Aquincum - 2

At the Aquincum Museum, there are displays of some of the items found during the excavation of the site. Above, you see a set of nested boxes that were once used for cosmetics. It is shown with an array of bracelets and necklaces.



Much to my surprise there are lots of glass objects, some of which sho none of the telltale signs of having been broken and reassembled. There are blown glass objects that survived intact for millennia!

Hre are clay moulds that were once used in baking.

I was really impressed by the intact Roman helmet. This is how all those sword and sandal movies knew how to dress the Roman soldiers.

But the item that left me gobsmacked was this organ. Found largely intact and in a place and position that allowed its purpose and operation to be reconstructed, this is the most intact Roman organ found anywhere.

In the 1930's a reconstruction was make and a working model was produced. Now, with the original parts replaced with reproductions, we can see the model. It is small and fits in its own wooden box. We know it was often played while accompanied by a horn player.

From the Roman combs, belt buckles, musical instruments, and glassware, we learn that there is truly nothing new under the sun. We have been reproducing what the Roman used (no doubt taken from older peoples as there were conquered). Our laws, our crockery, our jewelry, and sense of beauty, all come from long ago.