Christopher Siwicki

Piazza from the east, with the Mausoleum on the right
New Piazza Opens Next to Tomb of First Roman Emperor

In Rome, after nearly two decades in the making, a new piazza in front of the …

The ancient theatre of Marcellus surrounded by awnings
Behind the Recent Restorations in Rome

One of Rome’s restorative problems begins miles outside of the city.

Marble relief with the procession of Bacchus. National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
The Farnese Collection is Back in Rome

Artistic patronage did not flee Rome following its traumatic sack by mutinous Spanish and German soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire in 1527. Seven years later, Alessandro Farnese (…

The large family tomb, cut into the rock of the hillside, with painted frescos and mosaic paving.
Rome’s "Drugstore Museum" is a Hidden Archaeological Gem

To the much overused truism about death and taxes, another certainty can be added: dig anywhere in Rome and you will find ancient ruins. Within the basements of modern city…

Glass pendant, 4th or 3rd century BC.
Carthage: The Real Story of an Ancient Lost City
For 120 years, Rome and Carthage fought three protracted wars; at their conclusion, one people emerged as the major power in the Mediterranean, the other was wiped from existence.
Bust of Antinous from the Collezione Boncompagni Ludovisi
In Vita Dulcis, Contemporary Art and Ancient Objects Collide
In ‘Vita Dulcis: Fear and Desire in the Roman Empire,' an exhibition at Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome, curated by artist Francesco Vezzoli and archaeologist Stéphane Verger, contemporary art and…
Colchester Vase
Step Into a Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator
Gladiators: A Day at The Roman Games is the first major exhibition on gladiators that has been organized in the UK in over twenty years and takes you to a "day at the games" exploring the reality of…
The circular Temple B, vowed by Quintus Lutatius Catulus
Curia, Site of Caesar's Assassination Discovered
The archaeologists also came across the base of a large rectangular hall, which was realized to be the ‘curia’ (senate house) of the theatre of Pompeii. Infamously, this was the building in…
A bronze statue of a Roman magistrate in a toga, known at the _Arringatore_. From the 2nd century BC, Perugia
Exhibit at Baths of Diocletian in Rome Sparks Curatorial Questions

Do archaeological exhibitions always require a theme? Of course, there needs to be an overarching subject justifying and advertising why a selection of material has been brought…

The Emperor Trajans Basilica Ulpia with the columns second storey of columns being installed 
Putting up Ancient Columns in Rome

Historical sites aren’t always what they seem. Many famous, seemingly well-preserved historic monuments, such as those on the Acropolis at Athens, are the…

The outer wall of the Colosseum partially still standing
New Excavations at Rome’s Colosseum

Interesting things are happening at the …

Terracotta statues from the sanctuary of Minerva at Lavinium (supposedly founded by Aeneas). Fourth to third centuries BC (2)
Aeneas’s Journey in Ancient Italy

Greater attention is often paid to the causes of wars than to their aftermath. The Boston Tea Party of 1773 is immortalized in paintings, but the resettlement…

Terracotta votives from the sanctuary of Minerva Medica, between 4th to 1st centuries BC.
New Capitoline Museums Exhibit Will Delight Archaeologists, Not Tourists

‘Rome of the Republic: The Story of Archaeology’ is a new exhibition at the Capitoline Museums in Rome. On display are fragments of the pediment of Temple A in…

‘Madonna Enthroned’ by Andrea Briosco detto il Riccio (end of the fifteenth century), with picture of the terracotta statue following its recovery in May 1945.
Saving Italian Art from World War II Destruction

In the late 1930s, the skies across Europe darkened as the world prepared for war. Beyond the efforts to save civilians in…

Figure 4. Mosaic of Phoenix, apse of St Peter’s Basilica, 1205-1209/12
Rome's Missing Medieval Past

To the casual observer, Rome is not a …