Chapps

Chapps

@chapps.bsky.social

Former tech drone, living in L.A. I now create digital reconstructions of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. No, really. 🏳️‍🌈 Flickr account (museum photos, mainly, free to use and high res): https://www.flickr.com/photos/125386285@N02/

4.8K followers384 following7.8K posts

Chapps reposted

Durotriges Dig
@durotrigesdig.bsky.social

Detail from a 4th century AD mosaic floor at Littlecote Roman villa in #Wiltshire showing pieces of tesserae cut from reused stamp-impressed box flue tile 📷 May 2015 #MosaicMonday

Chapps reposted

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
@ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social

📢 Coming in 2027: Anglo-Saxon England 📢 Rediscover Anglo-Saxon England. Featuring spectacular jewellery, weapons and treasures alongside the latest archaeological discoveries and research, this exhibition will shed new light on England's origins.

Chapps reposted

Dr. Adelle Bricking 🎃
@archaedelle.bsky.social

❤️‍🩹 Request for donations, any amount will help! This project is with Operation Nightingale, a UK MOD initiative to assist the recovery of wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans by getting them involved in archaeological investigations. www.gofundme.com/f/build-a-ch...

gofundme.comDonate to Build a chariot, organized by Richard OsgoodMilitary veterans have uncovered many elements of Iron Age chariots on a recent field project. I am … Richard Osgood needs your support for Build a chariot
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Today we have this absolute stunner: an engraved intaglio with a portrait of Julius Caesar. His head is laureled, and a star on the right over his shoulder (next to a lituus, a curved augural staff) is a symbol of his divinity. The gold setting is modern. 🏺 1/ 1st c. CE. #BritishMuseum 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

The intaglio is signed by none other than the gem engraver for the emperor Augustus, Dioskourides. Yes, we've heard his name before. If you want some background on him, see this gem on my Flickr account, which has his bio. 🏺 2/ flic.kr/p/2sh4x4r

flic.krAmethyst intaglio with a bust of Demosthenes, signed by DioskouridesThe intaglio is deeply engraved with a portrait bust of the Greek orator Demosthenes, who wears a mantle over his right shoulder; he faces towards his left with furrowed brows. Demosthenes is shown wi...
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

You may have seen Dioskourides' other works, including this large cameo, known as the Gemma Augustea, a stunning piece of Augustan propaganda. 😍 🏺 3/ 📸 Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

Chapps reposted

Sarah E. Bond
@sarahebond.bsky.social

Because “Archaeologists digging at Sanam Temple in Napata, the old capital of the Kushite Empire in Sudan, have uncovered a faience workshop” dating to the 7th century BCE. I give you my favorite faience object archaeologymag.com/2026/10/anci... It is a New Kingdom rolled up hedgehog (at the Met) 🦔.

Chapps reposted

Sarah E. Bond
@sarahebond.bsky.social

Pasts Imperfect is out! @youngrichardkim.bsky.social discusses academics on the History Channel. Then, recovering the Aksumite Empire; @wmarybeard.bsky.social remembers Pat Easterling & @ericabuchberger.bsky.social remembers Chris Wickham; new ancient journals by @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social & more

pasts-imperfect.ghost.ioPasts Imperfect (10.22.26)This week, classicist and ancient historian Young Kim discusses public history and his contribution to episodes of a History Channel series focused on Attila the Hun. Then, using ancient Ge'ez writing...
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

The ancient Canosans were of the opinion that more pigment and gilding was better, and - contrary to a well-known historian who found their work 'vulgar' - I completely agree. This polychrome bust of an aristocratic woman looks like a classic movie film star, ready for her closeup. 🏺 1/ 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Although funerary in purpose, her ivy leaf diadem and acanthus headdress vibrates with life, a promise of a lush afterlife. If you look closely, you can see tiny Erotes decorating her blue tunic. 🏺 #polychromy #ancientbluesky 2/ 3rd c. BCE. #MuseoArqueológicoNacional flic.kr/p/2sFd62w

flic.krPolychrome Canosan bust of an aristocratic womanThe figure wears a low-necked blue tunic decorated with small, stylized figures of pink Erotes. Over the tunic, she wears a white mantle, itself edged in pink. Her face, with its solemn features, pres...
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Excellent article that perfectly sums up my views about the new David Geffen Galleries at LACMA. Demeaning to the visitors, the curators dispense with any form of context, cultural relevance, or chronology, eliminating any information about the art/artists. Disastrous. apple.news/A5A62L-GXQTS...

apple.newsReview | A new $724 million museum is a visually stunning train wreck — The Washington PostDecontextualization has made a mess of one of this country’s great art collections.
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Is #MosaicMonday a thing here? Let’s pretend it is, because this is my favorite mosaic octopus. The mosaicist, however, seems to have given up on the guilloche border halfway through. 😆 🏺 1/ 2nd-3rd c. CE. Villaquejida, Spain. #MuseoArqueológicoNacional, Madrid. 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

I love spotting fingerprints on terracottas, the physical marks of the ancient artisan. A votive terracotta head like this one was mold-made, but the details were added by hand to individualize each piece. Zoom in to see all of the fingerprints on the brow and chin! 🏺 1/ 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

This votive terracotta was one of thousands found in the ruins of the ancient sanctuary at Cales (Calvi Risorta, Italy). They were in the shape of heads, hands, feet, arms, legs, eyes, and genitalia - probably dedicated to a healing god. /2 Roman, Republican, 2nd c. BCE. #MuseoArquológicoNacional

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Unfortunately, Bluesky so reduces the quality of the photos that we post … that the very distinct fingerprints are barely discernible here. So here’s a link to the high-res photo, which you can download and zoom in on. flic.kr/p/2sGDa4a

flic.krVotive terracotta head of a beardless youthA male head of a beardless youth, tilted slightly to the right. The hair is styled in voluminous, wavy locks with a strong sense of plasticity. This piece belongs to a collection of over 3,700 terracotta objects discovered at one of the richest Italic sanctuaries: that of Cales (modern-day Calvi Risorta) in Campania, Italy. They were unearthed during the construction of a railway financed by the Marquis of Salamanca, and subsequently became part of his personal collection. In general, these ceramic votive offerings represent parts of the human body, depicted as either healthy or afflicted, though animal figures are also common. Among the anatomical votives, one finds heads (or partial heads), arms, legs, hands, feet, and male and female genitalia. They were presented as votive offerings, likely to a healing deity, either to implore divine favor during illness or as an act of thanksgiving following a recovery. The pieces were created using molds and then refined by hand before firing to give each one its individual character. Once fired in a kiln, they were painted in various colors, though most have since lost all traces of this pigment. Often, a hole or vent is present on the back or underside of the object, designed to prevent it from cracking or breaking during the firing process. These Italic sanctuaries date from the 5th–4th centuries BCE through the end of the 1st century BCE, serving as an invaluable resource for understanding medical, cultural, and stylistic aspects of the period. While many such sites were in use for only a short time, the sanctuary at Calvi spans a much longer duration; the collection includes pieces ranging from earlier works to later examples influenced by the portraiture style of the Roman Republican era (1st century BCE). Roman, Cales sanctuary (Calvi Risorta, Italy), 2nd c. BCE. Height: 22.5 cm (8.86 in.) Max width: 17 cm (6.69 in.) Depth: 20 cm (7.87 in.) Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, Spain (MAN inv. 4419)
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

It’s 3rd century Rome, and these are your chariot teams in the Circus Maximus: factio veneta (Blues), factio prasina (Greens), and factio russata (Reds) - missing: factio albata, the Whites. These mosaic panels show each team winning the victor’s palm branch. 🏺 1/ 📸 me #MuseoArqueológicoNacional

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

I feel bad that factio albata (Whites) is missing from this collection, so here’s another mosaic emblema - from a collection featuring all four teams - with a White auriga and his lead horse. 🏺 3rd c. CE. #PalazzoMassimo, Rome. 📸 me flic.kr/p/2pHceVm

flic.krMosaic: detail of the White faction charioteer and horseDetail of one of four portraits in a larger mosaic, each depicting a colored chariot team faction: the Blues, Reds, Whites (here), and Greens. This closeup shows more detail in the costume of the auriga (charioteer) - particularly the scrollwork and striped design on his sleeves. Other charioteers display sun and star signs, flowers, and vegetative scrolls. Each of the charioteers would drive a chariot that was brightly painted in the color of his faction. These auigae may have driven either a biga (two horse team) or a quadriga (four horse team, reserved for more experienced charioteers). The lead horse here seems to have a halter decorated in gold denti di lupo ('wolf's teeth'). Each charioteer - usually freedmen or slaves - carries a whip and wears the typical short tunic and fasciae (tied ropes around the torso, for protection), as well as a helmet, which may have been protective or merely decorative. They also wore leggings, unusual for Romans. The aurigae wrapped the reins of the horses around their waists during a race, and carried a knife to cut themselves free if things went badly wrong (*if* they had time to even react). It was a dangerous sport, but charioteers could become incredibly wealthy and famous, even if the patricians looked down their noses at these athletes, who were associated with slavery. Found in a cubiculum (bedroom) of the Severan villa in Baccano, at the 16th mile of the Via Cassia. The villa supposedly belonged to Publius Septimius Geta, brother to the emperor Septimius Severus. Roman First half of the 3rd century CE
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

It’s 3rd century Rome, and these are your chariot teams in the Circus Maximus: factio veneta (Blues), factio prasina (Greens), and factio russata (Reds) - missing: factio albata, the Whites. These mosaic panels show each team winning the victor’s palm branch. 🏺 1/ 📸 me #MuseoArqueológicoNacional

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Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

The auriga of factio prasina - his green tunic and helmet indicate his affiliation w/ the Greens - holds a victory palm and whip. The jubilator (attendant) carries a riding crop. Green was linked to spring/Mother Earth, sharing top popularity and intense rivalry with the Blues. 3/ flic.kr/p/2sGiwb5

flic.krMosaic depicting victorious charioteer and quadriga of factio prasina (green team)A quadriga (four-horse chariot) is shown galloping to the right on this mosaic panel. The victorious charioteer, positioned on the left, holds a palm frond—a symbol of triumph—and a whip in his right ...
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

The Red faction quadriga is shown advancing head-on, the helmeted auriga holding a palm of victory. The horses wear apotropaic (protective) crescent-shaped amulets and are adorned with plumes atop their heads. The Reds were dedicated to the war god Mars and the summer season. 4/ flic.kr/p/2sGgr3E o

flic.krMosaic depicting victorious charioteer and quadriga of factio russata (red team)Mosaic panel depicting a quadriga (four-horse chariot) advancing head-on. Inside the chariot are the charioteer - positioned in the center, wearing racing armor and a helmet, and holding a palm of vic...
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

It’s 3rd century Rome, and these are your chariot teams in the Circus Maximus: factio veneta (Blues), factio prasina (Greens), and factio russata (Reds) - missing: factio albata, the Whites. These mosaic panels show each team winning the victor’s palm branch. 🏺 1/ 📸 me #MuseoArqueológicoNacional

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

The horses of factio veneta are adorned with palm fronds on their heads and triangular amulets around their necks. The victorious auriga (charioteer) holds a victory palm in his left hand. Blue was linked to the sky, sea, and autumn, enjoying heavy imperial and public support. 2/ flic.kr/p/2sGh1Em

flic.krMosaic depicting victorious charioteer and quadriga of factio veneta (blue team)An emblem depicting a circus scene. Enclosed within a border of black and white dentils is a quadriga (four-horse chariot) facing left. The horses - the outer funales and the inner iugales (yoked to t...
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

A fascinating little ring from the Punic necropolis on Ibiza. It depicts a bearded man in profile, but his hair and beard are composed of two birds (!), and his collar is a dolphin. 😮 The Punic inscription reads 'Belonging to Abdim'. 🏺 1/ 3rd-2nd c. BCE. #MuseoArqueológicoNacional 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

A remarkable ancient Iberian silver patera (offering dish) with a wolf devouring a human head (!), encircled with snakes. It’s surrounded by two friezes: one showing nine hunting scenes, the other a procession of male and female centaurs. In Iberian culture, the wolf was a psychopomp … 🏺 1/ 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

It was believed that the wolf devoured the corpses of fallen warriors, consuming the mortal flesh to liberate the spirit and transport it safely into the next realm. Very unlike anything I’ve seen before. 2/ Pertito Hoard (dating is complex). ⬇️ #MuseoArqueológicoNacional flic.kr/p/2sFvhLT

flic.krSilver patera with a wolf devouring a man’s head (Perotito Hoard)Within this assemblage of items known as the Perotito Hoard, comprising various vessels and fibulae, the patera (libation bowl) and the cup stand out due to their typology and decoration. The patera f...

Chapps reposted

Dr Francesca Santoro
@phyllida.bsky.social

Replying to @chapps.bsky.social

I'll see you your Mycenean Octopus and raise you one Minoan Octopus, 🤠 Kamaras ware 1500-1400. Archaological Museum, Heraklion, Crete. Have you ever wondered about that round plug-hole in the middle of the Octopod's face?🫣

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

This being the last hours of #WorldOctopusDay is a great excuse to post this superb Mycenaean stirrup jar with a hallucinogenic-stylized octopus. Somebody clearly ate the mushrooms. 😆 🏺 1200-1100 BCE. Met Museum. 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

This Phrygian painted terracotta rhyton is in the shape of a sacrificial bull's head, and painted in laurel garlands, ceremonial bands, and ribbons. It was probably used in libation rituals. The form Persian rhyta made of metal, e.g. silver or gold.🏺 1/ 425-375 BCE. 📸 me #MuseoArqueológicoNacional

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Vessels of this type did not appear in Greece until the 5th century BCE, following the Greco-Persian wars. This type of decoration is completely new to me - not Greek, and not the usual red or black-figure style. 🏺 2/ More info on my Flickr account. flic.kr/p/2sFaXeB

flic.krPhrygian terracotta rhyton in the shape of a sacrificial bull's headA rhyton (drinking/libation vessel) shaped like a bull's head. It is adorned with infulae (ceremonial bands), laurel branches, and vittae - ornaments associated with sacrificial rites - rendered in ma...
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

These two 1st-2nd c. CE Roman marble theatrical masks represent comedy and Melpomene, muse of tragic theater. They were discovered in the peristyle of a ruined Roman villa of La Estación in Antequera, Spain. Note the little face of the actor behind the large open mouth of the comedy mask! 😆 🏺 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Here’s to an absolutely insane sunset from atop Granada, nestled up against the Alhambra. Cheers! #España 😊

Chapps reposted

Alison Fisk
@alisonfisk.bsky.social

Happy weekend! 🦔 ❤️ Here’s a lovely ancient Egyptian blue faience hedgehog made some 3,800 years ago! Neues Museum, Berlin 📷 by me #Archaeology

Chapps reposted

Alison Fisk
@alisonfisk.bsky.social

The timeless beauty of ancient glass! This Roman glass scent bottle is around 2,000 years old, yet its elegant design feels surprisingly modern! British Museum 📷 by me #Archaeology

Chapps reposted

Sistory History Podcast
@sistoryhistory.bsky.social

This intricate statuette of #Herakles - shown with his club and lion skin is exquisite and a wonderful way to start the weekend on this #findsfriday Hellenistic period bronze. 📸 Us, Archaeological Museum of Corfu #skystorians #ancientbluesky #AncientGreece #archaeology #classicsbluesky #Hercules

Chapps reposted

Duncan Mackay
@theduncanmackay.bsky.social

#1 Bestseller 💥 Archaeology. History. Boudica. Artefacts. Landscape. Travel. Torcs. Battles. Druids. Black Labrador. In a factual book. There might be more to life; but not much more… #BoudicaFriday #Echolands A Journey in Search of #Boudica

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

A stroll through Málaga’s Centro Histórico was suddenly - *needle scratch* - interrupted by the walls of the Alcazaba lit up in roiling green, with a solitary logo - an arrow intersecting a V. Los Vengadores! The music is a giveaway, and we know what the color green means … #AvengersDoomsday. 😁

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

These fragments from a Roman villa in Spain are not from a mosaic but from a fresco. If you look closely you’ll see a grid of lines, many following the contour of the figures, much as tesserae do on mosaics. This trompe-l’oeil technique simulates mosaics. 1/ 🏺 1st-2nd c. Museo de Málaga 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Discovered at the Roman villa of Finca El Secretario in Fuengirola, Spain, this ‘fake mosaic’ fresco might have meant the villa owners could find or afford a mosaicist, but the villa had many mosaic floor. The technique was perhaps used due to avoid the heaviness of mosaic walls. 🏺 3/

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

An ancient #Roman theater is always the perfect backdrop for a selfie. Bonus points for the Moorish citadel looming above: the Alcazaba. No, Joe is not *that* much shorter than me - I don’t know what he did here.🏺 #ancientbluesky 1/

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

It was discovered in 1951 when construction work for the Casa de la Cultura revealed the cavea (seating area). The theater was eventually excavated, and the casa had to be demolished. Worth it! 🏺 2/

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

I have long found fragments of ancient artifacts to be fascinating - like a piece of a missing jigsaw puzzle. Here we have a brilliantly colored fragment of a faience statuette of the goddess Venus, rising from the sea, wringing out her hair (Aphrodite-Venus Anadyomene). #MetMuseum 🏺 1/ 📸 me

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

A more intact faience statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene can be viewed at the #BrooklynMuseum, below. the blue-green faience, of course, enhances the concept of the goddess rising from the sea. 🏺 2/

Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social

Museums always call mitrai 'belly guards' when in fact they suspend from a cuirass and protect a warrior's genitals and the vulnerable femoral arteries. This is the awful reality of warfare - a good stab to that area will cause a man to bleed out in a couple of minutes. 💀 😱 🏺 📸 Ancient Warfare Mag.

Chapps@chapps.bsky.social

One of three bronze mitrai (belly guards, for protecting the lower abdomen) from the same collection. This one depicts two facing winged sphinxes wearing tall polo-style hats, their faces turned towards the viewer. 🏺 4/