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Ancestor Masks and Aristocratic Power in Roman Culture

Flower explains why the Roman elite commemorated politically prominent family members with wax masks worn by actors at the funerals of the deceased. She looks at literary sources, legal texts, epigraphy, archaeology, numismatics, and art, tracing the functional evolution of ancestor masks, from the third century BC to the sixth century AD. By putting these masks into their legal, social, and political context, Flower elucidates their central position in the media of the time and their special meaning as symbols of power and prestige.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a well-known herb..Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing that thyme was a source of courage. It was thought that the spread of thyme throughout Europe was thanks to the Romans, as they used it to purify their rooms and to "give an aromatic flavour to cheese and liqueurs". In the European Middle Ages, the herb was placed beneath pillows to aid sleep and ward off nightmares. In this period, women would also often give knights and warriors gifts that included thyme leaves as it was believed to bring courage to the bearer. Thyme was also used as incense and placed on coffins during funerals as it was supposed to assure passage into the next life.
Thyme is widely cultivated for its strong flavor, which is due to its content of thymol.
Thyme is best cultivated in a hot sunny location with well drained soil. It is generally planted in the spring and thereafter grows as a perennial. It can be propagated by seed, cuttings, or by dividing rooted sections of the plant. It tolerates drought well. The plants can take deep freezes and are found growing wild on mountain highlands.
Thyme retains its flavor on drying better than many other herbs.

Il timo (Thymus vulgaris) e un genere di piante appartenente alla famiglia delle Lamiaceae.Il suo nome scientifico deriva dal greco forza, coraggio, che risveglierebbe in coloro che ne odorano il profumo balsamico.E una pianta a portamento arbustivo, perenne, alta fino a 40-50 cm, con un fusto legnoso nella parte inferiore e molto ramificato, che forma dei cespugli molto compatti.Le foglie sono piccole e allungate con una colorazione variabile dal verde piu o meno intenso, al grigio, all'argento, ricoperte da una fitta peluria in quasi tutte le specie.I fiori sono di colore bianco-rosato e crescono all'ascella delle foglie in infiorescenze a spiga e sono ad impollinazione entomofila (da insetti), soprattutto ad opera delle api.
I frutti sono degli acheni.
La pianta e considerata appartenente al gruppo della "aromatiche", ha infatti in ogni parte. ma soprattutto nelle foglie e nei fiori un odore gradevole ed aromatico.
Il timo possiede notevoli proprieta antisettiche a livello gastrointestinale, note fin da tempi antichissimi. Costituiva, con altri oli essenziali, sostanza base usata dagli Antichi Egizi nel processo di imbalsamazione.
Fino alla fine della Prima Guerra Mondiale con il timo si realizzavano i disinfettanti piu diffusi. E efficace nelle infezioni delle vie urinarie.
Le proprieta antibatteriche sono dovute a un fenolo, il timolo, contenuto in tutte le parti della pianta, responsabile del forte profumo.
Puo essere usato come infuso (tipo te) oppure come condimento nelle pietanze; puo essere usato, come il mentolo, per unirlo al tabacco da fumo, per aromatizzarlo.

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One end wall of the frescoed triclinium (dining room) in the House of Livia, Rome. The garden is populated with plants related to life, death, and immortality. An oak (linked to Jupiter's power) flanked by a pomegranite at left (attribute of Demeter and fertility symbol) and quince at right (sacred to Aphrodite and bestowing good luck at weddings) laden with fruit. In the background between these are oleander bushes in bloom (toxic and symbols of death) and cyprus trees. The flowers lower down include (from left to right) coronary chrysanthemum (woven into funerary garlands to protect the dead), opium poppy (a prominent narcotic in the myth of Demeter), cabbage rose (a symbol of love), fetid camomille (used in garlands, known for medicinal value). In front of the low fence grow wild violets (associated with Attis and carried in procession each March 22nd on the 'dies violae') interspersed with common solopendra, a member of the fern family (protected against snakes and may have been used at funerals). The birds include thrushes, a blackbird, a partridge, The paintings date from 30-20 BC. The murals are now displayed in a dedicated room of the National Museum of Rome, Palazzo Massimo.