A Scholar. Fresco fragment from the ‘Villa of Catullus’ at Sirmione on Lake Garda (in Italy). Roman, ca. 1st c. BCE to 1st c. CE.

Citation: Image courtesy of Gareth Harney. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Fresco from the House of Meleager at Pompeii. Roman, ca. 62-79 CE. A scene from Vergil’s Aeneid: Queen Dido on her throne with attendants to her right & Africa’s (or Carthage’s) embodiment (a woman wearing an elephant-tusk headdress) to her left, as Aeneas’ ship sails away in the background.

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on March 5, 2026 at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (Inv. #8898). CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

Detail of figures to Dido’s right. Photo by Leah Himmelhoch (March 5, 2026).

Fresco depicting scenes of daily life in Pompeii: the sale of fabrics. From Pompeii, the Estate/Villa of Julia Felix, ca. 62-79 CE.

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on March 5th, 2026 at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (Inv. #9064). CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

Detail. Photo taken by Leah Himmelhoch (March 5th 2026).

Fresco, portrait of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife. From Pompeii, Italy, the House of Terentius Neo; ca. 55-79 CE. He holds a scroll while his wife holds a writing tablet with a stylus, as they proudly display evidence of their education & literacy.

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on March 5th, 2026 at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

A mosaic depicting gladiators. Found on the Via Appia, Rome (Italy); ca. 3rd c. CE (200s CE). (Floor mosaics often ‘read’ from the ‘bottom-up’, since you approach the bottom panel before the top one). Bottom row: two lanistae (referees/ trainers) oversee a combat between Kalendio (a retiarius, ‘net fighter’, armed with trident & net) & Astyanax (a secutor, ‘pursuer’, the typical light-armed opponent of a retiarius). Top row: Astyanax won (vicit) & Kalendio died (the crossed out ‘o’ next to Kalendio’s name is an abbreviation for obiit, ‘he died’).

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on February 19th, 2026; Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

A mosaic depicting gladiators. Found on the Via Appia, Rome (Italy); ca. 3rd c. CE (200s CE). (Floor mosaics often ‘read’ from the ‘bottom-up’, since you approach the bottom panel before the top one). Bottom row: Two lanistae (referees/trainers) oversee combat between Habilis & Maternus, who are equites gladiators (with swords, round shields, brimmed helmets with two feathers). Top row: Maternus dies (the crossed out ‘o’ after his name means obiit, ‘he died’); Habilis bids Maternus farewell(?). Bottom row Latin: QUIBUS PUGNANTIBUS SYMMACHIUS FERRUM MISIT (For the ones who fight, Symmachius guided/thrust the sword). Symmachius was either the games’ oganizor (editor) or the gladiators’ owner; either way, he ‘thrust/guided’ the sword that killed Maternus. Top row Latin: ME IO HAEC VIDEMUS SYMMACHI HOMO FELIX (Hooray, me! We are seeing these things/events. Symmachius, [you are] a lucky man).

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on February 19th, 2026; Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

A mosaic depicting the quadriga (four-horse chariot) of the Green team (factio prasina) at the Circus Maximus. From Rome, 3rd c. CE (200s CE). Chariot racing was the most popular sport in Rome; Romans of all backgrounds & ranks were obsessed with their particular ‘team.’ There were four teams: Red, White, Green, Blue.

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on February 19th, 2026; Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

A mosaic depicting the quadriga (four-horse chariot) of the Red team (factio russata) at the Circus Maximus. From Rome, 3rd c. CE (200s CE). Chariot racing was the most popular sport in Rome; Romans of all backgrounds & ranks were obsessed with their particular ‘team.’ There were four teams: Red, White, Green, Blue.

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken February 19th, 2026; Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

A mosaic depicting the quadriga (four-horse chariot) of the Red team (factio russata) at the Circus Maximus. From Rome, 3rd c. CE (200s CE). Chariot racing was the most popular sport in Rome; Romans of all backgrounds & ranks were obsessed with their particular ‘team.’ There were four teams: Red, White, Green, Blue.

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on February 19th, 2026; Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

(Details from this mosaic).

A composite image of two mosaic fragments, each showing a quadriga (chariot) racing at the local circus (chariot race track) in Paradas, Spain, where these fragments were found. Roman Imperial period, 4th c. CE (300s CE).

Citation: Photos courtesy of Carole Raddato, taken on Feb 6, 2016 at the Museo Arqueológico de Sevilla. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Floor mosaic depicting the god Dionysus fighting men of India. Found in Tusculum, Italy at the Villa Ruffinella; Roman Imperial period, ca. 300 CE – 350 CE.

Citation: Photo courtesy of Leah Himmelhoch, taken on February 27, 2026 at the Museo Nazionale Romano di Palazzo Massimo. CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

Tondo. Panel painting (tempera on wood) of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (ruled 193-211 CE), his wife Julia Domna (from Syria) & their sons Geta & Caracalla. Romano-Egyptian, ca. 200 CE. Septimius Severus was born in the province of Africa (modern Libya) at Leptis Magna. He was of Libyan, Phoenician, & Italian ancestry. Some debate whether his darker skin is historically accurate, arguing that it follows the artistic convention of painting men with darker skin. Yet an Egyptian artist painted this tondo (note its style resembles ‘mummy portraits’) & it was Egyptian convention was to paint real likenesses.

Citation: Image courtesy of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Antikensammlung. Obj. 681547. CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Geta’s face is scratched out: after Caracalla murdered Geta in 212 CE, he formally condemned Geta’s memory (an act called damnatio memoriae); every mention and depiction of Geta was destroyed.