Blemished Roman Treasure

By Alan Riding
The New York Times
Published: October 26, 2006

LONDON: Since last week, scores of scholars, museum curators and collectors have been discreetly filing into a well-guarded gallery of the Bonhams auction house here to admire 14 richly decorated silver objects that lay buried for 1,500 years in a forgotten corner of what was once the Roman Empire.

The excitement is palpable. Only once before - for one brief morning in 1990 in New York - has the so- called Sevso Treasure been displayed in public. Now, the solid silver plates, ewers, basins and caskets, thought to be worth more than $187 million, are again living up to their reputation as one of the finest collections of ancient Roman silver ever found.

Dated from A.D. 350 to 450, the treasure takes its name from a dedication on a 22-pound, or 10-kilogram, hunting plate, which reads in Latin: "May these, O Sevso, yours for many ages be, small vessels fit to serve your offspring worthily."

This work and others carry intricate designs and detailed reliefs of boar and bear hunting, feasting and mythological stories, as well as delicate geometric forms.

Yet, all this beauty carries a blemish.

While the works are on display at Bonhams with a view to an eventual sale, they remain tainted by uncertainty over their provenance and by an outstanding claim by Hungary that they were illegally removed from its territory. At most, then, this private exhibition - viewing is by invitation or special request - is intended as a first step toward the treasure's rehabilitation.


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Roman Focus Group, Vancouver Island

The inaugural meeting of an outreach activity, organized by Gaia Aurelia Falco Silvana, was held on October 25th 2006. This aimed at increasing awareness of Romanitas within the geographic area of Vancouver Island. Discussion followed on the direction that the group should take.

Pompeii brothel reopened -- for tourists

POMPEII, Italy, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The ancient brothel of Pompeii has been reopened after a complete restoration carried out in the name of archaeology.

The attraction's famous frescos -- depicting the wide variety of services offered by the friendly staff pre-volcano -- have been freshened up for viewing in the ruins of the ancient Roman city that was buried virtually intact when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 49.

The Italian news agency ANSA said the brothel, known as the Lupanare, was reopened to visitors Thursday after being closed for a year. It is expected to return quickly to its position among the top attractions in Pompeii.

Speaking of positions, ANSA said the art works include depictions of the sex acts available from the prostitutes, who were known as "Lupa" back in the day. Lupa is the Latin word for "wolf."