Ancient Rome, Ages of Empire Claimed

The old saying that “all roads lead to Rome” was most certainly true in the days of the Roman Empire. Although the origins of Rome began with a small village of huts near the banks of the Tiber River in the 8th century BCE, it was during the ages of empire, from 27 BCE to about the mid 3rd century, that Rome as the dominant political, economic and military power of the western civilized world, also achieved its utmost cultural impact affirmed throughout the larger sphere of Roman influence. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest imperial powers ever, at the height of its might, the vast Roman Empire encompassed England in the north, all of continental Europe west of the Rhine and south of the Danube, most of Asia west of the Euphrates, the coastal areas of Northern Africa and all the Mediterranean islands.

This exhibition, Ancient Rome. Ages of Empire, has been conceived with the conviction that visual messages contained within artifacts is the best way to explore a past civilization and create a deeper understanding of the period. The exhibition intends to illustrate various important aspects of Roman culture, both public and private, as well as Roman artistic expression and territorial expansion during the days of grandeur that was the Roman Empire.

The exhibition includes marble portraits and reliefs, altars and urns, bronze and marble statues, ceramics and terracottas, pieces created by toreutics and silversmithing, gemstones, jewels and glass, a suite of coins and architectural models. Every artifact has its intrinsic message, but it is through the sum of the

whole that a comprehensive vision of Ancient Rome emerges. A comprehensive vision that is enhanced by modern exhibition devices and mediums as well as a series of suggestive graphic panels, all designed and produced by Contemporanea Progetti.