It is a passage right from the start of the work, in which the great first-century BC poet invokes the gods Liber (Bacchus) and Ceres, describing how the Earth exchanged acorns for ears of wheat – essentially, the mythical invention of farming. As a team of archaeologists reported this week in a scholarly journal, they come from Virgil’s long poem Georgics, about the skill, the abundance and the backbreaking toil of farming. What is remarkable about this fragment is that it is inscribed with words – and not just any old words. That in itself is not remarkable – these clay vessels were made on an industrial scale in the area, filled with olive oil and transported throughout the Roman empire. Once upon a time, the fragment formed part of a large, pear-shaped amphora.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |