http://hoc.elet.polimi.it/policultura/ Mosaics in the ancient Roman houses were appreciated not only for aesthetic reasons, but were also an indicator of the social status of their owners. The mosaic was usual in the rich houses, the domus. It varied according to the material used (ranging from stones of various kinds to glass), the precision of the cut pieces, the choice of colors and the refinery of the design. it Politecnico di Milano - Italy No Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy The archaeological museum is literally built upon strata of history; the most recent architecture belongs to the Monastery of San Maurizio, from the sixteenth century, having underneath the mediaeval monastery first built in the eighth century. The medieval monastery was built itself on the remains of the Roman circus dated fourth century A.D. and of the city walls, from which two towers are still visible. Under the remains of the circus there are the remains of Roman edifices from the first century A.D. 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100WED, 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/1.mp4 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/1.mp4 Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy One of the most precious items of the archaeological museum in Milan is the patera of Parabiago, a big plate dedicated to the cult of the goddess Cybele, of oriental origin. The plate pictures goddess Cybele and her mortal lover Attis at the centre of a cosmogony map, with symbols of life, death and rebirth. This ritual object is especially valuable since it belongs to a time where pagan cults, as the ones dedicated to Cybele or Mitra, coexisted with the rising Christian religion. 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100WED, 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/2.mp4 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/2.mp4 Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy The cage cup, called also diatreton cup is an ancient roman vessel carved in a single piece of glass and decorated by undercutting so that the surface decoration stands free from the body of the glass, supported only by struts. It was found in the XVII century in a sarcophagus near the city of Novara. In the XVIII century abbot Trivulzio acquired it from the city of Novara - that is why the cup is also called the Trivulzio cage cup. The cup raised so much interest in the citizens of Milan, that they decided to buy it in 1935, by means of a common public signing, from the Trivulzio family and now it belongs to the civic Milanese collections. 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100WED, 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/3.mp4 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/3.mp4 Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Epigraphs stand as some of the most important sources for the understanding of a historical time. Though they give only very succinct and limited information, epigraphs do not reflect only the life of a person, but, read through the life of the city and its evolution in time. Names, political offices, years, deeds, allow historians to reconstruct a frame, limited though it may be, of the evolution of the political and social life of the city of Milan. 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100WED, 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/4.mp4 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/4.mp4 Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy The statues of the archeological museum show centuries of Roman art and history. One interesting aspect of these objects is the place where they were found. Most statues actually were recycled and reused as building blocks; archeological excavations find them integrated into walls or houses foundations. This is why many of the items in the museum collection are incomplete. The most fragile parts, such as the nose, the arms, the legs, were broken already in the antiquity. 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100WED, 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/5.mp4 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/5.mp4 Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Mosaics in the ancient Roman houses were appreciated not only for aesthetic reasons, but were also an indicator of the social status of their owners. The mosaic was usual in the rich houses, the domus. It varied according to the material used (ranging from stones of various kinds to glass), the precision of the cut pieces, the choice of colors and the refinery of the design. 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100WED, 13 SEP 2006 10:43:55 +0100 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/6.mp4 http://www.poliarcheo.it/romana/ENG/podcast/6.mp4 Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy Laboratorio HOC, Politecnico di Milano - Italy