Friday, October 02, 2009

Nero’s rotating dining room

Current work: Modern Heat (well, thinking about it between sneezes and coughing)
Listening to: Satie
Reading: next on TBR (still feeling too rough to read)

Following the excitement of discovering the Anglo Saxon hoard in Shropshire is another wonderful archaeology story, this week – the discovery of Nero’s rotating dining room. According to Suetonius (in Lives of the Caesars), there was a revolving wooden floor (or maybe it was the ceiling – it’s not that clear); guests could look at a ceiling painted with stars, and there were panels in the ceiling which allowed flower petals and perfume to shower onto the tables below. It’s thought that the mechanism was driven by water, similar to a water mill. (Full story at the Telegraph here.)

This is giving me some grand ideas. But I guess another archaeology/architect book would be too much for my ed, right now…

10 comments:

Michelle Styles said...

There are other ways...

And yes, it is highly exciting as is the find of the ampitheatre near Rome's airport.

Unknown said...

I couldn't get the link to work but googled it and found it. Very exciting! I can just imagine the grand ideas you're having. :o)

Kate Hardy said...

Michelle - LOL, you bad girl :)

Must look up the amphitheatre - that passed over my radar.

Kate Hardy said...

Shirley - whoops, sorry. Link sorted now.

I just love the whole idea of it. And it must have seemed so revolutionary at the time. Amazing that someone could be so unhinged and do so many bad things, and yet have the sensibility to appreciate things like this.

Nell Dixon said...

I heard about this on the radio - sounds fab doesn't it?

Jan Jones said...

Kate, you didn't REALLY say it must have been revolutionary, did you?

Kate Hardy said...

Nell - I'd love to see it :)

Kate Hardy said...

Jan, when would I pass up the chance to make a truly bad pun? :o) (My editor makes me take them out. The one in my last book was about why you have to lean a bicycle against a wall: because it's two-tyred...)

Anonymous said...

Where did you read the info about being rotated by water power? Do you have a link?

Kate Hardy said...

It was in the Telegraph's article - seems the link in the post doesn't work - sorry!