Author Archive: Robert Mason
Monthly Archive: December Robe
Weapon Wednesday: a Romano-Egyptian sword hilt
A look at a cast bronze sword hilt, acquired before 1910 in Cairo by Charles Currelly and presently in the Eaton Gallery of Rome.
Weapon Wednesday
Weapons are one of the most politically-incorrect subjects there are, associated with brutality and violence. But they are also important, and have often defined the cultures that made them....
Re-enactment, Archaeology, and the Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend V of IV: The Final Story
Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend is over, and I thought I would show you the results of my attempt to create a recreation, re-enactment, or impression of a soldier from Dura-Europos (so this is not really one of the original IV, so to speak, hence it is V of IV). In the group above you can see me on the left, with members of the University of Toronto's Hart House Archery Club, who collectively constitute the ROM's 3rd century Roman army (or ROMan army - it being the ROM, we are posing in front of a dinosaur).
Re-enactment, Archaeology, and the Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend IV of IV: The Tunic
An important part of everyday life in the past, but one with very little impact on the archaeological record, is clothing...
Re-enactment, Archaeology, and the Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend III of IV: The Dagger
So in my project to recreate the equipment of a 3rd century Roman soldier from Dura-Europos, following the creation of the sword, I next moved on to the dagger. Little seems to be known about the daggers used by soldiers in the Roman World of the 3rd century AD.
Re-enactment, Archaeology, and the Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend II of IV: The Sword
The sword is one of the definitive weapons of the Roman soldier...
Re-enactment, Archaeology, and the Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend: I of IV
As an archaeologist the main goal in my work is to understand the people of the past...
Fact & Falsehood in Ancient Roman and Greek objects
This coming weekend at the ROM (June 9-10) we will have Ancient Rome and Greece Weekend! There will be re-enactors demonstrating and displaying arms and armour, ROM experts and objects, an archery range with more re-enactors, and a myriad of activities including make a lucky “bulla”, creating your own mosaic masterpiece and learning the game of “knucklebones”.
Meet an Archaeologist: Kay Sunahara
Providing scale for some very large ancient Maya storage jars, Actun Chechem Ha, Belize. Image: Holley Moyes
