Meet Callityche and the other residents of Puteoli, a bustling town near the Roman imperial port of Misenum. Based on real inscriptions in the Kelsey Museum’s collection, five brand-new self-guided tours invite visitors to explore the lives of everyday Romans through the artifacts and monuments that shaped their experiences.
Visitors will hear from…
- Callityche, a hairdresser for the prominent Valeria family.
- Publius Aelius Lucius, a retired sailor originally from the province of Syria.
- Coelia Hagne, a dedicated midwife.
- Lucius Calpurnius Rufus, an officer of the imperial navy.
- And Marcus Valerius Laos, one of Puteoli’s youngest inhabitants and a recent immigrant from North Africa.
Starting in December, look for the new tours near the Kelsey’s entrance with the other self-guided materials, or scan the People of Rome QR code to use your own device. Each narrative brings you on a journey through the first and second floors of the galleries, providing new perspectives on artifacts from the permanent collections and a very human look into the diverse people who made up the Roman Empire. People of Rome represents the collaborative work between educators, illustrators, graphic designers, and others here at the Kelsey Museum.
