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Tattoos: Today
Guest blog by Ann Webb, Managing Director ROM Contemporary Culture Although tattooing has deep roots across cultures and has spread globally, across several millennia, the Western perception of tattoos, the tattooist, and the tattooed has had connotations of deviance. The invention of the
Ten Tips to Get Started in Wildlife Photography
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Robert Elliot Wildlife photography is equal parts hard work, dedication, and creativity. But with the ever-growing accessibility of quality camera gear and the ubiquity of photos across the web and social media, it can be challenging
The 'Goddess' and the Museum: "What's in a name?"
In my last two blog posts about the Goddess and the Museum (The Early Years and Museum Attitudes) I’ve discussed the history of the ROM figurine from the 1930s to the present. Here I want to reflect on the changing meanings that she has come to embody over those years. In the decades since
The 'Goddess' and the Museum: Museum Attitudes
In 1931 the ROM had paid a huge sum for an object that would put the newly-established Museum on the map in the eyes of the international academic and museum community and the visiting public. Currelly had ensured that the figure was authenticated by the foremost expert, Sir Arthur Evans, and
The 'Goddess' and the Museum: The Early Years
The front pages of The Palace of Minos volume 4, published by Sir Arthur Evans in 1935 This is the first of a series of articles that Julia Fenn and I will be writing over the next months as part of the research project about a ROM icon: the ‘Minoan’ Ivory Goddess. For the first three
The "Maple Leaf Forever Tree" Lives On
Guest blog post by Environmental Visual Communication (EVC) Student Justine DiCesare The famously dubbed 'Maple Leaf Forever Tree' in Leslieville (yes, the one that is thought to have inspired the song of the same name in 1867) fell during a bad storm in July 2013. A year later, I went
The 99%: Paul Roberts on Pompeii and Herculaneum
Paul Roberts will be giving a (sold out) lecture titled “What happens in Pompeii, stays in Pompeii: Sexuality in the Roman World” at the ROM on December 8. Here, Sascha Priewe speaks to Paul about curating the exhibition Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum at the British Museum in 2013.
The A Third Gender exhibition and LGBTQ community workshop
By Asato Ikeda On January 23 this year, the A Third Gender exhibit team and the Mark Bonham Center for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto co-hosted two workshops with members of Toronto’s LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer) community. We invited educators,
The ABCs of Rosedale
By Regina Virgo, ROMWalk Volunteer Did you know that South Rosedale is a Heritage Conservation District (HCD)? It is protected because its buildings are considered to be historically or culturally significant and require special care and attention to ensure that they are conserved. The application
The Anatomy of a Book: Saving The Naturalist's Library
Books are remarkably durable. Fragments have survived from ancient times, while others have traversed the centuries in near perfect condition. One such example is the St Cuthbert Gospel from the 7th century, the earliest intact European book. But despite the robust structure of the book, the
The Bee Contest Winner Visits the ROM!
I love sharing the cool secrets of the ROM with visitors, so it really made my day when our Name the Queen Bee Contest winner Kaitlyn visited the ROM with her mom and her brother Kynan (who also happened to be our third place winner). I got to show them around the Keenan Family Gallery of Hands-on
The Blueprint of Life- DNA & YOU
Article written by Christine Black; photos done by Jacqueline Waters. Christine Black, a volunteer in the ROM's DNA lab shares her experience and encourages you to join her at this months Curators Corner DNA & YOU! For the past year I have been volunteering here at the ROM, particularly in
The Book of Life
By Dr. Victoria Arbour, ROM Postdoctoral Researcher The history of life on Earth is a story told through the layers of the fossil record: new species evolve and others go extinct, and we see these changes in the fossils that palaeontologists excavate and then study in museums. Much like a book,
The Butterflies of Toronto
To educate and foster appreciation for these much-loved colourful insects, the City of Toronto, in partnership with the ROM and Livegreen Toronto, has published a new book, Butterflies of Toronto: A Guide to their Remarkable World. With hundreds of full-colour photographs, this new publication
The Captivity Debate: Should We Keep Marine Mammals in Tanks?
Guest blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Adil Darvesh In November 2016, Qila and Aurora, two Beluga whales at Vancouver Aquarium, died due to an unknown toxin in their tanks. News of their deaths added to an ongoing debate: Should humans keep marine mammals in
The Caribou I Haven’t Seen
written by Leslie Bol I was ecstatic the first time I did a wildlife survey from a helicopter in 2008. I felt like I’d really made it as a biologist. I was equally excited in 2010, when I was invited to be part of a series of aerial caribou surveys in Nunavut. After all, caribou are such an
The Cat's Tomb
Ancient Egypt's most purrfectly prized pet is buried right here inside the ROM! Long before dogs were known as ‘man’s best friend’, cats were the most favoured pets by the ancient Egyptians. The Cat's Tomb exhibit showcases a 2500 year-old mummified cat wrapped in linen
The Children's Miracle Network at The ROM!
It’s not often that you witness children jumping out of their seats to dance, learning about DNA, examining dinosaur fossils, and exploring the secrets of Ancient Egypt all in one day. On Monday, October 7, the Royal Ontario Museum was pleased to host the Children’s Miracle Network Program,
The end is near…the long Maya count down
Altar commemorating the midpoint of a k’atun in 682 CE. Sandstone. Late Classic Period (AD 600-900). Toniná, Chiapas, Mexico. Museo Regional de Chiapas. Image (c) CONACULTA.-INAH.-MEX. Jorge Vertiz 2011. Reproduction Authorized by the National Institute of Anthropology and History. As we count
The Evans Connection Part 1: The Minoans Discovered
I pick up the story of the Ivory ‘Minoan’ Goddess to discuss why the ROM, or indeed anyone, believed that the figurine was genuine (or why she was created, if she is fake). In essence, this was based on the opinion of one man, Sir Arthur Evans (as I explain in an earlier post), but to
The Evans Connection Part 2: The Minoans Created
I continue the story which I began in my previous post – Part1: The Minoans Discovered – to show how the British archeologist, Sir Arthur Evans, made his own particular interpretation of the ancient Minoan civilization so popular, and what consequences this popularity was to have. Read More
The first Church at York and the War of 1812
Written by Paul Vaculik, ROMwalks volunteer The first Church at York (later renamed to St. James) was built in 1807 by soldiers of the British garrison. The church and its rector, the Reverend Dr. John Strachan, became central to events of the War of 1812. In the April 1813 Battle of York, after
The Fruits of our Labour: ROM images in print
It’s always a nice treat to receive publications from clients that license our images. When a book comes in I check to see which page our image is reproduced on, mark the page and record publication details for our records. Here is a handsome pile of books that include ROM images and will be
The Game Show at the End of the World
Having laid awake for nights on end, the fabulous Dr. ROMulous and the ROM team have devised a new game show for March Break at the ROM (March 10 – 18). Inspired by Maya: Secrets of their Ancient World and Dr. ROMulous’s recent trip to Palenque, Mexico, The Game Show at the End of the World is
The Healing Power of Dinosaurs: A look at Dinosaur Day at The Hospital for Sick Children
Written by Min Wong, Outreach Volunteer, Member of Friends of Palaeontology Anyone who has listened to an eight year old excitedly describe how a Velociraptor walked on two hind feet and had a huge claw on each foot knows the fascination that children have with dinosaurs. Such was the experience we
The Japanese Art Collection of the ROM: A Look at Edo Period Tsuba
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has a large collection of tsuba (sword guard): 278 pieces ranging from the 15 th century to late 19 th century, some of which are currently on display in Prince Takamado Gallery of Japan. The primary function of the tsuba is to protect the wielder’s hands by
The Journey of the Lost Water Bottle
Guest blog written by 2017 Environmental Visual Communication student Cristina Bergman I will travel the ocean for hundreds of years. I will see more wildlife and more extinction in my lifetime than any human that has ever walked the earth. I fit in your hand, but can be more powerful than a blue
The Legacy of Pompeii
Getty Villa antiquities curator Kenneth Lapatin talks about the themes of his upcoming lecture “The Enduring Legacy of Rome” at the ROM on November 17. Kenneth Lapatin is a curator at the Getty Villa. Trained as a classical archaeologist, he holds degrees from the University of
The LEGO Maya Pyramid that 5000 kids built
For our March Break programming this year I wanted to mark the 50 th anniversary of the excavation of an incredible ancient Maya site- Altun Ha, Belize, and introduce a whole new generation to this fascinating find. So I proposed that we build the temple pyramid out of LEGO and ask our visitors
The Lego Sphinx Concludes Today
Today is the last day of the LEGO Sphinx build at the ROM. There has been a lot of progress and it’s been great to have seen so many of you out to see the Sphinx near completion, and to join in on the other LEGO activities on this weekend. Day 3, 10am- The LEGO Sphinx is almost done There is
The life cycle of a new fossil: Meet the ancient cousin of the earthworm
By Karma Nanglu Have you ever wondered how a new fossil is described? Or picked up an earthworm on a rainy day and thought to yourself “where do animals like these come from?” In this ROMblog post, I’ll walk you through the process of describing an exceptionally well-preserved new fossil
The Living Room: Creative Team & List of Works Cited
In September 2016, the ROM and OCAD U embarked on a unique partnership, which culminated in an original student-created installation that is part of The Family Camera (May 6- October 29, 2017). This work was designed by the students in consultation with their instructors and ROM staff as part of
The Living Room: Photography in the Public and Private
By Maya Wilson-Sanchez For almost nine months now, I’ve had the wonderful experience of working, writing, researching, and creating alongside a class of dedicated and talented undergraduate and graduate students at OCAD University as well as our instructors, and curators and staff at the ROM. It
The LMS Lab
Guest blog by Kristen Choffe, DNA Lab Technician From discovering new species to preserving endangered ones, the ROM’s LMS uses genetic sequencing to study specimens. What is it? The LMS, or Laboratory of Molecular Systematics, is a multi-user lab used mainly by the Department of
The Making of "Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity"- by Kati Bruch
Written by Kati Bruch, Environmental Visual Communication Student w/ Fleming College at the ROM The "Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity" turns four this year! Come celebrate with us in one of the ROM’s most popular galleries, this Saturday, June 29 from 11am to 4pm.
The Making of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia: Inventing Our World is coming to the ROM on June 22! The ROM's newest special exhibition explores innovations of ancient Mesopotamia that shaped our world today. Mesopotamia features treasures from 3,000 years of civilization in Sumer, Assyria, and Babylon, and includes o ver
The Making of Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana
Contributed by Peter May, President, Research Casting International Ltd. We held a press preview day at our shop last week to launch the ROM’s major summer exhibition – Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana. Of the 17 dinosaur skeletons to be exhibited, ten are pretty well finished; just
The Mammals Strike Back!
After our recent post about mouse-eating frogs, Burton Lim of the mammalogy department, one of the ROM’s bat experts, decided to fight back for the mammals. Behold Trachops cirrhosus, the frog-eating bat! Known as the Fringe-Lipped Bat, you’ll notice little bumps around its mouth, which were
The Monastery of St Moses, Syria: Introduction
Deir Mar Musa, or the Monastery of St. Moses, can be found about 90 km north of Damascus in the desert Qalamoun Mountains, isolated between the road from Damascus to Homs/Hama/Aleppo and the road from Damascus to Palmyra-Tadmor. The nearest town is al-Nabk, or Nebek, 10.4 miles or 6.5 km to the
The Monastery of St Moses, Syria: The Buildings
The monastery of Deir Mar Musa in its heyday included hermitages spread around the landscape, but as today, the focus of the complex would have been the buildings, especially the chapel, home to the important frescos. The archaeology of standing buildings requires looking at walls to see how they
The Monastery of St Moses, Syria: The Cave Survey
The first field-walks took place in 2004, but recorded survey of the area began in 2005 with a rapid series of transects across the catchment of the valley. Some of the caves were clearly situated in locations which were now difficult to get to, and I rather suspected that if I did not have a
The Monastery of St Moses, Syria: The Frescoes
A report on Deir Mar Musa would not be complete without an account of the frescoes. Others have done most of the work studying these paintings, but my architectural study of the monastery buildings has certainly provided important informaton about the rationale for the last phase of frescoes (for
The Monastery of St Moses, Syria: The Pottery
Despite there being almost 1,400 years of occupation at Deir Mar Musa, strangely the overwhelming majority of the pottery found at the site can be assigned to the "Mamluk" period. The period of Mamluk rule in Greater Syria (1260-1516) generally reflects an archaeological horizon that
The Monastery of St Moses, Syria: The Prehistoric Remains
Since 2004 I had walked the Qalamoun mountains around the monastery of Deir Mar Musa looking for archaeological features to record. In all that time I found one lithic, a stone tool from humanity’s prehistoric past. My colleagues back home that specialised in these objects would say that I just
The Museum Makers Mural!
Hi, we are the Museum Makers from Session 1 of Summer Club 2013! We made this extraordinary mural for the Royal Ontario Museum. We chose specific drawings to represent different galleries in the museum. For example, we chose different plants and animals to represent the Schad Gallery of
The Natural World in South Asian Painting
These works are on view in the Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery. Paintings from the Indian subcontinent are made with natural vegetable and mineral pigments on paper and thus are light sensitive, requiring regular rotation in a gallery space. The most recent installation focuses on the
The Ofrenda: Stunning Mexican altar on display at the ROM this holiday season
by Sascha Priewe and Chloë Sayer ROM for the Holidays is the last chance to see the ofrenda made by Sergio Alejandro Hernández Martínez. This altar was built by Sergio over the course of two weeks leading up to the ROM’s Day of the Dead celebrations on 30 October. Let’s have another look at
The Ongoing Mystery of the Franklin Expedition
Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Jeff Dickie With an excavation recently completed this summer, the mystery of the Franklin Expedition continues... sitting quiet and still in her watery grave, what secrets will HMS Erebus finally give up about her ill-fated
The Past in the Present: A Dialogue
The Past in the Present: A Dialogue By Catherine Tammaro, Richard Zane Smith, and Craig Cipolla Nearly a year ago we met together at the Royal Ontario Museum to discuss and handle Wendat pottery. Our meeting led to a small collaborative research and writing project that resulted in an ongoing
The restudy of the iconic Hallucigenia animal from Burgess Shale
New research published today in the journal Nature describes a newly-discovered 'ring of teeth' in an otherworldly creature from half a billion years ago. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto have found that the