Basement part of the apse, consisting of an elevated, semi-cylindrical structure, often ending with a dome or semi-dome and sometimes covered with a wooden roof....

The porphyry rota was made of a round slab of porphyry, a noble material attributed to royalty, decorated at the edges with precious inserts and set in the floor of a reception hall. It was where a high-ranking individual would be placed. In the Roman Empire it was destined for emperors, then borro...

The Pannonian cap (pileus pannonicus) is a round-shaped cap used by the Roman army as early as the 3rd century AD, though it originates from Persia or the western part of the Balkan peninsula. It was widely used for its simple shape and was sewn using wool, felt, leather or coarse fabrics. It was a...

Imperial estates were the vast territories, subject to the power of Rome following the various campaigns for conquest that extended the borders of the Empire, including almost all of present-day Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor. In imperial times, there was maximum expansion, leading Diocletian ...

One comparison that can be traced back to the mosaic of the Villa del Casale can be found in a precious collection of silverware, the Seuso Treasure. One object in particular shows a scene very similar to the one depicted in the mosaic of the “small hunt”. It is a silver plate in which are narr...

Scenes of rural sacrifice have also been discovered in other private homes. In Lillebonne, the ancient Juliobona, in Upper Normandy, a floor mosaic similar to the one in the hall of the “small hunt” at the Villa del Casale was found. With a different representation, four hunting scenes are arr...

The strigil was a metal tool, similar to a scraper, used to remove creams and ointments applied during spa treatments or to remove sweat and dust from athletes’ bodies after competitions. Women would use it too, after covering their skin with olive oil to cleanse it....

The tepidarium is a moderate temperature room, located between the rooms for hot and cold baths, to avoid sudden changes in temperature. In the late antiquity domus, this space had to be separate from the adjoining massage room preceding it by a solid entrance door, to maintain the right temperatur...

In Rome, the thermal baths system had developed based on the therapeutic knowledge of Galenic medicine, which touted the benefits of sweating alternated with massage and hot and cold ablutions. Depending on its function, the Roman baths had rooms with different temperatures and sizes. The frigidar...

During the imperial age, the toga was used alongside more comfortable clothing. This included the paenula, which was used over the toga, almost to the point of replacing it. The paenula was a simple cloak, usually with a hood, mainly used to shelter from the cold and bad weather. It was worn over ...