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How everyday items peel back the curtain on ancient Rome
Sandals, masks, and other archaeological artifacts provide intimate glimpses into people's lives during Rome's rise, heyday, and fall.
The engraving on this scarab from the second or third century B.C. depicts a scene from classical mythology: A seated Prometheus is shown creating man, attaching an arm to a skeleton. Prometheus was believed to have made man from clay, and to have defied the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity.
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