At the height of the Roman Empire, this elegant
bowl might have held an offering of food, oil or
wine. Perhaps it was left as a votive at the shrine
of some powerful deity. As we hold it in our
hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are
aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who
might have held it when it was new? Were the
dreams and emotions that guided their lives so
very different from our own? The vessel's
graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to
the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that
created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in
their own age, connect us in an intimate way with
the world of the past. In its presence, we cross
the bridge of time and set the imagination on a
journey of discovery.
- (PF.1718)
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