I
love history, and that’s why I primarily write historical romances. I have a three-story
series of Victorian novellas, The Disciplinarian, The Disciplinarian’s Daughter
and The Bet with Red Sage Publishing, and a Roman saga called Conqueror
Vanquished with Ellora’s Cave.
So
imagine how excited I was on a recent trip to Los Angeles to be able to visit
the Getty Villa in Malibu, which is dedicated to Greek and Roman antiquities.
This
place was amazing. It’s built to resemble an Italian villa in the ancient town
of Herculaneum, which was buried by volcanic ash when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in
A.D. 79. (Yes, Herculaneum was buried along with Pompeii.)
Walking
through the villa museum is like taking a step back in time to witness how the
Romans actually lived in the first century.
Every
room off the central atrium houses incredible ancient treasures. But by far the
most impressive… and jaw-dropping… piece in this living museum is a seven foot
tall statue of Hercules (Heracles). It is almost 2,000 years old and has only
had THREE owners!
The
statue was discovered in 1790 buried near the villa of the Roman emperor
Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138 A.D. (Yes, he was the man who ordered
Hadrian’s Wall built in England, to separate the Roman conquerors from the
native ‘barbarians’ to the north. ) This statue of Hercules was apparently
commissioned by Hadrian around 125 A.D. In 1792, two years after its
unearthing, it was bought by an English collector, the Marquess of Landsdowne,
to become part of his private collection. Almost two hundred years later it
became the property of J. Paul Getty.
Another
masterpiece of ancient art on display at the villa is this delicate, paper-thin
gold leaf wreath, which was made in 300 B.C. but incredibly still maintains its
bright gold color. In ancient Greece, wreaths were given to athletes as prizes
in contests. This one is so fragile that they keep it in a glass case inside an
environmentally controlled room.
Another
highlight for me as a writer of ancient Roman warriors was this statue of a
Roman soldier wearing full military parade armor. And hey, the body of the man
under the uniform is impressive, too!
The
Getty Villa is an amazing place. It’s almost inconceivable that some of the
antiquities there are more than two millennia old. Who knows, maybe I was so
drawn to it because I was Roman in a previous life! How about you? Is there a time in history, or
a place in the world that you feel a strong connection to? Share your story!
Leigh
Court
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