Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d

My pleasure! (Though I’m not a Dr!)

Reposted by Alison Fisk

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

Core forming is one of the earliest glassmaking techniques. Watch a demonstration of this ancient method in this video featuring footage from the Corning Museum of Glass.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBZb...

Glassmaking Technique: Core-Formed Glass

YouTube video by Getty Museum

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d

Spectacular googly-eyed octopus does battle with a lobster in this 2,000 year-old Roman mosaic from Pompeii! 🐙 🦞

Fantastic fishy onlookers too! 👀

From the House of the Geometric Mosaics. Now at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology

My photo shows a polychrome mosaic depicting Mediterranean marine life using earthy-coloured tesserae (mosaic tiles) against a black tessarae background. At the centre of the mosaic is a pale-coloured octopus composed of off-white and light brown tesserae with some of its writhing tentacles wrapped around the body of a lobster composed of light red, and pinky-brown tesserae. The octopus has an egg shaped body/head and it stares at the viewer with large eyes made of brown and pink circles with black centres.

The octopus and lobster are surrounded by various species of large and small Mediterranean fish and a mollusc, including an eel and a flat fish. On the left hand side of the scene there is a small kingfisher bird on top of a rock. Some of the fish appear to be watching the fight between the octopus and the lobster

This mosaic comes from the House of the Geometric Mosaics in Pompeii. Now on display at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Dr Pat Witts @wittspat.bsky.social · 1d

For this #MosaicMonday, a mosaic I've enjoyed seeing recently: not ancient, but a superb goat by the late Maggy Howarth at Levens Hall showing an accomplished continuation of this ancient art form. Note the wonderful choice of pebble for the eye! 1/3
#AncientBlueSky 🏺(though this isn't!)

A colourful modern circular mosaic made of pebbles with rectangular stones forming the outer border. The mosaic shows the head of a goat facing left, with dramatic horns sweeping backwards, risring from a coronet.

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Paul B 〓〓 @whatsmellslikeblue.bsky.social · 1d

Went to Bignor on Saturday, and saw many fine mosaics, one of which was of Venus. The text for the room says how her eyes follow you around the room. My sister and I agreed that she just looks bored. #MosaicMonday

A mosaic of the goddess Venus, rolling her eyes.

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Dr Crom @doccrom.bsky.social · 2d

#MosaicMonday - The 'Striding Lion' mosaic from Harbiye (Daphne), ca. 5th Century AD. Some 70 smaller sections surround the lion, decorated with depictions of other animals and plants. #Roman #Archaeology 🏺

Image: Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA 1937.139). Link - collection.artbma.org/objects/24826/

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d

Now I do too! 😁

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d

👋

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d

Spectacular googly-eyed octopus does battle with a lobster in this 2,000 year-old Roman mosaic from Pompeii! 🐙 🦞

Fantastic fishy onlookers too! 👀

From the House of the Geometric Mosaics. Now at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology

10 140 450

Reposted by Alison Fisk

Dr Jo Ball @drjeball.bsky.social · 8d

A beautiful #Roman mosaic wall-niche, containing a garden scene with lush plants & birds, including a peacock. About 2000 years ago it decorated the garden or courtyard of a luxurious home in Baiae (near Naples, Italy) 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #MosaicMonday

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Dr Jo Ball @drjeball.bsky.social · 2d

A #Roman dodecahedron, found in the Netherlands; they look so cool - now if only we knew for sure what they were for! 🏺 #AncientBlueSky

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Durotriges Dig @durotrigesdig.bsky.social · 2d

The powerful face of Winter on a mosaic discovered by George Tupper in 1811 @bignorvilla.bsky.social in West #Sussex

Wrapped in a hooded cloak, this mid 4th century portrait is the only one of the 4 Seasons on the summer dining room floor to survive

📷 Nov 2023

#MosaicMonday #Roman #WinterIsComing

A mournful personification of Winter, tightly wrapped in a cloak, depicted on a Roman mosaic floor

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 2d

#MosaicMonday

As we move into Winter proper. A final look at summer 👀

Lullingstone floor mosaic depicts the mythical figure of Summer wearing a garland of corn.

#AncientBlueSky🏺
#Archaeology #History

Lullingstone Roman Villa is a villa built during the Roman occupation of Britain, situated in Lullingstone near the village of Eynsford in Kent, south-eastern England. The villa is located in the Darent Valley, along with six others, including those at Crofton, Crayford and Dartford. Constructed in the 1st century, perhaps around AD 80–90, the house was repeatedly expanded and occupied until it was destroyed by fire in the 4th or 5th century. The villa was occupied over various periods within the Romano-British period, but after its destruction, it is only thought to have been reoccupied during the medieval period. The occupants were most likely wealthy Romans or native Britons who had adopted Roman customs.

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 2d

#MosaicMonday: colourful #Roman glass tesserae found in Geneva/Switzerland, dating 3rd/4th c. AD.

Mosaic cubes were made of stone, pottery, tile, or glass. Glass tesserae were rather fragile. They were used rather rarely in floor mosaics to provide colours that...🧵1/2

#archaeology 🏺

A pile of small glass mosaic cubes in shades of blue, green, and yellow, on a white surface.

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 2d

Mosaic fragment from Roman Cirencester (Corinium). The fragment was discovered at Victoria Road in 1947, and would have been part of a larger mosaic pavement. Now on display at Corinium Museum in Cirencester. 📸 My own. #MosaicMonday #RomanBritain #Cirencester

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Chapps @chapps.bsky.social · 3d

This large red-figure terracotta astragalos (knucklebone) is thought to depict Aeolus - keeper of the winds - at the mouth of his cave, directing the dance of the clouds. On the other sides of this vessel, groups of women float about on the winds. 🏺

Greek, Aegina, 470-450 BCE. #BritishMuseum
📸 me

Red-figured vessel in the form of a knucklebone (astragalos), showing a male figure, perhaps Aeolus - keeper of the winds - at the mouth of his cave, directing the dance of the clouds.

A bearded man - Aeolus - beside the opening of the vase, with a mantle wrapped around his waist, gesticulates with both arms to a band of three girls who dance from the right towards him with joined hands. The foremost looks at him, the second looks back at the third, who is only half seen, her figure being cut off by the edge of the vase. Each has a long sleeved chiton; the two foremost wear a mantle fastened on the left shoulder, and a saccos, which in the case of the foremost is black.

Greek, Attic, made in Athens, 460-450 BCE, from Aegina. Attributed to the Sotades Painter.

British Museum, London (1860.1201.2)

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d

Oh no, just seen this Chapps! I hope you’re okay! Get well soon! ❤️‍🩹

Reposted by Alison Fisk

Chapps @chapps.bsky.social · 3d

On this lovely weekend day, with my spine having given out (off to emergency care, I think - bleh), I want to be like this netsuke cat from Japan, without a care in the world. So here he is for #caturday.

ca. 1800-1850. #V&A
📸 me

The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hard-wearing. Above all, they had to have the means for attaching a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the <i>katabori</i> (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a cat dozing on an oval disc, with its tail curled over the back part of its body.

Cats were introduced into Japan in the late 9th century, and quickly became a favorite part of their culture, right into the modern era with pop culture phenomena like Hello Kitty and cat cafés.

Japan, ca. 1800-1850, carved and stained ivory.

V&A Museum (A.65-1915)

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Protik Islam-Jakobsson @protik.bsky.social · 2d

this is so damn gorgeous

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

A 3,500 year-old Egyptian glass cosmetic jar with two little duck heads!

Glass was a relatively new material at that time, so this jar would have been a precious possession.

From Merit’s beauty case, found inside Theban tomb (TT8) of Merit and her husband Kha in 1906. 📷 Museo Egizio

#Archaeology

Museo Egizio Turin photo showing a small, dark-blue, core-formed, round glass jar which tapers in at the shoulders below the neck. It has yellow, white, and light blue festoon decoration trailed around the main body. There is a single yellow trail just below the neck of the jar. There is a dark-blue circular glass lid, the top of which is adorned with two dark-blue duck heads with yellow bills, a yellow trailed stripe on the top of each duck’s head, and indents for their eyes. The jar is displayed on a perspex (?) stand against a grey background. Glass jar dimensions: 7.6 cm x 9.6 cm.

Core-forming is one of the earliest glassmaking techniques. Glassmakers shaped the body of the vessel around a core, wound colored trails around it. They then let the vessel cool and removed the core.

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Jonathan Dresner @jondresner.bsky.social · 2d

Our ancestors were very much like we are: they liked colors, animals, and pretty things.

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

A 3,500 year-old Egyptian glass cosmetic jar with two little duck heads!

Glass was a relatively new material at that time, so this jar would have been a precious possession.

From Merit’s beauty case, found inside Theban tomb (TT8) of Merit and her husband Kha in 1906. 📷 Museo Egizio

#Archaeology

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

A 3,500 year-old Egyptian glass cosmetic jar with two little duck heads!

Glass was a relatively new material at that time, so this jar would have been a precious possession.

From Merit’s beauty case, found inside Theban tomb (TT8) of Merit and her husband Kha in 1906. 📷 Museo Egizio

#Archaeology

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Reposted by Alison Fisk

Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 2d

A marvellous #Egyptian #frog amulet, made of porphyry (height 1.2 cm).
Because of their numerous offspring, #frogs were considered a symbol of fertility.

Dating ca. 1295–1185 BC, New Kingdom.

📷Metropolitan Museum

🏺 AncientEgyptBluesky

A small frog-shaped amulet carved from dark reddish-brown porphyry, patterned with irregular white spots, shown in a crouching position against a plain light background.

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

Core-formed glass jar with duck head lid museum record: collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/materi...

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

Core forming is one of the earliest glassmaking techniques. Watch a demonstration of this ancient method in this video featuring footage from the Corning Museum of Glass.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBZb...

Glassmaking Technique: Core-Formed Glass

YouTube video by Getty Museum

www.youtube.com

3 13 84

Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 3d

A 3,500 year-old Egyptian glass cosmetic jar with two little duck heads!

Glass was a relatively new material at that time, so this jar would have been a precious possession.

From Merit’s beauty case, found inside Theban tomb (TT8) of Merit and her husband Kha in 1906. 📷 Museo Egizio

#Archaeology

19 280 1K