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lararium located within the thermopolium at I.8.8 along the Via dell’Abbondanza in Pompeii

neatly centred along the back wall of the shop and at the far end of the serving counter running perpendicular to the street

depicts traditional figures of lararia - shrines dedicated to lares, household deities that protected the family:

togate genius making an offering at an altar

pair of dancing lares on either side of the genius

snakes approaching the altar from the bottom with offerings

image of Bacchus on the right and Mercury on the left

likely used to provide the owner and his store with extra protection

may have served to protect food preparation as well as the adjacent house which only had a simple niche shrine. this may suggest that religion was also communal on a smaller scale, between individuals not of the same household, as opposed to the grand temples and worship of various gods

the placement “commanded rituals” from passersby, customers and servers and suggests that rites were performed to its gods on a regular basis and throughout the day. (L. H. Petersen, Introduction: People, Places, and Rituals in the Religions of Rome, 2012) - She goes on to propose that food that was placed on or passed over the counter fell under the gods’ protective gazes and may have functioned as a temporary type of offering to the gods unintentional or otherwise, rituals were conducted by various social classes, ranging from the cookshop workers to the customers and owners

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love poetry from Pompeii

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Hic habitat felicitas ("Happiness lives here" or "Good luck lives here"). We might think this is the entrance sign to a Roman brothel, but it isn't. For the ancient Romans, sexuality had the same importance it has for us today, but certainly this image didn't mean the same thing to them as it does to us.

Nor did it have the same meaning for people in the 18th century, when those things were discovered, and censored, ended up in a secret room in the museum. In the censored collection there was indeed erotic art from Pompeii and Herculaneum, but also the fascinum, which for the ancient Romans had nothing to do with eroticism. The secret room collection finally became accessible to everyone in 2000.

Fascinus -Tintinnabulum from Pompeii. It would be hung outside a house or shop doorway to ward off evil spirits. National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

In ancient Rome, phallic amulets, called fascinum, had no connection with sexuality; they were used, among other things, as protection against the evil eye, a strong belief that an envious person can cause bad things to happen to you in your life just with a look full of bad vibes.

This belief still exists intact in many cultures; millions of people believe it. The only thing that has changed is that today, no one would wear something shaped like a phallus as an amulet, and that's because it's precisely us, not the ancient Romans, who associate the figure of a phallus with sexuality. Furthermore, for them this amulet was linked to the Roman deity Fascinus.

Four Roman fascinum. They were highly valued amulets used as a protection among children and soldiers. They were used to ward off the evil eye, to invoke the protection of the god Fascinus, or to promote the germination of plants.

The funniest thing I've ever read about this topic is that this stone phallus in Via dell'Abbondanza, Pompeii, is a signpost indicating the route to the brothel. I would say it was to prevent envious people from spreading bad vibes as they walked past the many shops and bars on that street.

Fascinus

Fascinus was the Roman deity who personified the divine phallus and was invoked for protection. He was also referred to as medicus invidiae, meaning "doctor" for envy or the evil eye. He was depicted as a giant flying penis with wings, hind legs, and a penis of his own. He was associated with the Greek god of fertility, Priapus . He was used as a protective amulet, especially among children and soldiers. Houses were decorated with this symbol. They were hung around the necks of babies and children. They were also very common among legionaries.

“Should we believe that it is right to do so upon the arrival of a stranger, or that if a baby is seen sleeping, the nurse should spit on it three times? Although these are looked after by Fascinus, protector also of generals, not only of children, a divinity whose cult among Roman religious rites is attended to by the Vestals and who, doctor of the evil eye, protects the chariots of victors by hanging beneath them and, as a remedy similar to a voice, orders them to look behind them in order to obtain the benevolence of Fortune, executioner of glory, behind them.” (Pliny the Elder, Natural History, XXVIII, 39)

If you've seen the image of Fascinus in a series set in Ancient Rome, in the inevitable brothel scene, it's because no one on the production team took a moment to find out what this figure meant to the ancient Romans.

In the only real Roman brothel discovered, the one in Pompeii, there are sexually explicit paintings depicting people, but not the image of Fascinus.

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Baths of Caracalla Rome, Italy

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Marie Antoinette (2006)

(disclaimer: I don't know much about French history, everything that I say here is largely research specifically for the purpose of analysing this film and has probably been said here before)

based on the 2001 biography Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser, American director Sofia Coppola's historical drama depicts the life of Marie Antoinette from her marriage to Louis XVI to the royal family leaving Versailles for Paris.

The film collapses boundaries of time and place to evoke the period, suggest mood, and comment on character which is particularly seen in the costuming and music, the latter of which is strikingly modern. Through the lens of Marie Antoinette, Coppola explores isolation, wealth, feminity and youth.

This tension between the visuals of 16th-century France and that of contemporary womanhood reflects Marie’s struggle to fit into the aristocracy. 

Marie’s youth is emphasised in the imagined retelling of this period - e.g., her playing modern card games in the carriage (though not unheard of; she wrote to her mother that she played card games later in life), her in the nude while waiting to get dressed as people of increasing order entered her room. The latter, imo, symbolises her vulnerability in the court as a newcomer and foreigner as well as a visual representation of her youth. It suggests that Marie was more akin to an innocent bystander who was the product of being an aristocrat rather than purposely spoiled, arrogant or insensitive.

One example I can think of is her arriving on the border between Austria and France, she is styled with straight blond hair and a small pug (pictured above) - this reads more like an early 2000s girly girl than the future queen of France. I think this historical subversion was done to emphasise the enduring nature of female loneliness.

IMO the movie is characterised by whimsy - obviously through Marie but also everyone around her. People are massive gossipers, and her husband is presented as a lowkey loser who’s obsessed with locks, awkward and isn’t having sex with his wife. Based on my preliminary understanding of France, these characters aren’t fictional but definitely imaginations of them through a contemporary lens.

 

the use of cinematic tools and genre/style to influence the audience's understanding of the historical event

“wanted to make an impressionistic portrayal of these figures” and tell it “from her (Marie's) point of view” - Coppola

I think it's interesting that this film follows a coming-of-arc arc rather than strictly being a historical epic or drama. Definitely humanises her and makes her more relatable to the audience. Though not totally related, it reminds me of a talk by Suzannah Lipscomb where she comments that in popular history, we often believe that to learn from the past, we must be similar to those of the people we study and thus any differences that do arise tend to be emphasised as superficial, such as clothing.

Regarding costuming, the aim was not to be historical but rather to have elements be symbolic, stylised and physiological. The costuming highlights innocence and decadence through the use of light, sweet colours for Marie while her manipulators wear black and burgundy - highlight her isolation in the palace. Midway through the movie, more simple silhouettes are introduced to evoke a modest country life in Petit Trianon, contrasting the Queen and Marie as a young woman. Marie’s hairstyle also alternates between historical poufs and understated curls, the latter used to emphasise her youth rather than stature. Necklaces are not featured throughout, a significant departure from history (not sure why)

As mentioned, the music is modern to help the audience sympathise with Marie. This comes as another technique used to comment that female lack of autonomy and existential loneliness comes as a historically enduring part of the female condition. She stands in as the modern female teenager scapegoat.

I really enjoyed watching this film! Definitely made me think more about how women, specifically young women, are portrayed in film.