Virgil was a sorcerer?
Publius Vergilius Maro (traditional dates 15 October 70 ā 21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature:…
Herculaneum was anĀ ancient RomanĀ town buried under volcanic ash and pumice in theĀ Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
HerculaneumĀ (NeapolitanĀ andĀ Italian:Ā Ercolano) was anĀ ancient RomanĀ town, located in the modern-dayĀ comuneĀ ofĀ Ercolano,Ā Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in theĀ Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Like the nearby city ofĀ Pompeii,…
TheĀ Grotta di CocceioĀ is an ancient Roman tunnel connecting LakeĀ AvernusĀ withĀ Cumae, dated 38-36 BC
TheĀ Grotta di CocceioĀ (Cocceius’ Tunnel) is an ancient Roman tunnel nearly a kilometre in length connecting LakeĀ AvernusĀ withĀ CumaeĀ and dating from 38-36 BC.Ā It was burrowed through theĀ tuffĀ stone of Monte Grillo by the architect…
TheĀ Bourbon Tunnel
TheĀ Bourbon Tunnel,Ā Tunnel BorbonicoĀ orĀ Bourbon GalleryĀ (Italian:Ā Galleria Borbonica) is an ancient underground passage, constructed for military purposes to connect theĀ Royal PalaceĀ to military barracks inĀ Naples,Ā Italy. The monarchy in the era of King Ferdinand II of…
Crypta Neapolitana, Virgil’s Tomb and more
TheĀ Crypta NeapolitanaĀ (LatinĀ for “Neapolitan crypt”) is anĀ ancient RomanĀ road tunnel nearĀ Naples,Ā Italy. It was built in 37 BC and is over 700 metres long. The tunnel connected Naples with the so-calledĀ Phlegrean FieldsĀ and the…
Catacombs of SaintĀ Gaudiosus
Are you ready for a journey into the macabre underbelly of Naples? Welcome to the Catacombs of San Gaudioso, where the dead don’t just rest – they put on a…
Manes or Di Manes
In ancient Roman religion, the Manes or Di Manes are chthonic deities sometimes thought to represent souls of deceased loved ones. They were associated with the Lares, Lemures, Genii, and Di Penates as deities (di) that pertained to domestic, local, and…
Ceres, Roman goddess
In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome’s so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as “the…
Keres, bloodthirsty death spirits in Greek Mythology
InĀ Greek mythology, theĀ KeresĀ (/ĖkÉŖriĖz/;Ā Ancient Greek: ĪįæĻĪµĻ), singularĀ KerĀ (/ĖkÉr/; ĪĪ®Ļ), were female death-spirits. They were the goddesses who personified violent death and who were drawn to bloody deaths on battlefields.Ā Although they were present…
Umbilicus and Mundus (Roman Forum) and a depiction of Ceres holding a caduceus on a CSA $10 note
TheĀ Umbilicus Urbis Romae (“Navel of the City of Rome”) was the symbolic centre of the city from which, and to which, all distances inĀ Ancient RomeĀ were measured. It was situated in…
Seven heavens notes
InĀ religiousĀ or mythological cosmology, theĀ seven heavensĀ refer to seven levels or divisions of theĀ Heavens. The concept, also found in the ancientĀ Mesopotamian religions, can be found inĀ Judaism,Ā Christianity, andĀ Islam; a similar concept is also…
AĀ columbarium is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage ofĀ funerary urnsĀ holdingĀ cremainsĀ of the dead
AĀ columbariumĀ (pl.Ā columbaria) is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage ofĀ funerary urnsĀ holdingĀ cremainsĀ of the dead. The term comes from theĀ LatinĀ columbaĀ (dove) and originally solely referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and…
