#via Augusta

[blueiscoool]

Ancient Roman Silver Brooch of Romulus and Remus Found in Spain

The Department of Culture of the Generalitat Valenciana has recently announced the discovery of a rare silver brooch, depicting the iconic scene of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf.

This remarkable artifact was discovered during excavations at Vilanova d’Alcolea, a site in Spain believed to have served as an ancient postal building during the Roman era. Archaeologists, led by Josep Carbó, made the discovery, describing it as an exceptional piece both for its rarity and quality.

Romulus and Remus, pivotal figures in Roman mythology, were twin brothers whose legendary tale forms the foundation myth of Rome and the Roman Kingdom. Born in Alba Longa to Rhea Silvia, the twins were the grandsons of the deposed King Numitor. Threatened by their potential claim to power, King Amulius, Numitor’s brother, ordered the infants to be abandoned on the banks of the Tiber River.

Legend has it that the twins were saved by a she-wolf who nursed them in a cave known as Lupercal, situated at the southwestern foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome. Upon discovering their true heritage, Romulus and Remus avenged their family and reinstated their grandfather, Numitor, as the rightful king. However, their story took a tragic turn when a dispute arose between the brothers, leading to Romulus committing fratricide against Remus. Romulus then went on to establish the city of Rome, solidifying his position as its first ruler.

The silver brooch, measuring 4 centimeters in size and dating back to the 2nd century CE, portrays the iconic scene of the she-wolf nurturing the twins in their infancy. This depiction has become synonymous with the founding of Rome since the 3rd century BCE.

The archaeological site where the brooch was discovered holds additional significance. Situated near the Via Augusta, the longest Roman road in Roman Hispania, the site is believed to have been an official post of the Roman Empire, catering to officials and travelers alike. The proximity to this historic route enhances the importance of the find.

Archaeologist, Josep Carbó, emphasized the significance of the discovery, stating, “It is an exceptional piece due to its rarity and quality since there are very few pieces of this type that have been studied.”

By Dario Radley.

[eopederson]

Interior, catedral de Cádiz, 2016.

On Good Friday 1786 the nearby Oratorio de la Santa Cueva  was draped in black for the premier performance of Frans Joseph Haydn's masterpiece, alas all too rarely performed, Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze, (The 7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross). Jordi Savall's Le Concert de Nations recorded the work in that location, and it is a haunting recording. Mostly orchestral, the piece includes readings of Christ's supposed words. The Nobelist José Saramago is one of the readers.

[eopederson3]

Interior, catedral de Cádiz, 2016.

[puppyeared]

i love augustas radiation/flea collar, especially how it matches her eyes!!

thank u!!!! it was either that, or the Cone of Shame lol

[sheltiechicago]

New Mural by 2501 in Bolzano, Italy

Jacopo Ceccarelli aka 2501 recently work on a project in South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy. He designed and painted the walls of the outdoor area of ​​the Alperia Greenpower company headquarters on Via Claudia Augusta — the project was curated by Outbox.

[edwardian-girl-next-door]

Wedding gown, 1912.

Silk charmeuse trained gown, lace bodice trimmed w/ crystal beads & pearls.

via augusta auctions

[newyorkthegoldenage]

One of the artists commissioned to create a new work for the 1939-40 World's Fair was the sculptor Augusta Savage. A leading member of the Harlem Renaissance, she was the only black woman to be so honored.

Her piece, intended to celebrate African-Americans’ contributions to music, showed a kneeling black man holding a bar of music and 12 black chorus singers representing strings on a harp, the sounding board of which was no less than the hand of God. She called it Lift Every Voice and Sing, a nod to a poem by her friend James Weldon Johnson that was later set to music and adopted as the black "national anthem" by the NAACP.

The work stood 16 feet tall and was made of plaster that had been lacquered to look like black basalt. She was paid $360 for it (around $8,000 in today's dollars) and it was placed in the courtyard of the Contemporary Arts Building, near one of the Fair’s gates. Fair officials renamed it The Harp, which Savage reportedly hated. Small metal replicas were sold as souvenirs, and images of it were reproduced on postcards.

When the Fair ended, Savage had no money to remove and store her sculpture, or to cast the large piece in bronze, as she had with other, smaller works. So, like all the other "temporary" artwork created for the Fair, it was destroyed by a bulldozer.

In 2017, a NY Times op-ed piece by the filmmaker Aviva Kempner proposed that a full-size replica of the sculpture be created and placed in front of the National Museum of African-American History & Culture in Washington. So far, there has been no movement towards carrying that idea out.

Photos: top and center, NYPL. Bottom, illustration from the book Harlem: Negro Metropolis (E.P. Dutton 1940) via The Wolfsonian–FIU.

[gentlyepigrams]

If dresses were sweets, this 1880s silk gown would surely be a dark chocolate cherry liqueur all rich and glossy. The mulberry silk has a figured floral pattern that is just different enough from the rich brown satin to make contrasting panels. Scrumptious….. Via Augusta Auctions.

[antiqueanimals]

Checkmate. Agnes Augusta Talboys (1863-1941)

via

[pintoras]

Augusta Plageman (Swedish, 1799-1888): Still life with birds and kale (via Uppsala Auktionskammare)

[threadtalk]

I suppose I must be in a purple mood. But then again, when I see a description that includes both satin and ciselé velvet, I do get a little excited. Throw in some leg of mutton sleeves, and I'm there! This dress is from 1895 via Augusta Auctions.

This gown has all the quintessential elements of an 1890s gown, maintaining the very covered up feel of the previous decade by enhancing it with new, exaggerated body shapes. That waist looks so tiny in comparison to the flared skirt and mile-high sleeves.

The velvet here is silk velvet, not the kind you'd find on grandma's sofa. Ciselé velvet is actually cut down to created a pattern after it's been woven, so you get a very damask-like result that adds extra texture and movement. Velvet swallows up light and is particularly gorgeous when paired with satin, IMO.

[armoricaroyalty]

Previous | Chapter Start | Beginning | Next

author's note: @nexility-sims and I have been discussing this museum exhibit for nearly a year and working on the lot for weeks...so good to finally see it realized!

Transcript under the cut!

Crown Museum of Uspana // Armorican State Visit - Day 2

THEO | [offscreen] Your Highess. FREDDY | [in a tone of slight horror] ...is this a joke? You’re the one the Royal Foundation picked for this tour? THEO | The one your sister picked, actually. She insisted. FREDDY | [sighs] Let's get this over with, then. This is called a "painting." THEO | Wait. Before we start, can I apologize? THEO | I know this is awkward, but...I'd rather not have it hanging over our heads. I'm really sorry about how I ended things. I was a coward, and you deserved better than getting dumped via text. FREDDY | Geez, Theo…that was a long time ago. Ancient history. THEO | I know. But still... FREDDY | [pause] I appreciate it, Theo. THEO | Well, should we get started, then? Lots to see, lots to do... FREDDY | Sure. You’ve seen this portrait, right? THEO | I think every Armorican has. It’s the first official portrait your family’s released in a decade. It was huge news. FREDDY | Well, did you know that Everard II bought those pearls in 1896 for Queen Augusta? My mom hasn't worn them since my father's coronation. THEO | Really? If I owned pearls like that, I'd wear 'em every day. FREDDY | Yeah, that's not really Her Majesty's style. THEO | The whole thing painting isn't her style! I'd expect to see her outside, dressed more casually...did Roz commission this or something? FREDDY | Nah, Mom had full control. Just wanted to be queenly, I guess... THEO | Fair. It's a good likeness, at any rate...

FREDDY | So…what's new with you. THEO | Uh. Not much. Been busy, I guess? FREDDY | [laughs] Theo Adams? Busy? Say it ain't so! FREDDY | For real, though...how have you been? THEO | [sighs] I dunno. I might break up with my boyfriend. FREDDY | In person, I hope. THEO | [laughs] Oh, you asshole— FREDDY | Sorry, I couldn't resist. THEO | Don't be, I walked right into that one. THEO | Anyway, I'd ask about your life, but I already know all about it. FREDDY | Oh? [smugly] Didn't you once say that you didn't read about me at all? THEO | Oh, you wish! No, Josie tells me everything I need to know. FREDDY | Josie? Oh no...she only says good things, I hope. THEO | Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. THEO | ...she says you're going to propose any day now. FREDDY | Wait, wait, wait...Josie's sating that I'm about to propose? Wet hell, is that where that stupid rumor's coming from? THEO | So it is just a rumor? FREDDY | Yes. I care about Em, but...we're just not there yet. THEO | It's good to know where you stand. You don't want to rush into anything. FREDDY | Thank you, that’s what I've been saying! You should tell her that. THEO | [laughs] Uh, no. Talk to her yourself, champ. I've got too much going on in my relationship to even think about getting involved with yours. FREDDY | Yeah, yeah, I'm just kidding...but d'you wanna know something? THEO | What? FREDDY | I missed you. As a friend. THEO | Yeah...we were good friends, weren’t we? FREDDY | Better friends than lovers, at any rate. THEO | Maybe we could try again? Y'know, since we'll be working together. FREDDY | I'd like that. THEO | Me too...and I missed you, too. As a friend. FREDDY | 🙂 THEO | 🙂 THEO | We're supposed to be talking about art, right? Tell me about this one. FREDDY | This? It's called a "statue." THEO | [laughs] You're lucky you're cute, you know that?

[eopederson]

Iglesia de Santiago, comienzo de la Vía Augusta, Cádiz, 2016.

"La ruta habitual para hacer el Camino de Santiago desde el sur de España es por el llamado Camino Mozárabe, la «Vía de la Plata», una ruta larga que es el camino más alejado y para que enlazar con él desde Cádiz se debe tomar la «Vía Augusta» que son 175 kilómetros." CadizDirecto.com

For those who have the time and energy, the longest marked camino route to Santiago de Compostela entirely in Spain begins at this church across from the cathedral in Cádiz. From there it goes north to Sevilla where it joins the Vía de la Plata. A reasonable time estimate for the entire route of well over 1200 km would be 8-10 weeks with a marvelous view of España profounda. I am jealous of those who have the time and energy!

[eopederson3]

Iglesia de Santiago Apóstol, Cádiz, 2016.

Inicio de la vía Augusta, el camino a Santiago de Compostela más largo íntegramente en España.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Shelby Cobras

Shelby Cobras Driven by Ken Miles and Dave MacDonald at United States Road Racing Championship, Augusta, Georgia, February - March, 1964

Dave Friedman photograph via the Henry Ford

[blueiscoool]

2,000-Year-Old 'Rainbow Cup' Celtic Gold Coin Discovered in Germany

Legend has it that "rainbow cups" are drops of gold that fall to Earth at the end of a rainbow.

An extremely rare "rainbow cup" coin minted more than 2,000 years ago by the Celts has been found next to a river in Germany, according to the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection.

The gold coin, minted in the second or first century B.C., features a rare design of a four-pointed star surrounded by arches on one side, said Bernward Ziegaus, a senior curator in the State Archaeological Collection's numismatic department who is studying the coin. Like other rainbow cups, the coin is curved.

"The name rainbow cup coins come from the legend that they are drops of gold that fall to earth at the end of a rainbow," Ziegaus said in an email. "Another legend about these Celtic coins tells us that these coins can only be found by Sunday children," or a child of fortune.

"In fact, the finder was born on a Sunday and is indeed a Sunday child, a lucky child!" he said.

The finder, a collaborator with state archaeological officials, discovered the coin this spring about 45 miles (70 kilometers) west of Munich on the Lech River in the southern state of Bavaria.

It's unknown how the 0.07-ounce (1.9 grams) coin ended up there, but the spot isn't far from a ancient road. This road went from what is now Trento in northern Italy and later became known as the Roman road Via Claudia Augusta that went across the Alps, Ziegaus said.

"Perhaps the coin was accidentally lost along the way," he said.

The "heads" side of the 0.5-inch-wide (13 millimeters) coin "shows a stylized human head with a large eye," with the nose and lips depicted as dots, Ziegaus said. A metal analysis revealed that the coin is 77% gold, 18% silver and 5% copper.

There are only three known rainbow cups with the star-and-arch motif. "The interpretation of the motive is difficult," Ziegaus said. "The star is perhaps a symbol for the four cardinal points, the arches are to be understood as signs for the horizon and the rising and setting of the moon.

The ancient Celts were fierce warriors who lived in mainland Europe and later sacked Rome. Bavaria's oldest Celtic coins date to the third century B.C., but the Roman conquest of the region in 15 B.C. led to the end of Celtic minting, Ziegaus said. After that, Roman coins became the main currency in the region.

It is a wonderful find, even if it is only one coin. Because only very few specimens of this type are known so far," said Marjanko Pilekić, a doctoral candidate of archaeology of coinage, money and the economy in antiquity at Goethe University Frankfurt, who was not involved in the finding.

If more rainbow cups are found in the area, "a picture of the [currency's] distribution can be drawn,' Pilekić told Live Science in an email.

The coin's finder donated the rainbow cup to the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection in Munich. Because it is "extremely rare," it will go on permanent display in the museum with other Celtic coin treasures in 2024, Ziegaus said.

By Laura Geggel.