DISPLAY CASE 4
COATING - IRON - INSCRIPTIONS - FOSSILS
ANTEFIXES
Architectural antefixes were applied to the outside of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman buildings at today’s eaves line. They are divided into several groups, corresponding to the height and place where they were positioned. On some fragments there are several traces of colour, for example blue, red, and yellow ochre. The use of clay cladding to adorn residential complexes was a phenomenon that was most popular between the Augustan Age and the mid-first century CE, especially in buildings linked to members of the late Republican Roman elite and later to the imperial family itself. The use of antefixes is prevalent in domus and medium-large villas whose initial construction can be dated back to the Augustan Age. It is not surprising, therefore, that senatorial residences had similar decorations. In Villa Rufione, various types of decorations were found – type A (1, 2) and type B (3, 4) were the most common, but there were also others that have not been categorised (5, 6, 7).
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MOSAICS
The word mosaic derives from the Greek μουσαικόν (musaikòn), “patient work worthy of the Muses”. In Latin, the mosaic was called opus musivum, that is, “work of the Muses”. Mosaics are pictorial compositions created by placing different coloured fragments (tesserae, abaculi, tessellae) of materials such as stones, glass, shells, gold, or precious stones. Roman mosaics from the Republican Age were predominantly black-and-white compositions, with elaborate frames containing chasing geometric motifs. In Villa Rufione, there were no multi-coloured mosaics. Seven rooms were paved with two-tone mosaics of fine workmanship. Their tiles do not exceed 5mm and the design had frets and triangles alternating with diamonds or toothed triangles (41, 42).
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PIPES AND TUBES
In Villa Rufione there are many pipes and tubes used in its plumbing system (34) as well as hollow tubules with a rectangular section (35) that were used to convey hot air along the walls for the hypocaust heating system. There are various terracotta slabs from false ceilings or wall coverings (36, 37).
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SPICATUM
This is an ancient paving system and is made up of small bricks, which were laid, by knife and at right angles to each other, thus giving a fishbone or wheat-ear appearance. It was used from the Republican Age, often on terraces, in courtyards and in places that were open to the elements, and which needed to be protected from water infiltration, such as in thermal baths (43).
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1st INSCRIPTION
The naming of the villa was made possible because of the discovery of this inscription during the second excavation campaign. It is in travertine and reads C(gaio) IVLO (giulio) RVFIONI (rufio) NOBILIS (nobilis). We know from the Roman writer Suetonius, that the emperor appointed this person as Ceasar’s general and delegated the administration of three Roman legions stationed in Alexandria in Egypt.
2nd INSCRIPTION
This is a dedication to Lares (the family’s god). It was laid by an imperial property administrator, to mark a visit or stay of an emperor. The name of the emperor has been erased, probably because of a damnatio memoriae (condemnation of memory) – an official political sanction against someone erasing their mention in official accounts (46).
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NAILS, SHEARS, SLIDING WRENCH
There are numerous nails from beams and walls, that were used for fixing terracotta or marble slabs (38). The shears (39) and a wrench (40) are very oxidized and incomplete.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL SECTION
The ammonites on display are part of a paleontological section from the Martani Mountains but also include fossils from other countries. They were kindly donated by Mr. Francesco Baciucco, a local fossil enthusiast.
The Martani Mountains are made up of predominantly calcareous marine sediments. The mountains were formed by the same geological forces that created the long Apennine chain. They date back to the Triassic, making them about 220 million years old. They represent the first offshoots of an Italian territory in the Tethys Sea. At the time, this sea was less than 100 meters deep and lay between the African and European continent. Their summits would have emerged from the water like small islets in the middle of the age of dinosaurs. The geological process that formed them is still active today, and the area frequently experiences tremors and quakes some of which are quite strong.
Ammonites appeared in the Early Devonian (approximately 350 million years ago) and went extinct, at the same time as large reptiles and dinosaurs, at the end of the Cretaceous (65 million years ago). Ammonites live exclusively in marine waters and are a group of cephalopod molluscs (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15).
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ETHNOGRAPHIC SECTION
A part of the museum, the Ethnographic Section is dedicated to the traditions and fascinating history of this area. The objects, kindly donated by Mr. Pietro Vittori, a local history enthusiast, are preserved in the Sala Mattei. They offer a fascinating journey through the customs, crafts and daily life that characterize the cultural heritage of this area (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18).
