muralgirl

archaeologicalnews:

The bronze statue, which encapsulates the mythical origins of the Eternal City, is one of the star attractions in Rome’s Capitoline Museums and is reproduced on countless T-shirts, key rings and postcards.

It has always been claimed that it was forged in the fifth century BC during the Etruscan era, which predated the Roman republic and empire.

Five years ago it was subjected to carbon dating testing, which suggested that it may have been made during the Middle Ages.

But curators said the tests were inconclusive and the museum continued to insist that the wolf was an Etruscan creation dating back two-and-a-half millennia.

But the controversy was reignited yesterday, with scholars saying that in all probability it dates from the 13th century, amid suspicions that the museum disregarded the original carbon dating tests in order to preserve the potency and romance of Rome’s most abiding symbol. Read more.

Yesterday? I’m pretty sure this was in the news a couple of years ago, at least. I first heard about it in 2006. 

(via lostinhistory)

The Punisher is played by Ray Stevenson! Pullo from Rome! How can it be bad? And it has Julie Benz (Darla)!

Oh … 2 minutes in and he just stabbed a bunch of people in the skull. Including a middle aged woman.

Now he shoved a pencil up his own nose … 

They’re the chocolate kind with stars on them.

Yes.

I thought that all those romantically-shabby apartments in Rome (like in Eat, Pray, Love etc.) were fictional, but apparently not. Well, this place isn’t quite so extreme. It has Ikea furniture, but has been stripped down to its “original” wall decoration.

The building is in the area northeast of the train station, which is a part of town where a lot of immigrants live. The population is very diverse; the signs are in all different languages; and there are stores selling all kinds of cool stuff. Still pretty sure I will be able to find a regular Italian coffee bar in the morning, though.

People staying in another room in this apartment just came into the main, shared area. I am holed up in my bedroom, because I need more rest before I interact with other human beings. It’s bothering me that I can’t tell what language they’re speaking. It sounds a bit like English, but though I can hear them clearly, I can’t understand them.

(Nevermind, I just heard someone say, “Oh really?” And then someone else belched. And now I can clearly hear English spoken with an Australian accent. Strange how it was completely incomprehensible to me a few minutes ago.)

Just chilling in the basement lounge of my hotel, because my room isn’t ready for 2 more hours, and I’m super tired.

I’m lame, but I will be exciting tomorrow!

archaeologicalnews:

Notorious for being a cruel megalomaniac tyrant who persecuted early Christians, had his stepbrother, two of his wives and even his own mother murdered, Rome’s fifth emperor, Nero, has never been held dear in Roman history.

In fact, he has been accused of nearly destroying Rome, itself, by allegedly setting the Great Fire in 64 A.D. that devastated the city.

Now tourists can tour his first palace.

The remains of the magnificent estate on the Palatine hill where the emperor lived in the first years of his reign, will open to the public at the end of the summer,  Italian authorities announced at the opening of a major exhibition on the controversial emperor.

Stretching for about 1.2 miles along key archaeological sites of ancient Rome, the  exhibition, which runs until Sept. 18, aims to show the many faces of Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (37 - 68 A.D. ).

Nero became emperor at just age 17 in 54 A.D. After his people took up arms against him, Nero fled Rome and stabbed himself in the throat before he could be arrested. He was 31. Read more.

END OF THE SUMMER?

And knowing how these things tend to work, it will probably be closed again by the time I get back there next year. Like the freaking House of the Griffins which was open for a blink of an eye.

(via lostinhistory)

shitmystudentswrite:

Rome went on to conquer other territories and planets.

It’s true:

faith-ampersand-begorrah:

“And as we approach the mid-point of the semester, if you have accrued a number of absences, please come to my office hours, whence you shall be led in chains by a 7-foot-tall Barbarian before your classmates, to whom rocks have been given so that they may stone you unto death, your lifeless body then left unburied outside the walls of the lecture hall to be eaten by wild dogs. See you Wednesday!”

Those who don’t like their grades will be paraded around campus in a covered chariot and then locked in an underground chamber with three days worth of food and water and a lamp. This way it’s not technically the professors fault when you die, and we don’t have to hear you complain about that too.

(via faith-ampersand-begorrah-deacti)