Be cheerful, enjoy your life! The mosaic, which is likely from the 3rd century BC (?), is believed to have served as an elaborate centerpiece of a floor located in the dining room of a wealthy man’s home. It says “ΕΥΦΡΟCΥΝΟC” which means joyful, full of happiness, cheerful.
The rectangular panel represents the entire decorated area of a floor and was found together with another mosaic in an olive grove at Daphne-Harbiye in 1937. In Roman times, Daphne was a popular holiday resort, used by the wealthy citizens and residents of Antioch as a place of rest and refuge from the heat and noise of the city. American excavations at Daphne in the late 1930s uncovered the remains of several well-appointed houses and villas, including the one that contained this mosaic. At its center is a panel (emblema) with the bust of a woman, decked out with a wreath of flowers around her head and a floral garland over her left shoulder. Traditionally identified as Spring, the figure is probably the representation of a more generic personification of abundance and good living, well suited to the luxurious atmosphere created at Daphne by its rich patrons.
Ancient Romans had a very interesting idea about how sight worked. They believed that your eyes shot out these little particles that went and grabbed whatever it is that you were looking at and brought it back to you. So seeing was very much physical. MEANING that you could also put harmful intent behind that look and cause real life damage. Hence, the EVIL EYE!
How do you keep yourself safe? Well, laughter was a great deterrent, and what’s more funny that a pygmy with a giant backward facing penis?! That’s right. NOTHING. This image is of a Roman mosaic found in Antioch (modern day Turkey) showing one of the ways to keep you, your family, and your house guests safe from the evil eye (and demons too mind you) while at home.
Let’s just appreciate this image for a moment shall we? Dwarf with a giant dong? Check. Evil eye getting impaled with a sword (extra phallic symbol for ya) and pitchfork, and devoured by a dog, cat, scorpion, snake, and bird.
Sorry I’ve not been around much I spent too much time on here and ended up failing one of my classes cause of it… my fault butttt I miss the animatronics so I’m back heheheeee
