Submitted by Bija Knowles on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:15
A Little-known Fact
A little-known fact about the emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus is that he shares his name with a common word for public latrines in Italian. Not only were the antique communal latrines, such as those at Ostia Antica – see photo – referred to as 'vespasiani', but modern-day urinals in Italy, including the portable plastic versions often seen outside stadiums, also go by that name.
This statue demonstrates the distinctive appearance of the members of the cult of Isis, which spread through the Roman empire after the conquest of Egypt in 31 BC. It was traditional for members of this cult to wear their hair in long locks covering their ears until puberty, when the hair was shaved off and presented to the goddess as part of a coming of age rite. Images of Isis's son, Horus, also display this sort of hairstyle. The Iseum, or temple to Isis, which stood near where the Santa Maria sopra Minerva chuch in Rome now stands, was the largest and grandest outside Egypt.
