Royal Ontario Museum Blog

Monthly Archive: December

Re-enactment, Archaeology, and the Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend II of IV: The Sword

Posted: June 6, 2013 - 14:59 , by Robert Mason
Categories: 
Art & Culture, Ancient Culture
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The finished sword reproduction, with scabbard.

The sword is one of the definitive weapons of the Roman soldier...

Re-enactment, Archaeology, and the Ancient Rome & Greece Weekend: I of IV

Posted: June 6, 2013 - 12:03 , by Robert Mason
Categories: 
Art & Culture, Ancient Culture
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As an archaeologist the main goal in my work is to understand the people of the past...

Conservator in the House – In-situ Conservation of the “Tree Cookie”

Posted: May 8, 2013 - 09:21 , by Nicole Richards
Categories: 
Biodiversity, Natural History, Collections, Exhibitions & Galleries
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Heidi Sobol conducting conservation work with Tree Cookie

Find out what Heidi Sobol, Senior Conservator of Paintings is up to in the Schad Gallery!

ROM Volunteer Profile: Patricia Harris

Posted: April 25, 2013 - 15:20 , by David McKay
Categories: 
Collections, Art & Culture, Textiles & Fashion
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Patricia Harris is a true testament to the profound impact of volunteerism...

How to display the past.....Part 3: Curatorial Perspectives

Posted: April 23, 2013 - 13:56 , by ROM
Categories: 
Art & Culture, Ancient Culture, Behind the Scenes, Exhibitions & Galleries
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How do curators put together a museum display?  Find out in my third installment of this behind-the-scenes tour.

Komodo Dragon Preparation, Step 3: Cleaning and Articulating the Bones

Posted: March 19, 2013 - 16:32 , by Nicole Richards
Categories: 
Biodiversity, Collections, Natural History, Behind the Scenes
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A volunteer cleans the remaining tissue from the Komodo Dragon skull

The final stages of preparing Doni, the Komodo Dragon for display

How to display the past….. Part 2: Collecting

Posted: February 28, 2013 - 15:51 , by ROM
Categories: 
Collections, Art & Culture, Ancient Culture, Behind the Scenes
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This instalment of my behind-the-scenes tour of what shapes a museum display began as an example of how museum collections are formed, but it may develop into a detective story as you’ll see…..

How to display the past......

Posted: February 6, 2013 - 17:02 , by ROM
Categories: 
Art & Culture, Ancient Culture, Behind the Scenes, Exhibitions & Galleries
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Ever wondered what goes in to the display you see in a museum gallery? I’m exploring some behind-the-scenes issues that shape what you see.

Komodo Dragon Preparation, Step Two: To the Bug Cave! I mean, Bug ROOM

Posted: December 12, 2012 - 15:31 , by Nicole Richards
Categories: 
Biodiversity, Collections, Natural History, Behind the Scenes
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A close-up of the Komodo Dragon head before preparation of the speciman began

Viewer discretion advised. Images depict a Komodo Dragon being dissected as it is prepared for the ROM's collections. Some images may be shocking.

Virtual Collaboration: The whole story of ancient Roman amethyst gem

Posted: November 9, 2012 - 16:16 , by royal
Categories: 
Collections, Research
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On August 30, 2012 I posted a blog on the rediscovery of a very striking and important ancient Roman amethyst gem engraved with the image of Victory writing on a shield, dating to about 50 BC to AD 25. I also mentioned that the gem was in the collection of Sir Francis Cook by 1903. The posting paid off! Last week I received an email from Dr. Erika Zwierlein-Diehl, a professor at the University of Bonn, Germany, telling me that she had seen my blog and immediately recognized our gem. Dr.