Dickinson College Commentaries

Mosaic: Aurora and Cephalus

Aurora (Greek: Eos) gazes down at Cephalus who lies across her lap. Aurora's right arm is draped across Cephalus's body, her right hand grasping his left hip. She is dressed in a long gown gathered at the right shoulder. A drape billows behind the couple forming a halo before threading under Cephalus's left arm. Cephalus is shown nude.

Engraving: Memnon on the pyre

Memnon lies in the middle of a large fire on a rocky outcrop. A flock of birds rises among the smoke from the fire. On a cloud in the upper right corner Aurora stands before Jupiter's throne pleading with him. Jupiter's eagle perches by his right leg.

Cameo: Aurora in her chariot

Arurora stands in a two-wheeled chariot, pulled by two horses. She holds the reins with both hands. Her garment billows around her creating a halo effect.

Giovanni da San Giovanni: Aurora and Tithonus

Aurora lovingly gazes down at an aged, sleeping Tithonus. Her garment is twisted around her hips, having fallen down, baring her torso. In a fold of the garment she has gathered roses. Her right arm is raised, a rose in her hand. Three roses are falling down toward Tithonus, either dropped by Aurora or fallen out of her garment.

Fresco from the House of Julia Felix

Fresco in two registers, depicting two shelves. On the top shelf a bag, probably containing coins, sits in the center flanked on one side by a pile of silver coins and on the other gold. On the lower shelf, an inkwell sits far left with a stylus balanced across the left. next to lays a scroll. To the right of the scroll is an open set of wax tablets with a second stylus. Far right, a closed set of wax tablets.

Roman-British writing implements and materials

Photograph of ancient writing implements. A set of styluses, ink opt and wooden pieces of a wax tablet.

Wax tablet from Egypt

Two pieces of wood joined by a hinge. Each piece of wood has a shallow cavity in the center which would have held the wax. Lines of text are visible where the user scratched through the wax into the wood.

Terracotta figure: Woman reading a writing tablet

Seated woman dressed in a chiton wearing a cylindrical headpiece known as a polos. In her lap rests a rectangular writing tablet

Epitaph of Gnome

Marble tombstone with incised inscription highlighted by red paint.

Rosemary Hulse reads Argonautica, Book 4.482-550