Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Rome: Empire, Power, People - Melbourne Museum Exhibition Part One

 

Marble altar of she-wolf feeding
Romulus and Remus,
Augustan age (27 BCE-14 CE)
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale


Bust of Lucius Junius Brutus, Capitoline type
Head: 4th century CE; Bust: Post-antique
Alabaster and marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano


Various coins not in catalogue


Portrait of a Roman, possibly Julius Caesar
Era of Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE)
Marble
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale



Portarait of Nero
Mid 1st century CE, reworked in 4th century CE
Marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano


Portarait of Agrippina the Younger
Era of Nero (54-68 CE)
Italian marble
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale



Portrait of Trajan
Era of Trajan (98-117 CE)
Marble
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale



Portrait of Augustus
Era of Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE)
Greek marble
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale



Slab representing Victory and Trophy
Late 1st century BCE
White marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo

 

Portrait of Livia 
Era of Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE)
Coarse-grained white marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano - Crypta Balbi


Portrait of Hadrian
Era of Hadrian (117-138 CE)
Marble
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale


Portrait of Commodus
Era of Commodus (180-192 CE)
Marble
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale


Marcus Aurelius
Era of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE)
Marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo 


Portrait of a woman, probably Julia Domna 
Severan era (193-235 CE)
Marble 
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo


Portrait of Caracalla
Era of Caracalla (211-217 CE)
Marble
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale



 Various coins not in catalogue


Roman helmet
1st-3rd century CE
Bronze, laminated and cast bronze
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale 


Various coins not in catalogue


Urn of a Praetorian Guard from Verona
1st century CE
Marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano 


Roman military diploma
From Salona (present day Croatia)
Late 1st century CE
Bronze
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale 








Last week we drove down to Melbourne, trying to dodge the many pot holes on the Hume Highway. As part of our trip we visited the Melbourne Museum exhibition of Rome: Empire, Power, People which has over 160 artefacts on loan from the Museo Nazionale Romano and the Museo Archelogico Nazionale, Florence. Here (in two parts) are photos of most of them. Some items aren't listed in the catalogue, so these don't have photo captions. This fantastic exhibition runs from the 1 April to 25 October 2026 and is curated by the Museo Nazionale Romano.



Sarcophagus with scene of prisoners
Late 2nd century CE
Fine-grained white marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano



Sarcophagus with scene of prisoners
Late 2nd century CE
Fine-grained white marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano


Funerary inscription of Faustillus
First half of the 1st CE
Marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano



Brick with factory stamp and footprint
123 CE
Terracotta
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano



Child's sarcophagus with cupids playing
2nd century CE
Marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano



Lid of a sarcophagus with gymnasium scenes
Late 2nd-3rd century CE
Marble
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano















Doll
4th-5th century CE
Bone
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo



Statuette of a boar
1st-2nd century CE
Terracotta and lead
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano



Portrait of a young man
2nd century CE
Bigio morato (fine-grained grey-brown marble)
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Terme di Diocleziano



Amphorae






Weights
1st-3rd century CE
Bronze
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo



Steelyard balance
1st-3rd century CE
Bronze
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale



Nummularia tessera (coin bag seal)
Era of Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE)
Bone
Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo



Seal
1st-3rd century CE
Bronze
Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale












Monday, June 29, 2026

More Gladiators

 



Here are some more gladiator figures I've just finished painting for the Blood on the Sands rules. This is the free Wargames Atlantic plastic sprue that comes with the Wargames Illustrated Issue 462 June 2026. Above from the left is a Thraex (Thracian), a doctor (trainer), lanista owner and a Murmillo. Below are some comparison shots with a Thraex and Murmillo by Crusader Miniatures.






Friday, June 19, 2026

Second Punic War Midgard Game

 

Armies deployed


Opposite end


Forces advance


Roman equites charge Gallic cavalry


Equites and Iberian cavalry charge and
counter-charge on the other flank


Equites are at half strength and
Iberian cavalry are winning


Equites are destroyed


Last Thursday afternoon I played a solo Second Punic War Midgard game out in the shed. The forces were the 450 points Republican Roman and Carthaginian army lists on the Mogsymakes site, with the Romans attacking. This turned out to be a very close game with the Romans doing well on their right flank while the Carthaginians did well in the centre and on the Roman left flank. The Carthaginian elephant in the centre caused problems for the Romans and was fun to use, accounting for at least one Hastati unit and wounding the Roman consul army commander! In the end the Romans just managed to win on their right flank to finish the game. The Gallic warriors only armour two, couldn't match it with the armour three Roman heavy infantry and cost the Carthaginians the game.


Equites charge Numidian cavalry on the other flank



Roman infantry charge


Carthaginian elephant in the centre causes
some problems for the Romans


Roman left flank is under threat


Romans appear to be in trouble


Iberian cavalry disengage, Numidian cavalry
follow up retreating Velites


Romans win on their right flank
to finish a close game


Rome: Empire, Power, People - Melbourne Museum Exhibition Part One

  Marble altar of she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus, Augustan age (27 BCE-14 CE) Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale Bust of Lucius Juni...