6/10/2023 0 Comments Pileus saturnalia![]() Perhaps predictably when I searched on the documentation system using the term ‘Saturnalia’ I got no responses. With Christmas almost upon us I’ve been looking for objects related to the Roman mid-winter festival of Saturnalia in the archaeology collection, although it can be difficult to find things that are directly associated. This rather tasteless allusion to recent high levels of mid-winter vomiting virus (900,000 people have been infected) is another unconscious and indirect echo of the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia… Today’s Daily Telegraph has a Matt cartoon on the front page showing someone opening one of the dates on a ‘Norovirus Advent Calendar’ to reveal a man being sick (see of 19th December 2012). We are no strangers to seasonal unpleasantness ourselves, and not always self-inflicted. Of course vomitoria did exist at amphitheatres and stadiums, and were designed to allow large crowds to leave the premises quickly and safely. Laurence writes about how the action of vomiting at this time of the year was seen as potentially beneficial to health. Though the vomitorium or room in which to vomit is now regarded as mythical, it is known that a variety of products were taken to either prevent or induce retching. Given the over-indulgence that took place during the festival, it is easy to see how drinking too much and making oneself feel ill came to be associated with Saturnalia. Rich foods and drink were also imported and consumed in large quantities, though they have left few traces save for their packaging. Was the crate a box of gifts awaiting redistribution at a festival such as Saturnalia? And these are only the commodities that happen to survive archaeologically. ![]() The 76 pottery bowls of two very similar types were not intended for resale in a local shop and Laurence asks what the owner would do with such a uniformity of products. Laurence suggests a novel explanation for the crate of northern Italian lamps and southern Gaulish samian ware vessels discovered in the ruins of Pompeii. Saturnalia gift? A Roman samian bowl similar to those found in a crate at Pompeii ![]()
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