From Rome to Roman
Now on view on the second floor of the museum
The story goes that Rome is founded by Romulus in 753 BC. The small settlement develops into a global city and a successful empire. The city of Rome changes constantly, and during the imperial age, from 27 BC on, the vast Roman Empire grows and prospers. At its height, the Roman world stretches from Scotland to Syria, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic coast of Morocco.
The wide range of items found reveals the numerous commercial and other contacts between the various regions of the Roman Empire. You can see that in From Rome to Roman. Illuminating both local societies and global networks, the presentation highlights the similarities and differences within the Roman world. Just like today, the Roman era is a time of tension between embracing new ideas and maintaining traditions. The western Roman Empire collapses in 476 BC, but ancient Roman culture lives on and exerts a great influence on later European culture.
The museum galleries present artefacts from classical Rome, from the imperial age, from Roman Egypt, and from the so-called Low Countries that are influenced by the Romans. These make clear that while there is one large Roman Empire, there are many different points of view and forms of expression within it. No uniform ‘Roman’ culture and identity ever exists.
