OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) holds a monthly thing called After Dark from 7-11pm, where it’s adults only and there’s booze and vendors. July was all about the traveling Pompeii exhibit (here til Oct 22 – Don’t miss it!), so I sent some emails and wrangled a spot for a demo / display booth. Skamp did his  93 CE “soldier in Britannia” thing, while Drusa and I of course stuck with the late Republic in the city of Rome. We brought material culture objects for the public to play with (the wax tablet was surprisingly engaging) and I sold a few pieces of jewelry. People even read parts of my papers! We dispelled some common misconceptions, and talked about a wide variety of topics. 

Skamp blew his horn every so often, keeping the crowd on their toes. Hail Caesar!

My little sign says “I am Tullia … I’m dressed today as a trusted slave. Higher and lower status women dressed differently. Ask me about daily life, food, religion, superstition, military service, homes, hygiene, clothing, personal grooming, etc…” And because it was adults only, I got to display and talk about the Roman use of the phallus as a protective charm to ward off the evil eye (invidia).

Oh, and my shells-and-hemispheres bracelet – I got into the exhibit to snap a pic – hoping for a new available angle, maybe even the bottom! – but they had actually swapped bracelets since I saw the show in Seattle! This one had a pretty flower and leaf at the clasp. No shells. 🙂