At the Baths of Diocletian artifacts from deposits show how the ancients viewed other peoples

From January 14 to February 19, 2023, the second stage of the exhibition cycle Ulysses and the Others is held at the Baths of Diocletian. Discovering the Roman National Museum’s Hidden Masterpieces, which unveils artifacts from the museum’s deposits under the guidance of Ulysses. Thanks to the enhancement project Deposits (re)discovered, a journey is made that leads to the discovery of other peoples, other worlds, other cultures. From the journey of a single hero, we move on to that of an entire people, the Romans, and their ability to confront defeated, subjugated but above all different populations, from barbarians to pygmies, from exotic animals to imaginative representations, the journey delves into the representations of faraway places and peoples.

Exhibited inHall XI bis of the Baths of Diocletian, the works depict barbarians with bizarre hairstyles (such as the Head of a Syriac priest and the Portrait with elephant-shaped headdress ); men and women belonging to subjugated peoples (such as the Head of a Young African, the colossal Head of Dace and the Sarcophagus with Prisoner Scenes); scenes of daily life belonging to distant lands (such as the Mosaic depiction with combat between a pygmy and a crane and the Sarcophagus with Nilotic scenes). Through these exhibits, the exhibition project aims to lead to a reflection on the way ancient people perceived and represented different populations.

The project was realized thanks to the support of ANAGINA - Associazione Nazionale Agenti Imprenditori Assicurativi (National Association of Insurance Business Agents ), and the installation curated by Contemporanea Progetti makes use of animmersive and multimedia exhibition with high emotional content. The website of the National Roman Museum also makes available facilitated-language texts created by the museum’s Educational Service, especially dedicated to people with cognitive disabilities. The enhancement project Deposits (re)discovered consists of a series of short exhibitions aimed at acquainting the public with a very large number of usually unexhibited works preserved in the deposits and found during more than a century of the National Roman Museum’s life.

At the Baths of Diocletian artifacts from deposits show how the ancients viewed other peoples

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.