ANTIQUE ENTERTAINMENT

Today I visited the regional museum 'Huis van Hilde' in Castricum, a small town north of the city of Velsen or Roman 'Flevum' in The Netherlands. It was one of the large military settlements or castra, the Romans built along the northern border of their Empire, the Rhine River, to defend themselves against invaders and to prepare for conquests with several legions, in this case fleet expeditions to the Wadden Sea, Ems and Elbe and the invasion of England. There was a harbour where several warships could dock. Unlike most smaller forts, this army camp was built north of the river.  Both Ptolemy, who refers to "Phleum," and Tacitus mention this fortress, but its exact location has long remained a subject of speculation. In the 1980s however, a small Roman castellum was excavated near Velsen, which, according to coin finds and radiocarbon dating, must have been destroyed in the year 28. It is assumed that this was the castellum Flevum.  The fortress played an imp...

This morning I visited museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen, at Oppidum Batavorum or Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum . Het Valkhof is a remarkable museum with an extraordinary fine collection of Roman finds, both from the vicus and the military settlements. Among these finds are two beautiful objects, a green glazed bowl and a terra sigillata jar. One shows fighting gladiators and the other one a racing chariot. This well preserved bowl shows fighting gladiators in an amphitheater. A heavy armoured gladiator attacks his opponent, armed with trident and dagger. At the opposite side you can see a referee, carrying a stick, intervening. The bowl was made in Cologne (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium) and capital city of Germania Inferior, probably at the end of the 2nd century AD. It was found at the cemetry of Noviomagus. The second object is this terra sigillata jar, decorated by three medailions. One with a deer, one with a dog, and the one shown here, with a quadriga. The driver show...

Two weeks ago I visited Laurium or Laurum (Woerden) in the Netherlands. Laurium was a castellum in Germania Inferior along the Limes (river Rhine, currently the Old Rhine). Laurium is famous due to various ships (7) which were excavated near the vicus and the castellum. The first (wooden) construction of the fortification (auxilia) dates 41 AD, during the reign of Caligula. A few years later a castellum was built of stone. Probably to supply the Roman troops which invaded Britain. It is nice to find references to antique entertainment so close at home. This small oillamp with theatermask, dates approximately 75 AD. So made during the reign of Vespasian (69-79 AD), and although it is not the most beautful oillamp I have seen until now, it is still worth while this entry. It is on display at the Stadsmuseum Woerden. More pictures of theater masks and objects can be found here .

This Saturday, I visited museum Het Valkhof, at Oppidum Batavorum or Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum . The museum has an excellent collection on display, of which you can find some pictures here . Until now there are no traces of a theater at Noviomagus, although several finds relates to theatrical performances. Like the image at the oillamp, shown above. A beautiful find is a terra cotta mask, which has been found in Noviamagus, shown below. Specific personal features were painted and, while wearing it, you could breathe, see and speak. It was also possible to wear a wig. In Noviomagus six terra cotta masks have been discovered. The mask which is shown here, is probably presenting 'Manducus'. One of the characters of the popular Fabulae Atellanae, stand-up comedies, which were performed far into the 2nd century. The masks which have been found in Noviomagus (Kops Plateau) are made in Cologne (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensum [CCAA] ) and Trier (Augusta Treverorum). Most...