New discoveries reveal life and times of the Roman Emperor Hadrian

by Sean McLachlan on

The Emperor Hadrian is one of Rome’s most famous emperors, ruling at the height of the Empire from 117-138 AD. His villa just north of Rome is a popular tourist attraction, yet some Italian researchers have discovered what countless visitors never noticed: the buildings are aligned with astronomical events.

On the summer solstice (June 21 this year) light passes through an opening above a doorway and shines on a niche in the opposite wall. The niche probably contained the statue of some deity. This sort of light effect has been found in other ancient sites. Another building is aligned both to the summer and winter (December 21 this year) solstices, during which the light shines through a row of doors.

The effects may have been part of the worship of Isis. Originally an Egyptian goddess, a popular mystery religion grew up around her in the Roman Empire.

Hadrian’s other famous monument, Hadrian’s Wall, is also the site of a recent discovery. At the fort of Vindolanda, dozens of circular huts have been discovered that don’t look like anything the Romans built. In fact, they look like the huts of the tribes living north of the wall in Scotland, outside the direct influence of the Roman Empire. These may have been homes for refugees from friendly tribes fleeing common enemies, perhaps during the invasion of Scotland by Emperor Septimius Severus (ruled 193-211 AD) or the homes of temporary workers who lived along the wall and served the Romans.

For more on Hadrian’s Wall and a hike you can take along the entire length, check out my series on hiking Hadrian’s Wall.

[Photo courtesy Jastrow]

Photo of the Day- In the shadow of Vesuvius

by Chris Owen on

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from Flickr user SummitVoice1 who tells us:

“We spent a couple of days in Napoli on our last European trip, wandering the ruins of Pompeii, where the stories of ancient Romans clutching their coins and jewelery while being engulfed by ash served as a reminder – you can’t take it with you. And I’ve always thought that the Napoli-style pizza, thick with anchovies and black olives, is the best.”

Do you have an image you would like to share with us? Upload it to the Flickr Gadling group pool. If we like your image we might just pick it to be a future Photo of the Day.

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Photo of the day – Alabaster craftsman

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Theodore Scott captured this image of an alabaster craftsman in Volterra, Italy. I love how the entire workspace calls alabaster to mind. Beyond the shelf and work space, both heaving with alabaster, there are the luminous windows and the craftsman’s silver-white helmet of hair. I began to wonder: Do other craftspeople begin to look like their materials at some point in their careers?

Supporting evidence can be submitted to Flickr’s Gadling Group pool. Convincing examples might be chosen for a future Photo of the Day.

And a reminder to anyone submitting images to the Gadling Group pool on Flickr. Please make sure that your photographs are download-enabled. We have to be able to download your photo to feature it.

Florence’s Hotel L’Orologio – a watch-lover’s haven

by McLean Robbins on


Hotels that literally interpret a theme can be kitschy, fun, cool, or just plain overdone. It’s rare they walk the fine line of falling squarely into the luxury category. But, from what we’ve seen, Florence‘s Hotel L’Orologio, or Hotel L’O, for short, fits the bill. Part of the boutique Whythebest collection in Italy, the brand’s founder, Sandro Fratini, designed the property around his love of watches, hence the L’Orologio name. Fratini has more than 2,000 watches in his personal collection.

The hotel has a masculine feel, using materials like leather, parchment, bronze and wood along with the colors and aroma of tobacco to help convey a total sensory experience. Each floor of the hotel is dedicated to a specific watch brand – Rolex, Vacheron-Constantin and Patek Philippe. All of the 54 rooms are watch-inspired, with details including sinks knobs that evoke the winding crowns of a well-known watchmaker. Baths are done in marble and mahogany and all of the rooms include dark, masculine decor.

While we haven’t visited this property personally, we’re fascinated by the images … check them out!

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“Mona Lisa model” to be exhumed

by Sean McLachlan on

Scientists are opening the grave of a nun to see if she was the model for Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

The 16th century tomb of Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo is being explored in the hopes of finding her skull. With modern facial reconstruction techniques, it’s possible to tell what she looked like, and this will confirm or deny a popular theory that she was the model for the famous painting.

Archaeologists are using subsurface imaging to probe the area under a crypt and staircase they’ve uncovered inside an old convent where the women is presumed to have been buried. They believe that several tombs lie at the bottom of the stairs.

Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo was the wife of a wealthy merchant and when her husband died she became a nun at the convent of San Orsula in Florence, where she died in 1542. It was common in those days for women to join a convent when they were widowed. One has to wonder what Sister Del Giocondo thought of being the subject of the most talked-about portrait in history.

The Mona Lisa has been argued about for generations. Some researchers say the model was Da Vinci’s gay lover, while others say it’s Da Vinci himself in drag.

The lower tombs will be opened in the next few days. Stayed tuned to see if the team finds Mona Lisa’s celebrated head among the remains.

[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]