Another one that seems to be beginning to make the rounds:

An array of colourful and deadly-looking helmets, swords, daggers and shields has gone on display at the Colosseum, bringing to life the gladiatorial games of ancient times. The exhibition features around 30 gladiatorial artefacts unearthed at the archaeological site of Pompeii but the focus will be on helping visitors understand what the arena and its fighters really looked like 2,000 years ago. “This is not an exhibition in the traditional sense of the term but rather an array of modern objects alongside ancient finds,” explained Colosseum Director Rossella Rea. The event includes just nine display cases but is the work of years of work by expert Silvano Mattesini.

Mattesini not only examined surviving weapons, he also studied the accounts of ancient authors and hundreds of different artistic representations: frescos, reliefs, mosaics, graffiti, statues and everyday household objects, such as plates and vases. He then took his detailed reconstructions to metalworkers, tailors and carpenters who helped transform his research into real-life objects. The end result is a dazzling array of materials and metals: headgear with bright orange and yellow plumes, showy silk tunics and gleaming armour.

“The reconstructions are designed to help visitors understand the difference between the finds that have survived until the present day and what the public would have actually seen during the games,” said Rea. “It is particularly important to remember that the size of the Colosseum meant only those in the front rows had a clear view of what was going on. “The rest could see only moving colours and light: helmet plumes, the flash of weapons and the reflection of armour under the sun”. Early accounts suggest gladiatorial contests developed from displays of hand-to-hand combat at funerary games in Rome. The first written record by Valerius Maximus describes games staged by the two sons of Brutus Pera in honour of their dead father in 264 BC. Over the next few centuries, the games became a fixture of social and political life, funded by the rich and powerful to help win popularity. Work on the Colosseum started under Vespasian and was inaugurated in 80 AD. The author Dio Cassius recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games, which went on for weeks. The latest exhibition at the Colosseum is the second it has devoted to gladiators in recent years, riding a wave of renewed interest sparked by the Russell Crowe-Ridley Scott 2000 blockbuster and the hit TV historical drama series Rome. Entitled Gladiatores, the show will remain on display until October 2.

via Swords and armour at the Colosseum | ANSA.it.

Brief AP item making the rounds … here’s the incipit from the Daily Herald:

A collection of ancient Greek silverware dating to the third century B.C. is going on display in Rome after being returned by the Metropolitan Museum in New York, officials said Friday.

The 16 pieces of silverware with gold detail were returned as part of Italy’s aggressive campaign against illegal trafficking in antiquities. They include two large bowls, a cup with two handles, plates and drinking utensils.

Italian art officials said the pieces form one of the most important Hellenistic silverware collections to have survived from Sicily. The pieces are known as “The Morgantina Treasure” after the name of the ancient Greek settlement where they were excavated, near what is now the Italian city of Aidone.

Angelo Bottini, the archaeology superintendent in Rome, said the objects were likely crafted by different artists and served different functions. Some, like the large bowls with mask-shaped feet, were likely used to mix wine with water during meals; others, like the plates, were likely used during ceremonies, officials said.

The pieces came back as part of a deal with the Met that also led to the return of the Euphronios Krater, a 6th-century B.C. painted vase that is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind.

They will go on display at the Museo Nazionale Romano in the Italian capital from Saturday through May 23. The show then moves to Sicily.

via Rome to display ancient Greek silverware | Daily Herald.

More coverage:

• Antiquities, Once the Met’s, Go on Display in Rome | NY Times

• Rome to display ancient Greek silverware | Washington Post

Review of a show at the Capitoline Museum:

• In Rome, Revisiting the Spoils of War – In Transit Blog | NYTimes.com.

Not sure if we’ve mentioned this one yet:

• Antiquities Lent By Republic Of Italy On View At Metropolitan Museum | Antiques and the Arts Online.

Interesting review of an exhibition entitled Ancient Rome & America:

Rome’s stamp on America | Philadelphia Inquirer.