Notes From Under the House

We went to the newly opened Muzeo. I think it’s been open since October and they’re still constructing it. The first gallery in the main annex is dedicated to the exhibit Imperial Rome. The first thing you see upon entering the room is a huge marble statue of a vestal virgin who looks like the Virgin Mary, simply called the “Veiled Woman.”  The exhibit covers the first to the fourth century of the Roman Empire. I think it was the fifth century when the empire fell, at least the western part. The eastern part evidently became the Byzantine Empire, where the Greek Orthodox Church comes from, and then became the Ottoman Empire.  

I’ve been to several Roman exhibits before and the pieces are always amazing. One room had small bronze statues framed in something similar to a diorama. Fragments of a sarcophagus; a bronze statue of the personification of Africa which was a female bust with the head covered by the hide of an elephant (somebody’s perception); another room had a roundtable display of Roman emperor’s busts. These displays are my favourite. We saw Caligula, Nero, and Otho; Traianus (sp?), Hadrian (I’ve always liked that name) and Commodus. Now, one of the theories they had about the busts not having any noses is that if the Roman people did not like any political leaders, they would chop off the noses as a sign of disrespect.  But I always thought Hadrian was one of the good guys. And I always thought the noses just came off because of age and travel. But then again I often wondered why it was always just the noses.   

Each room had music accompanying the collection. One room was playing what sounded like faintly howling ghosts walking down a hallway carrying chains. Another room was playing music that sounded very much like DCD, one of my faves.  

The Tragic Mask. The use of masks for decoration began in the Hellenistic period. Masks were associated with Dionysus and would often appear in reliefs, mosaics and wall decorations. In the theatre, women were not allowed to be actors so men would wear masks (downward turned mouth) and speak through a funnel. The funnel would create a high octave, female sounding voice.  

Upstairs at the adjoining annex they had Roman medical implements. The History Channel (I toggle between HC and TCM) had a program once were they mentioned that we use a lot of the same instruments today. The downstairs annex had tiles and models of villas. Not much there.  

The collection of jewelry: gold and amethyst and emeralds. I’m not big on precious gems, but these really were exquisite and delicate. I actually bought something out of the museum store which I never do because they rob you. I bought a reasonably priced pair of ‘historically inspired’ gold and pearl earrings that were designed by a local artist who happened to be there on the premises.   

In between the two buildings they had Roman Reenactments. A group of men dress in the Roman soldier attire and turn the courtyard into a military camp. They’re called Legio IX Hispana (the largest Roman Reenactment club in the US). It made me think of Braveheart.  

Now we’re on our way to a white elephant Christmas party.