Saturnalia Princeps

The gorgeous Bird Mosaic from the so-called House of the Birds in Italica, Spain, features 35 different species of birds.

Antonia Minor portrayed by Margaret Tyzack in I, Claudius.

Jean-Paul Sinibaldi, Claudius proclaimed emperor, 1886. Probably my favourite painting of the scene. I mean his face is the perfect mixture of total terror and total surprise.

On the 24th of January 41 AD, Gaius, known to history as Caligula, was assassinated by the members of his Praetorian guard.

Details of an enormous bronze cauldron discovered a few years ago by French archaeologists near the town of Lavau in a tomb of a Celtic nobleman. The burial dates to around 500 BC and the cauldron itself is of Etruscan or Greek manufacture, showcasing the extensive trade links during the period.

The bronze head of the statue of Emperor Tiberius, now in the National Archaeology Museum in Madrid, originally found in Tiermes (in antiquity known as Termantia).

Fruits commonly eaten in the ancient Mediterranean in Roman frescoes and mosaics. How many can you recognize?

And the Grandmother of the Year award goes to...

Etruscan glass. Gorgeous colours.