Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃

@carrielarocco

Classics / early medieval research fellow at Oxford. Female patronage in the late antique west; Roman + Visigothic Iberia; religion and ‘magic’; epigraphy; mosaics; Classical reception in film / video games. Sometimes I make Roman recipes :) ♾️

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Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· 15d

I was recently gifted these earrings, which were created for me based on one of my favorite Roman mosaics - this little octopus in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid!!! 🐙☺️ I thought they were too cute not to share.

Photo of woman looking at the camera, wearing earrings with small octopus mosaic pattern.

Photo of the Roman mosaic, which is in the shape of a square, and has a small red octopus in the center and a thick geometric border

Close up photo of the earrings, to show more detail

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· 16d

I was also one half of the most exclusive panel - only people who are working on late antique and early medieval women, but who also have the coolest names, allowed 😎

Photo of the program for the conference, showing my name and Cristina La Rocca’s names

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· 16d

It was great being back in St Andrews and the School of Classics ( @staclassics.bsky.social) last week. I spoke on female poverty drivers and mitigation in Roman / post-Roman Iberia at “Poverty Dynamics in the Long Late Antiquity”, organised by Carlos Machado and Ian Bonze (@ianbonze.bsky.social). ☺️

Graphic showing the name of the conference and relevant info, e.g., location, funding bodies, and a mosaic illustration

Photo of the harbor / pier on East Sands

Group photo of speakers / conference attendees, with stone wall and buildings behind

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Jun 11

I had such a great time at the conference on ‘The Concept of Paganism and the Construction of Christian Identity and Alterity in the Early Medieval Mediterranean’ at the Villa Vigoni by Lake Como! ☺️ I learned a lot, and spoke about weather magic in late Roman and early medieval Iberia and Gaul.

Photo of my title slide with an inscription of the martyr saint Eulalia as the background

Photo of the lake from the Villa during a sunny day, with lots of trees in the foreground and a few mountains in the background

Photo of the villa in the evening, with the porch / patio area lit up

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· May 3

And here is a close-up of his face in each. :) (3/4)

A close up of Septimius Severus’ face from each of the previous photos to facilitate easier comparison

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· May 3

Preparing some of my Roman Art teaching for the week, and always love how consistent these two portraits of Emperor Septimius Severus are (eyes, mustache, beard, etc.), even though they’re in such different forms. How cool is that? ☺️ (1/3)

The Severan Tondo, a small roundel with painted portraits of Empress Julia Domna and Septimius Severus behind Geta and Caracalla in the Altes Museum, Berlin. All are wearing elaborate garb, including earrings and necklace for Julia Domna. Geta’s face (presumably) has been removed in damnatio memoriae. (my photo)

Large hollow gold bust of Septimius Severus, with large eyes, very curly hair and distinct beard curl pattern.
wearing scale armor with gorgon on chest. Part of the portrait at the bottom left has been removed.

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Apr 23

Some photos from the garden at @stjohnsox.bsky.social 🙂

Photo of a gate to the garden; a sunny day,
with lots of trees and vines visible; a black and white cat is to the right of the stairs up to the gate

Photo of some of the meadow and trees at St John’s, with lots of yellow flowers and blue sky

Photo with part of the college visible in the background, via a pathway between several trees

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Mar 7

The Roman baths in Somerset, England

View of the Roman baths from the floor level; Bath Abbey is visible in the background.

Another view of the Roman baths from the floor level, at dusk - torches are lit and there are statues of several emperors in the upper level.

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Mar 7

Finally got to see the bronze head of Sulis Minerva at the Roman baths 🖤

Bronze head of Sulis Minerva, looking straight ahead at the viewer

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Jan 28

It also had this on one of the pages ☺️

A close up of a page of the manuscript with a drawing of a tiny animal in the bottom margin / next to the last line of text on the page

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Jan 28

Got to have a look at this 12th-century copy of Orosius’ History in the library at St John’s 🙂 (St John’s College MS 95)

A close-up photo of a page of the manuscript, showing the script as well as the different colors - red for headings, the majority of the font (written in Carolingian minuscule?) in black, and in the middle of the page, there is a very large decoration in blue, red, violet, and gold leaf at the start of one section

A photo showing the same opening page of the manuscript, just not cropped / zoomed in, so more of the gold, red, blue, and violet is visible

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Jan 23

A 14th-century manuscript of the Romance of Alexander (the Great) that I saw in the Treasured exhibition at the Weston Library. [Shelfmark: Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. 264; fols. 43v-44r].

A photo of one page of the manuscript (fol. 43v), which has illustrations of various scenes from the story. For me the point of the photo was not the scenes themselves, but the overall effect of the page, which is very intricately and elaborately decorated, with a lot of gold, elaborate patterns and borders, etc. The manuscript is lit so that the gold in particular catches your eye.

A photo of the manuscript open to the previous page (fol. 43v) and the page to the right of it (fol. 44r), which contains text of the story, as well as more illustrations bordering the text. The overall effect (to me) is very intricate and impressive.

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Oct 17

Still feel so lucky that I get to do my research in the Old Library at St John’s (@stjohnsox.bsky.social) 🙂 Such a beautiful place.

Photo of a library with brown and white striped ceilings (brown from the wooden beams), old globes, manuscripts, and rugs

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Sep 15

Was happy to give a talk on late Roman and Visigothic women in cinema + other art at St John’s College @stjohnsox.bsky.social, this weekend, as part of a panel on the Ancient World in Digital Media for Oxford Open Doors 2025. I talked about, e.g., Galla Placidia in Revenge of the Barbarians (1960).

Photo of an auditorium with a large projector screen on the stage, and a slide on the screen showing the poster of the 1960 film La Vendetta dei Barbari and the title ‘Late Roman and Visigothic women in visual media’ which depicts Galla Placidia, Honorius, and various other figures.

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Jul 18

I’ve been reading through Latin curse tablets (defixiones) and thought this one from Roman-period Britain was neat: someone seemingly cursing the person who stole their beehive ‘vas apium’)! 🐝 (Brit. 48.10 10; text and images: romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions...; images by R.S.O. Tomlin)

Drawing of the outside of the tablet by RSO Tomlin - only a couple of lines of Roman cursive are visible

Drawing by RSO Tomlin of the inside of the tablet - many more lines of cursive are visible

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Jun 28

I was happy to speak at the Granada-St Andrews International Meeting ‘Sharing Perspectives on Late Antiquity’ at the University of St Andrews yesterday (@staclassics.bsky.social); I spoke about some aspects of the relationship between monasteries and crisis in late Roman and Visigothic Iberia

Group photo of nine people in front of a projector screen with the graphic / title of the workshop projected onto it

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Jun 5

Went to see the newly-reopened Roman gallery of the Ashmolean @ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social; liked this marble portrait of Livia (wife of Augustus). Left to the museum by Sir Arthur Evans.

Maybe portrait, she has an elaborate ‘updo’ hairstyle and you can see hints of color in the portrait’s eyes

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· May 1

Two of my favorites from the late Roman silver found at Traprain Law (East Lothian, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿), supposed to have been buried sometime in the 5th century. One is a dish depicting a nereid in an aquatic scene. The other is a small image of a woman from a piece of cut-up silver (hacksilver).

Silver dish showing a Nereid, shells, fish / dolphins, and a (panther?)

Small portrait roundel of a woman which seems to be in gold in a band across a larger piece of silver. Leaves and other patterns are around the portrait

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Apr 4

I was really happy to be invited back to St Andrews 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@staclassics.bsky.social) to speak at the Centre for Late Antique Studies this week. I talked about some of the research I’ve done on female patronage in Visigothic Iberia since starting my fellowship at St John’s (@stjohnsox.bsky.social).

A collage of three photos - one is a photo of me from the Teams call, one is the first slide of my presentation ‘Visigothic Queens: Female Power and Patronage in Late Antique Iberia. The last is the digital poster for the talk from the Center for Late Antique Studies

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Feb 28

Some nice flowers outside the Chapel of St John’s College

Dark pink-red flowers outside a wall of the chapel with a stained glass window

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Dec 1

The same image but with sharper contrast etc. to try and make it clearer

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Dec 1

Is it definitely FAC? To me it looks like it could be a different letter (E, B, P?) but maybe it’s just the photo

Close up of inscription after processing to highlight contrast etc., showing several letters

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 30

An old one, but one of my favourite pictures I’ve ever taken of the cathedral in St Andrews (for St Andrews Day today) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Ruins of the cathedral, but it was a very foggy day so the ruins are sticking out of the mist

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 28

Today I got the chance to speak at Oxford’s Late Roman Seminar, on some of the research I’ve been doing over the last few years on Christian spaces + patronage in late Roman and Visigothic Iberia. I feel very fortunate :)

Black and white photo, with me (woman with long hair) seated in a chair in front of a table, talking (with my hands) in front of a ‘smart board’ displaying a picture of a mosaic. A man is to the right, writing notes in a notebook

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 26

Yeah, it was so cool to see!! Hestia Polyolbos is there, too, which was even more complete 🤯 I went this summer when I went home to visit my family- definitely worth a visit if you’re around DC sometime

Close up of another face in the tapestry; large green eyes, pink headdress, gold earrings

The whole tapestry - Hestia with lots of figures and flowers surrounding her

Close up of a pink flower and greenish fabric around it

Hestia - very big jewelled necklace, earrings; headdress of pomegranates

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 26

A tapestry with two Nereids (one of them holding a mirror), which is thought to have come from 5th- or 6th- century Egypt (per Dumbarton Oaks, where it is on display, though the findspot is unknown). It was very cool to be able to get so close to it and see all of this detail. 🏺

A close-up of one of the nereids, showing their face (very big green eyes) and long dark curly hair

A view of the second metros, who has reddish-blonde curly hair sort of piled on top of their head

A view of the second nereid with a mirror in their hand and a reflection in the mirror

A view of the whole (fragmentary) tapestry on display

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 25

For #MosaicMonday: a throwback to this unimpressed Medusa from late 2nd-early 3rd century Tarraco (Tarragona). MNAT 2921. 🏺

Mosaic with portrait of Medusa in the center; she looks unimpressed. There is a white circular background behind her, with a wavy border around the edge, and that rounded is set within a square with another border

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 24

Iron window frame and glass from the Roman fort at Bar Hill on the Antonine Wall - saw them at the Hunterian in Glasgow. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 One of my favorite things I’ve seen this year!

One side of the iron grill with fragments of glass held in suspension so we can see where they might have been within the frame

The same frame and glass, from the other side

A close up of some of the pieces of glass

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 23

I am loving Hades II, btw!! 🎮

The menu screen for Hades II Early Access, with the main character on the right; the image shows various options, e.g., play, options, see patch notes, quit

Dr Carolyn T. La Rocco 🏺🍃@carrielarocco· Nov 23

I got to see this last month at the Mithraeum / Bloomberg space! :)