, who is shown in the act of drawing an arrow from her quiver. To the right, a procession of 5 children is departing rightward. The first boy seems to be directing the others. Two are carrying staffs with bunches of grapes hanging from them, and two hold baskets of fruit.

#FrescoFriday takes us in a procession of #children to pay our respects to the goddess #Diana, in a #fresco from #Ostia now in the #VaticanMuseums. It's from a building with a painted #calendar dating from 209-211 CE. This scene represents #August, when Diana was celebrated. #AncientBluesky 🏺

Canonical Pulp Fiction Bible quote reception:
youtu.be/DlotoJBbmGI?...

Ungdommens kritikerpris 2026 En rapport fra det bankende hjertet i det nasjonale lesekriseindustrielle komplekset.

De fleste litteraturpriser feller smaksdommer. Men noen priser betyr mer enn andre, skriver Simen V. Gonsholt i sin reportasje fra utdelingen av Ungdommens kritikerpris 2026.

God, Slavery, and Early Christianity Cambridge Core - Classical Literature - God, Slavery, and Early Christianity

"God becomes what elite Roman villa owners only
dreamed of becoming: the panoptic enslaver"

some real banger lines in @chancebonar.bsky.social's book, folks...

www.cambridge.org/core/books/g...

God is a Woman Our beloved Ariana Grande teased both her and Madonna’s fans by hinting at something in a tweet on July 11…

Just thought I'd mention that Madonna did the Samuel L Jackson quote soo much better in God is a woman.

news.madonnatribe.com/en/2018/god-...

Large part of the wall with elaborate and detailed decorations, some so-called"Egyptian style" and Egyptian deities. Also botanical elements near the floor. Dark (faded black) background. The winged snake centrally placed on a horisontal band decorated with tiny figures. Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii

As seen in context centrally placed towards the lower part of the wall:
#frescoFriday

Winged snake with a head ornament, posing elegantly on an elevated kylix-like "plate". Square frame, black background.

One of my favourite characters from the Villa dei Misteri: a tiny winged snake with a cool crown-like head ornament.
#frescoFriday

An unusual statuette from Egypt's Late Period or Ptolemaic era, depicting an elegant #cat feeding her kittens. In this case, she's not a just a cat - she's Bastet, goddess of fertility, and protector of women and children. I love the kitten trying to give mama a kiss. 🐈‍⬛ 🏺 1/

📸 me #BrooklynMuseum

Remembering Averil Cameron, who sadly died this week: tinyurl.com/kbbx2bfn

Perpetua: A Martyr in Her Own Words Podcast Episode · Instant Classics · 9 April · 53min

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i... this week on Instant Classics- 3rd century CE Perpetua. What did it feel like to be facing trial as a Christian in the Roman Empire. In her own words

Gospel Book of Otto III c. 1000 Manuscript (Clm. 4453), 334 x 242 mm Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich This is another miniature from the Gospels of Otto III (folio 139r). It shows St Luke with a piles of manuscripts in his lap (their bindings studded with jewels) exalting all the Old Testament prophets who foretold the coming of Christ. Web gallery of art image: https://www.wga.hu/html_m/zgothic/miniatur/1001-050/1/1gospel5.html

I love this photo of Saint Luke with piles of manuscripts in his lap from the Gospel Book of Otto III (c. 1000 CE)
(Manuscript (Clm. 4453), Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich). Probably projection, but he looks traumatized by all the reading he still needs to do before the end of the semester.

Another Narcissus, this time for #FrescoFriday
From the house of Octavius Quartio in Pompeii.

📸 me

In stunning delicacy, Venus sits on a throne while wearing a crown. Before her stands the diminutive Cupid holding her staff. Behind her is one of her attendants (one of the Graces) who is busy securing Venus’ veil.

✨Venus✨

In stunning delicacy, Venus sits on a throne while wearing a crown. Before her stands the diminutive Cupid holding her staff. Behind her is one of her attendants (one of the Graces) who is busy securing Venus’ veil.

CORBEL FROM THE ISÆUM CAMPENSIS, 81-84 CE. CLOISTER OF S. MARIA SOPRA MINERVA The huge complex dedicated to Isis and Serapis in the Campus Martius has left many traces of its existence, from the "talking statue" called Madonna Lucrezia outside palazzo Venezia to the marble foot that gave its name to via Piè di Marmo and even perhaps the huge bronze Pigna or pinecone now in the Vatican Museums, along with many statues and columns in the Capitoline Museums. After a fire destroyed much of the Campus Martius in 80 CE, Domitian lavishly rebuilt the complex, and we can see here the Flavian baroque of his constructions. On either side of this scrolled corbel are lovely acanthus leaves, but the main element is a figure of a young boy in a chlamys. Both his arms are missing but one is raised up so he can put a finger to his lips: shhh. This is the syncretic god Harpocrates, son of Isis and Serapis, a god of silence and secrets.

For #ReliefWednesday we have a lushly-decorated corbel from the #IsæumCampensis, probably from #Domitian's rebuilding after the devastating #fire of 80 CE that ravaged the Campus Martius. This is a little #Harpocrates, son of #Isis and #Serapis, god of secrets. #AncientBluesky 🏺

Pet your dogs, everyone, and appreciate that they have no idea what is happening in this fucked up world.

Education in Religious Contexts of Late Antiquity Cambridge Core - Religion: General Interest - Education in Religious Contexts of Late Antiquity

🗣️ new Element in Religion in Late Antiquity! 🗣️

@monikaamsler.bsky.social's EDUCATION IN RELIGIOUS CONTEXTS OF LATE ANTIQUITY

⚡⚡⚡ free through April 8! ⚡⚡⚡

www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Red-figure terracotta kylix (cup) - the photo shows the interior, with a young boy in a chiton (tunic) and himation (cloak, here with a dark border) and holding a long rectangular set of wax-coated wooden writing tablets, bound with leather straps and a handle. The boy wears a laurel wreath on his head - probably for excelling at school. Athenian boys received their elementary education at three different places. They could learn to read, write, and do arithmetic at various private establishments. They learned to play the lyre and sing from a lyre master. And they were trained in gymnastics at a palaestra, a public or private exercise ground. On the inside of this cup, a boy trudges to school carrying a writing tablet, which consists of two wooden leaves coated on one side with wax and tied together. One could scratch into the wax surface with a sharp stylus and then smooth the wax to erase the marks. It has been suggested that the boys on the outside of the cup are playing school. On either side, two students approach a boy who is acting as teacher. Two of the boys have papyrus rolls on which various poetic works could be written.

Closeup shot of the tondo with the schoolboy, described in the other photo’s ALT text.

This red-figure kylix (cup) features a tondo of an Athenian schoolboy trudging to school, holding his wax writing tablets. He wears a laurel wreath, perhaps for winning a poetry competition. Plus ça change …🏺

Greek, Attic, ca. 460 BCE, attributed to the Painter of Munich 2660.

#MetMuseum 📸 me

muse.jhu.edu/issue/56670

Pasts Imperfect (4.2.26) This week, Nandini Pandey, Niek Janssen, and Christopher Londa discuss writing, labor, and enslavement in Roman antiquity. Then, a new book on Venice and the Mongols, how ancient Maya communities made...

The latest Pasts Imperfect is out! 📚 This week, Nandini Pandey, Niek Janssen & Christopher Londa discuss enslaved readers & writers in Roman antiquity. Then, Venice & the Mongols, a podcast on Cahokia, ancient astrological practices, ancient world journals from @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social & more.

Sacrifice before the cataclysm: the aromas of Pompeii’s household altars | EurekAlert!
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

The Judgement of Paris dated to the 3rd Century AD. Roman Mosaic from the Villa del Alcaparral in Casariche. Now in Museum of Archaeology, Seville. #MosaicMonday

March 26, 375 CE: Honoria, a 30-year-old mom is buried in the city of Salona (Croatia). She is buried in the sarcophagus with her parvula ("little girl") who died earlier—likely after childbirth (CIL III, 9506). mappola.eu/index.php/20... 0.5-2% of Roman women died in childbirth (versus 0.01 today).

New monastic guesthouse. Press release: - The discovery of an archaeological building that dates back to the beginning of Coptic Monarchy during the fifth century AD in the Kalaya region of Lake Governorate The Egyptian Archaeological Mission of the Supreme Council of Archaeological Archaeological, operating in the area of the Quarra'yat Bal Kelaya in the center of Housh Issa in the Lake Governorate, has successfully unearthed an archaeological building likely to be used as a guest house during the early period of Coptic monarchy, dating back to the fifth century AD, as part of the excavation work underway at the site. The works have revealed a number of architectural elements that were added to the building during later historic phases, reflecting its use evolved over subsequent periods of time. Dr. Hisham Alithi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Archaeological Archaeological, clarified that this discovery represents an important scientific addition to the study of the evolution of early monastic architecture in Egypt, pointing out that the Kalaya area is the second largest monastic gathering in the history of Christian monasticism, and that its architectural style reflects the first core of the founding of the monastery. He noted that the discovered motifs and illustrations are among the most prominent sources of the study of early Coptic art in Egypt, which contains historical and archeological indications that highlight the nature of monastic life and the evolution of the arts in its earliest stages. He added that this discovery clearly highlights the evolution of monastic architecture of the simplest feminine style, and shows the functional gradation from individual pansies to semi-group housing styles, reaching facilities dedicated to receiving visitors, whether from senior monastic fathers or students of monastic life, in favor of visitors. On his part, Dr. Zia Zahran, Head of the Islamic and Coptic Archaeological Sector of the Supreme Counci…

- The discovery of an archaeological building that dates back to the beginning of Coptic Monarchy during the fifth century AD in the Kalaya region of Lake Governorate The Egyptian Archaeological Mission of the Supreme Council of Archaeological Archaeological, operating in the area of the Quarra'yat Bal Kelaya in the center of Housh Issa in the Lake Governorate, has successfully unearthed an archaeological building likely to be used as a guest house during the early period of Coptic monarchy, dating back to the fifth century AD, as part of the excavation work underway at the site. The works have revealed a number of architectural elements that were added to the building during later historic phases, reflecting its use evolved over subsequent periods of time. Dr. Hisham Alithi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Archaeological Archaeological, clarified that this discovery represents an important scientific addition to the study of the evolution of early monastic architecture in Egypt, pointing out that the Kalaya area is the second largest monastic gathering in the history of Christian monasticism, and that its architectural style reflects the first core of the founding of the monastery. He noted that the discovered motifs and illustrations are among the most prominent sources of the study of early Coptic art in Egypt, which contains historical and archeological indications that highlight the nature of monastic life and the evolution of the arts in its earliest stages. He added that this discovery clearly highlights the evolution of monastic architecture of the simplest feminine style, and shows the functional gradation from individual pansies to semi-group housing styles, reaching facilities dedicated to receiving visitors, whether from senior monastic fathers or students of monastic life, in favor of visitors. On his part, Dr. Zia Zahran, Head of the Islamic and Coptic Archaeological Sector of the Supreme Council of Archaeological Archaeological, expl…

New Coptic epitaph. - The discovery of an archaeological building that dates back to the beginning of Coptic Monarchy during the fifth century AD in the Kalaya region of Lake Governorate The Egyptian Archaeological Mission of the Supreme Council of Archaeological Archaeological, operating in the area of the Quarra'yat Bal Kelaya in the center of Housh Issa in the Lake Governorate, has successfully unearthed an archaeological building likely to be used as a guest house during the early period of Coptic monarchy, dating back to the fifth century AD, as part of the excavation work underway at the site. The works have revealed a number of architectural elements that were added to the building during later historic phases, reflecting its use evolved over subsequent periods of time. Dr. Hisham Alithi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Archaeological Archaeological, clarified that this discovery represents an important scientific addition to the study of the evolution of early monastic architecture in Egypt, pointing out that the Kalaya area is the second largest monastic gathering in the history of Christian monasticism, and that its architectural style reflects the first core of the founding of the monastery. He noted that the discovered motifs and illustrations are among the most prominent sources of the study of early Coptic art in Egypt, which contains historical and archeological indications that highlight the nature of monastic life and the evolution of the arts in its earliest stages. He added that this discovery clearly highlights the evolution of monastic architecture of the simplest feminine style, and shows the functional gradation from individual pansies to semi-group housing styles, reaching facilities dedicated to receiving visitors, whether from senior monastic fathers or students of monastic life, in favor of visitors. On his part, Dr. Zia Zahran, Head of the Islamic and Coptic Archaeological Sector of the Supreme Council of Archaeologica…

Alright monasticism & early Christianity folks! Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities has announced the discovery of a late antique (A 400-499 CE) monastic, Coptic guesthouse at Al-Qalāyā, Roman Egypt, in the Nile Delta.
www.facebook.com/share/1CZA5p... Monasteries were not just in Upper Egypt.

Text in the museum's description: Seated Narcissus is reflected in the water beside a cupid with a torch Villa del Petraro, frigidarium 17 Stucco, c. AD 79 61002 Narciso seduto si specchia nell'acqua, accanto un amorino con fiaccola Villa del Petraro, frigidarium 17 Stucco, 79 d.C. ca.

Narcissus and Cupid, from Villa del Petraro, frigidarium 17
Stucco, c. AD 79
On display at Museo archeologico di Stabiae.
#ReliefWednesday

📸 me

📘 New book out! 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 (@bloomsburyacademic.bsky.social)
Co-edited with Francesca Mazzilli & Rubén Montoya González
My chapter: Roman Syria, #Palmyra & glocal visual culture.
🔗link in comments
#RomanArchaeology #Glocalization #VisualCulture

(+) Hva betyr det at gutter får Clavicular i feeden, enten de vil eller ikke? Ser du på et norsk klassebilde i 2026, er det stor sjanse for at guttene stryker fingeren langs kjevebenet. Det er et innforstått signal, skriver Peder Nyeggen.

www.morgenbladet.no/ideer/hva-si...