Day 13, Part 2 - 31st January - Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal
Next, I went to the Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal (just across the river from Vienne)/Vienne.
Syrian mosaics exhibition. The mosaics belong to the Louvre, but they came to Vienne for restoration, then display, then would return to the capital.
Annoyingly, the archaeological site inside the museum's grounds was closed due to snow.
Map of place
Mosaic of Hylas and the Nymphs
The Romans didn't have handicapped people.
Re-enactment - for him
Re-enactment - for her
Photography was not allowed in the special exhibition.
For some reason I didn't take the caption for this.
Amusingly, there was a wishing tree. Can you guess which one(s) are mine?
"I hope to have a horse of my own"
"Always be nice"
"I would like people to leave me alone"
"I would like to go to the World of the Teletubbies"
"I want to find a handsome boyfriend, and to be happy everyday !!!!"
"I wish that Pierre loves me"
"I would love a handsome, funny, faithful boyfriend who above all is very in love with me!!!"
On the leaves: each entry consists of two leaves. One is a work from the museum and the other is where you write your wish (you're supposed to find the work first, but I doubt anyone did that)
One boy less than 12 years old said he wanted to find a girl in Thailand. I think he was too young to do that...
"I would like to meet a pretty French girl and for us to fall in love"
"To have a job"
"I wish that the person I love loves me"
"A baby for ??? and ???"
Geena and wishing trees
Closed site
The nice lady let me step outside the door to take photos so there wouldn't be reflections from the glass.
€1,50 discount (on €4 ticket price) because the site was closed. I approve. Well, I was on the combined ticket for the special exhibition as well, but I still approved. More museums should do this.
The site was only excavated in 1967 when they were building a school.
Ocean God
House of Love and Pan
Glass Globe
Roman Murals. Wow.
Dining room
The furniture on top helps one visualise how the dining room would've looked, but it also blocks one's view. And won't it spoil the mosaic?
Audioguide: "At the click of the fingers your favourite slave will be there to help you satisfy your every desire". Hurr hurr.
Wading birds and winged genie
Sucellus
One always talks about "Gallo-Roman" civilisation, but really it was mostly Roman and just a little bit Gallo. This was a God of Old Gaul.
Since 2002 they've put the mosaics in-situ in summer so people can see them. Nice touch.
Warehouse (I think). There were excellent mosaics here
Plates
Duck
Rafraichissoir (type of table)
On the history of Vienne
Gym games
Shop of a ceramics seller
River Gods
Bone work
Orpheus charming the animals
Orpheus charming the animals (again)
Krater, birds
Arabic style art
On the mosaicists of Vienne
Sun in Marble - there was stone from all over the empire in here: Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia and Italy
Warehouse model (IIRC)
Athletes
River gods
Then was the showpiece of their collection, a stunning mosaic discovered in 1900 and worked on from 1907.
The punishment of Lycurgus (a legendary Spartan lawgiver)
Unfortunately some parts disappeared over the years (e.g. Ambrosia)
On the mosaic
Wading birds and winged genie (this was a different item from the previous work of the name)
Orpheus charming the Animals
Yes, this was a popular theme
Shield
France was at red alert level. Presumably terrorists want to engage in cultural terrorism by destroying museums.
At 2pm the site was opened!
Rue du Rhône
Baths of the Fighters
The baths were on a higher level than the museum
Luxuriously decorated toilets
Road of the Portico
Mirror palace
On the building material
The largest property on the site
North Portal
Grand Peristyle
Château in background
A small but richly decorated house - The House of 5 Mosaics
House of Sucellus
Path back to museum
While I was resting in the foyer, I was treated to an amusing sight:
Kids being briefed on testudo (tortoise) formation 1
Kids being briefed on testudo (tortoise) formation 2
Kids marching in testudo (tortoise) formation