Romans

Roman sculptures

statue of emperor Trajanus

Perhaps you will be awed by the imposing statues of Roman emperors standing at the entrance of the ‘Romans’ presentation. And indeed, these statues were designed to impress.

Roman emperors

Two thousand years ago, the Romans held sway over large parts of Europe and even over lands outside Europe. The statues you see here, stood for the sheer power, force and divinity of Rome. A few smaller symbols of Roman power are attached to emperor Trajanus’ uniform.

A house in Pompeii

But obviously, there was more to Roman life than the emperors and their armies. A three to five meter scale-model of a block of villas in Pompeii provides an image of the everyday life of the prosperous Romans living in or near the ancient city of Rome. The block of villas from the buried town has been very carefully reproduced. The reconstructed living room gives you an impression of a Roman household. Like the people of the ancient Near East, the Romans worshipped a great many gods. One of the display cases is loaded with a variety of different idols, which many Romans used to adorn their mantel pieces.

Gods and sarcophagi

In passing the columbarium, you will see how the deceased were usually buried: in engraved cinerary urns, which were put in the niches in the walls of the graves, sometimes with a portrait of the deceased. Rich, highly placed Romans sometimes ordered their own sarcophagi to be made. A splendid example of these is the sarcophagus that once graced the workshop of the painter Rubens.