MUSEO DELL’ALTO MEDIOEVO
Opened in
1967 with pieces from the fourth to the tenth century AD describing the
history of the settlements in the regions of central Italy
Room
One
Finds of
ancient Rome from the fourth to the sixth century which illustrate aspects of
daily life and traditions
Rooms
Two and Three
Objects
from the Lombard necropolis of Nocera Umbra (Perugia) consisting of 166
graves and Castel Trosino (Ascoli Piceno) with 237 tombs
In the
female burials brooches, necklaces, earrings, amulets and objects of daily use
have been found while in the graves of the men there were shields, spears,
arrows, helmets, armor and accessories for riding
In 568 the
Lombard king Alboin invaded the whole of northern Italy, Tuscany, the
territories of Spoleto and Benevento
Rooms
Four and Five
Carolingian
Age (eighth and ninth century) with marble and ceramics decorated with early
Christian motifs or simple patterns
“External
marble part of a well” ninth century from Porto
“Relief
with Alexander the Great raised up to heaven in a chariot drawn by griffins”
tenth or eleventh century
Room
Six
Materials
from the Domusculta of S. Cornelia at Veii built on the site of a Roman
villa
The domuscultae
were some kind of of large farms common in papal territories during the eighth
through the tenth century
Room
Seven
Finds from
the site of the Episcopal see of S. Rufina on the Via Cornelia (Via Boccea)
where was the martyrdom of Sts. Rufina and Second
Here
excavations have revealed a continuous occupation of the site, with the remains
of a Roman agricultural center, an area Christian cemetery and a medieval
settlement from which the “Mosaic floor” comes
Room
Eight
Collection
of Coptic textiles and reliefs with 74 pieces dating from the fifth to the
tenth century
Opus
Sectile of Porta Marina
About
383/388
Unique
example of decoration in opus sectile or inlaid marble, exposed here
since 2006 almost fully recovered and dated with precision, thanks to the lucky
discovery of a bronze coin in the mortar bed of one of the panels with a lion
bearing the name of Magnus Maximus (383/388) usurper of Gaul, Britain and Spain
during the reign of Valentinian II (375/392) in the west and Theodosius I
(379/395) in the East
The extraordinary
decoration with colored marbles adorned the ceremonial room of a monumental Domus outside Porta Marina in Ostia
The
excavation was done in 1959 and, until 1966, the first restoration was carried
out. Then the panels were placed in storage, and in 1999 the old restoration
was completed
The large
hall with a quadrangular apse on the far wall is completely covered with
polychrome marbles with geometric patterns, floral friezes and groups of
animals fighting
Large floor
in opus sectile with precious marbles (ancient yellow, serpentine, red
porphyry and pavonazzetto), decorated with stars, octagons and circles combined
with great elegance
In
contrast, the exedra of the far wall is completely covered by a geometric
decoration still in opus sectile with small checkerboard patterns below
and fake architectural perspective in the upper part
The ceiling
is shown next to the room and is recovered only in small part due to the
collapse of the building. The building site must have stopped suddenly, so that
the mosaic floor was not yet put in place
On the
right male figure, which could be identified with Christ, because of the
halo and the hand raised in blessing, but in the whole of Greece and Asia Minor
images of characters referred to as “sacred, inspired” were discovered i.e.
philosophers
These kind
of characters, at a time when there was a large demand for spirituality, had
the hallmark of the halo. So, there isn't a context to say with precision
whether this is a Christian or pagan figure
