Tag Archives: archaeology

The Magnificent Art of Roman Mosaic

Posted on by
17

img_4502I’ve always loved mosaics. From jewellery set with tiny pieces of glass to sprawling floors, I’m fascinated by the alchemy of creating pictures from pieces of coloured stone. Years ago I even took several workshops on how to create my own mosaics, working in both the regular and reverse transfer processes. I ended up making my own mosaic table top, which has since been carted across the world with me in several moves. It currently sits in our shed and is in a sorry state of repair, so is a project for me this summer.

img_4503Near to where I live is the city of St Albans, once called Verulamium and one of the most important Roman towns in Britain. There was a lot of wealth in Verulamium, with many splendid villas being built there, as well as a baths, basilica and forum, all important fixtures in any decent Roman town. Now all that remains are a few fragments of the old city wall, and, beneath the parks and streets, wonderful mosaic floors, several of which have been removed and preserved in the excellent local museum.

img_4500As you can see the designs are amazingly modern, considering they were made almost two thousand years ago. I particularly like the semi-circular shell pattern – it predates Art Deco by almost two millennia, proving that really, there are no new ideas. And, if you go to the nearby park, you can see a mosaic floor still in situ.

img_1471Protected by a modern building, this beautiful floor was once part of a grand reception room. Complete with hypocaust underfloor heating, it comprises a series of panels with repeating designs. But I think the best thing about it is that it is where it has always been since it was laid, gleaming and new, all those centuries ago. I imagine how pleased the householder must have been, how proud that they had the funds to buy such a magnificent floor.

img_1473Now, perhaps, mosaic is something you have in your bathroom, or on the top of an outdoor table. But it must have been wonderful to live in a home where such beauty ran underfoot from room to room, full of stories and patterns and colour. What do you think?

If you enjoyed this post and want to read more, you can find me on Twitter @AuthorHelenJ,  Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Plus my latest book release, A Thousand Rooms, is now available on Amazon.

Wednesday Wander – Portumna Castle, Ireland

Posted on by
7

I can’t believe it’s been a week since my last post! It’s been a busy time though, with a family wedding, and I’ve just not had much opportunity to sit down in front of the computer. However, there’s no way I’d miss taking a Wednesday Wander, so this week we are heading to Ireland.

Portumna castle, in County Galway, Ireland, is a fortified manor house built during the early part of the 17th century by the wealthy De Burgo family. At the time of its construction it was considered the premier house of its kind in Ireland, with none other coming close in terms of grandeur and style.

The manor house is still grand, as you can see, with a lovely approach avenue flanked by trees. There is also a large walled garden, set out as it would have been during the 17th century with herbs, vegetables and flowers. I would love to have the space and time to create a garden like that!

However, much of the style attributed to the house is gone, as the interior was gutted by fire in 1826. The shell of the house was given a new roof in 1968 and it is now being restored, but as you can see the walls are back to bare brick, and I remember there being no second floor.

Interestingly, there was a legend long held in the family that a child had fallen from the upper stories and only survived by landing on one of the family dogs. The poor animal’s back was broken and it died, but the story goes it was buried with honour for saving the child. During the restoration process, archaeologists did in fact find the buried skeleton of a dog… with a distinct fracture to the spine.

When I visited the house it was a glorious June day, as you can see, the gardens buzzing with bees and full of flowers. Even though the house was fortified, with battlements and gun loops, it felt like a home, the proportions pleasing. I’d like to go back one day and see how the restoration process is coming along.

Thanks for coming on another Wednesday Wander with me – see you next time!

If you enjoyed this post and want to read more, you can find me on Twitter @AuthorHelenJ,  Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Plus my latest book release, A Thousand Rooms, is now available on Amazon.

Thursday Doors – The British Museum, London

Posted on by
14

img_4661It’s Thursday, and time for another door. This week, I have a very very old door. It currently lives in The British Museum, London, but over four millennia ago was part of someone’s tomb. This is the false-door of Ptashepses.

Made from limestone around 2380BC, the door is of a type common in tombs of that period, and was excavated in Saqquara, Egypt. The heiroglyphics state that Ptashepses was the High Priest of Ptah, and one of the royal children during the reigns of Menkaure and Shepseskaf in the Fourth Dynasty. The door stands over three and a half metres high, and is in the Egyptian Hall at the Museum, along with other wonderful artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone.

img_4656As a bonus, here is one of the exterior Museum doors with a very imperious looking lion standing guard.

img_4664 I know this is a doorway, rather than a door, but I rather liked the quote above it. Very appropriate considering the surroundings, which is why I suppose they chose it.img_4665Finally, a shot of the interior Great Court, and the lovely glass roof.

This was my response to the Thursday Doors Challenge, courtesy of Norm 2.0. For more doors, or to add one of your own, visit Norm’s site and click the link.

If you enjoyed this post and want to read more, you can find me on Twitter @AuthorHelenJ,  Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Plus my latest book release, A Thousand Rooms, is now available on Amazon.

Thursday Doors – When Is A Door Not A Door?

Posted on by
37

IMG_2594Sorry, I don’t have a snappy punchline 😀 Instead I have a door – or, to be more precise, a doorway. The door is long gone, the doorway bricked over and its only ornament a crown of green. But once there was a door here, probably nine hundred years or so ago.

IMG_2613This is the corner of St Mary’s Cathedral, Coventry, the first cathedral to exist in the city. The original monastery on the site was built in 1043 by Leofric and Godiva (yes, that Godiva), Earl and Lady of Mercia at that time. The cathedral was completed about two hundred years later, and remained there until the 16th century, when good old Henry VIII, busy dissolving monasteries around the country, ordered it destroyed.

IMG_2606In 1856, the Blue Coats School built a new school building on the site, incorporating part of the ruins in the base – this is what you can see here, the newer red brick contrasting with the ancient stones of the old cathedral. The rest of the cathedral was buried, gradually, only bits and pieces remaining above ground.

IMG_2616Then, in 1999, Time Team were invited to Coventry to excavate St Mary’s. The archaeology was so good that the TV show broke their rule of staying only three days on one site and stayed an extra day, eventually discovering a long-forgotten burial chamber containing the bones of one of Coventry’s first priors. A subsequent visit revealed more artifacts, and their excavation is preserved, the ancient cathedral site revealed once more.

This is my entry to this week’s Thursday Doors Challenge, courtesy of Norm 2.0. For more doors, or to add one of your own, visit Norm’s site and click the link.

 

Wednesday Wander – Guildhall, London

Posted on by
9

IMG_0193I wasn’t really sure where to wander to this week, so took to scrolling through my photographs in an effort to be inspired. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many places, though there are still many more I’d like to see – however, this week I couldn’t seem to settle on any one destination.

But as I scrolled through, these images of Guildhall seemed to stand out. They were taken close to home, in that I don’t live too far from London, and are of a place which seems to encapsulate the layers of history that abound in this country. The modern building at Guildhall is now home to the City of London Corporation, while the original building is now used for official functions and events. I’m not normally a fan of modern additions to older buildings, but somehow in this instance it seems to work, the colours of the stone and organic shapes complementing, rather than clashing with, the original medieval Listed building.

IMG_0195

Built in the 1400’s, Guildhall replaced an earlier building on the same site, and has been the site of some of the most famous trials in British history, including that of Lady Jane Grey. But the site’s history goes back even further than that – the black circle laid out in tiles across the square traces the footprint of the Roman amphitheater of London, and legend places the palace of Brutus of Troy in the same area.

IMG_0204

While archaeologists knew that there had to be an amphitheater in London, or Londinium, as the Romans called it, it was not discovered until 1988, when construction began on the new Gallery building. You can go down underneath the Gallery and see the remains of the original amphitheater walls, drainage system and sandy floor, as well as stand in the entrance where gladiators used to enter the arena. Admission is free, as it is to the rest of the Gallery, and it is well worth a visit.

IMG_0196

The Gallery is also home to the art collection of the City of London, including a marble statue of Margaret Thatcher that was famously decapitated in 2002 by a man named Paul Kelleher. He was sent to trial, where he stated that he had damaged the statue as part of his ‘artistic expression and my right to interact with this broken world.’ He also told the police who attended the scene that he ‘thought it looked better like that.’ The statue was repaired and is now back on display, though behind glass.

Thanks for coming on another Wednesday Wander with me – see you next time!