My OpenLearn Profile
- Personalise your OpenLearn profile
- Save your favourite content
- Get recognition for your learning
This page was published over five years ago. Please be aware that due to the passage of time, the information provided on this page may be out of date or otherwise inaccurate, and any views or opinions expressed may no longer be relevant. Some technical elements such as audio-visual and interactive media may no longer work. For more detail, see our Archive and Deletion Policy.
How was mythology used by ancient Romans in their everyday lives? At Nemi to the south of Rome, the sanctuary of the goddess Diana provides us with a snapshot of Roman life and society. This album explores some of the fragments of objects found at the site of Diana's temple, such as a street entertainer's clay lamp, an ex-slave's votive statue and a miniature model of the Temple itself. Containing significant clues about social mobility, these cult objects reveal how lower social classes used mythical stories to empower themselves.
This material forms part of The Open University course A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds.
- Duration 45 mins
- Updated Tuesday 17th August 2010
- Posted under History & The Arts, Classical Studies
Track 1: Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds: the Temple of Diana at Nemi
A short introduction to this album.
© The Open University 2010
- Read a transcript of this track - you'll need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe's free Adobe Reader
- Download this track from iTunes U - you'll need Apple's free iTunes software
- See details of the Open University course this album comes from
- Discover more from The Open University and iTunesU at open.edu/itunes
Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds: the Temple of Diana at Nemi | A short introduction to this album. Play now Myth in the Greek and Roman Worlds: the Temple of Diana at Nemi |
| 2 | The Temple of Diana at Nemi: temple model | Examining the mysterious miniature terracotta model of temple, found at Nemi. Play now The Temple of Diana at Nemi: temple model |
| 3 | The Temple of Diana at Nemi: anatomical votive | What can we learn about Diana and her worshippers from this statue, found at Nemi? Play now The Temple of Diana at Nemi: anatomical votive |
| 4 | The Temple of Diana at Nemi: Oil lamp | Gleaning clues about the fabric of Roman society from a fragment of an oil lamp. Play now The Temple of Diana at Nemi: Oil lamp |
| 5 | The Temple of Diana at Nemi: Herm | The messages conveyed in a statue donated by an ex-slave. Play now The Temple of Diana at Nemi: Herm |
| 6 | Nemi and myth | Open University academic Valerie Hope explains how objects found at Nemi reveal how mythology played a key role in everyday life. Play now Nemi and myth |
| 7 | Why study myth? | Chris Emlyn-Jones, Valerie Hope and Paula James reveal the enduring importance of myth. Play now Why study myth? |
| 8 | A330: Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds | How story and myth are embedded into the monuments and artefacts of ancient Greece and Rome. Play now A330: Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds |
About the author
Tags, Ratings and Social Bookmarking
Other content you may like
free course icon
Level
History & The Arts
Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds
What is myth? This module is a broad interdisciplinary study of Greek and Roman myth in its social, historical, literary and visual context. It combines the detailed study of individual works of literature, art and architecture with an exploration of context, function and purpose. As well as studying myth in antiquity, you will also explore the reception of mythical ideas and images in later European culture. The module's digital resources include interactive visual explorations of key ancient and modern sites, monuments and artefacts, together with audio interviews with experts tracing the influence of myth on, for example, drama, science and medicine.
audio icon
History & The Arts
Myth at the heart of the Roman Empire
How and why did ancient Romans use myth to validate their power? Emperor Augustus legitimised his rule by entwining his own ancestry with the mythical stories of Rome's foundation, and created a divine aura around Rome as capital of the vast empire. This album visits key emblems associated with Rome's beginnings: the Forum and the Capitoline Hill with its statue of the she-wolf and Romulus and Remus; the Emperor Augustus's palace and ceremonial altar, and the 17th Century D'Arpino frescos of foundation myths commissioned by Pope Innocent X to underpin his authority. By monumentalising and glorifying their real and legendary past, Romans painted their own history and this continues to encapsulate Roman identity today. This material forms part of The Open University course A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds.
article icon
History & The Arts
Confessions of an English Opium Eater
Learn about the deadly war for readers in Georgian London and write your own confessions.
free course icon
Level
History & The Arts
A spiritual revolution? Wicca and religious change in the 1960s
This free course, A spiritual revolution? Wicca and religious change in the 1960s looks at the ‘crisis’ of traditional religion in the Sixties in the Western world. It explores the process of religious renewal, looking at the development of Wicca, the prototypical form of modern Paganism. Originally presented as a Goddess religion of great antiquity, which had survived the Roman invasion and Church persecution, Wicca is in fact best seen as a new religion, clearly belonging to an age in which sexual norms, gender roles and traditional power structures were changing. It questions to what degree we can view religious change in the 1960s as spiritual revolution. This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course A113 Revolutions.
video icon
History & The Arts
Why size matters
See the oldest editions of The Faerie Queene and discover more about why the size of books matter.
free course icon
Level
History & The Arts
Making sense of art history
You can prepare for this free course, Making sense of art history, by looking around you. It's likely that wherever you are you'll be able to see some images. It's also likely that many of these will be intended to have some sort of effect on you. In the course itself you will be exploring the power of images via a study of contemporary art from the 1980s onwards. Taking the time to look beyond the immediate appearance of an art work to consider what the artist might be trying to say can be immensely rewarding.
activity icon
History & The Arts
Learn some nonsense by heart
Go on an adventure with Edward Lear's Nonsense Songs, as you find a nonsense alphabet of animals and learn some nonsense by heart.
free course icon
Level
History & The Arts
Art and the Mexican Revolution
In this free course, Art and the Mexican Revolution, you will explore one of Diego Rivera’s key murals which was commissioned by the Mexican government in the period after the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920. These monumental public artworks, designed to win over the Mexican peasantry and working-class to the new post-revolutionary state, brought Mexican mural artists international acclaim and Rivera was subsequently awarded important commissions in the United States. Yet, due to his commitment to a figurative form of propaganda, Rivera’s reputation suffered during the Cold War period and these Mexican murals are now largely left out of dominant accounts of twentieth-century United States art.
article icon
History & The Arts
Good god! 12 labours of Putin is all about Vlad’s personality cult
Is an art exhibition in Russia, conveying Putin as the Greek hero Heracles (Hercules), narcissistic, sinister or hilariously ironic?
©1999-2020. All rights reserved. The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to its secondary activity of credit broking.
Be the first to post a comment
We invite you to discuss this subject, but remember this is a public forum.
Please be polite, and avoid your passions turning into contempt for others. We may delete posts that are rude or aggressive, or edit posts containing contact details or links to other websites.