DACIA: THE ANCIENT LAND OF GOLD
The exhibition “Dacia the Last Frontier of the Roman World” offers a rare opportunity to admire the art wonders of ancient Dacia (region corresponding to much of modern Romania and Moldova) at the Museo Nazionale Romano in the Roman Baths of Diocletian and the nearby Palazzo Massimo Museum. Celebrating a double anniversary of bilateral relations between Italy and Romania, over 1000 art works have been loaned to Italy for the first time from museums in Romania and the Moldova Republic, giving a penetrating insight into the lifestyle, customs and artistry of the ancient peoples who transited and inhabited the region between the Black Sea and the Carpathian Mountains
Dacia was rich in gold, which was one of the reasons it was so coveted by the Romans, who conquered it in 101-106 AD under the Emperor Trajan. He celebrated his victory with the majestic sculptured Column that stands to this day beside the modern Piazza Venezia.
Objects in gold, in fact, feature significantly in the exhibition and include the celebrated golden helmet of Cotofenestri, dating from the 4th century BC, as well as gold bracelets, jewellery and shoulder clasps and golden caparison decorations for parade horses. Other arresting exhibits also include the bronze helmet surmounted by an eagle found in the tomb of a Celtic warrior at Ciumnesti, Transylvania, and the spectacular coiled snake sculpture of the serpent god Glykon of Tomis (Costantia), where the disgraced poet Ovid spent his last days in exile.
The underlying theme throughout the exhibition is the rich mixture of cultures created by the various peoples who settled in the area. Running till the 21st April 2024.
STENHOUSE
Info: Tel. +39.06.480201 www.museonazionaleromano.beneculturali.it