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Timeline showing Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Civilizations

One can hardly present Roman and Greek culture without mentioning the gods. Still, it was somewhat amusing to see this:

A room for gods and goddesses

Room 104? It reminded me of something philosopher and historian Francis A. Schaeffer had written in his book How Then Shall We Live about the inadequacy, or smallness, of these gods.

“The Greeks and later the Romans also tried to build society upon their gods. But these gods were not big enough because they were finite,  limited. Even all their gods put together were not infinite. Actually, the gods in Greek and Roman thinking were like men and women larger than life, but not basically different from human men and women… Hercules was the patron god of Herculaneum which was destroyed at the same time as Pompeii.

“The gods were amplified humanity, not divinity. Like the Greeks, the Romans had no infinite god. This being so, they had no sufficient reference point intellectually; that is, they did not have anything big enough or permanent enough to which to relate either their thinking or their living. Consequently, their value system was not strong enough to bear the strains of life, either individual or political.

“All their gods put together could not give them a sufficient base for life, morals, values, and final decisions. These gods depended on the society which had made them, and then when this society collapsed the gods tumbled with it.”

Poet as Orpheus with Two Sirens

King of the Olympian gods, Zeus.

The ceilings and floors of each gallery were beautifully decorated.

Arched ceilings

This is a replica of one of the floors of the Villa dei Papiri (and the first thing at the site to be discovered), now displayed in the temple of Herakles gallery.

Intricate marble

Heading back outside, we saw some beautifully terraced gardens near the Herb Garden.

with non-fruiting olives for the museum's sake

Returning to the Outer Peristyle. The garden is meant to contain plants that would have been found in Italy at the time of the Villa’s existence.  I love all the interesting shades and shapes of green.

At the end of the pool

Though none of the sculptures are originals they are copies of what was found at the Villa dei Papiri and positioned in the exact location as the originals in relation to the pool and Villa.

Statue by the pool

From behind that same statue

I wish I could get my boxwoods to look like these!

Boxwoods

There is a lot to see in southern California and over the years I have been to many featured sites but had never visited The Getty Villa in Malibu. It’s about an hour drive on a light traffic day, just north of L.A. After a week of gardening, Nikki and I decided to take a break and visit. The weather report did not include sunshine but the day started out fine nonetheless.

About 8:30am looking eastward over the Brea hills

Mr. Getty bought the property in 1945 for about $250,000 and in 1968 began to build the Villa to hold his collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman artifacts. The Villa was constructed after the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy, which was buried under the ash of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D.79.

Civilizations - Green: Etruscan, Blue: Greek, Red: Roman

We were glad to arrive early and took our time strolling the Outer Peristyle Garden. There were few tourists as yet and so we meandered about taking photos and examining the pool, busts and statues, and plants in the mid-morning light. Not the season for roses of course but one could imagine their color in Spring.

The ocean barely visible beyond the pool

The museum and grounds were spotless and beautiful. The entire Villa was remodeled and reopened, after 9 years of redesign, in 2006. The site now portrays something of an archeological dig and though the overall space is small there are plenty of interesting views.

Inlaid marble floors and molded, coffered ceilings

Murals adorn many of the walls

After our initial exploration we decided to have an early lunch. This consisted of hot butternut soup, salad, cheesy herb tea sandwiches, grapes, marinated vegetable salad, and bruschettas each with a crown of tomato, roasted eggplant, or artichoke.

Lunch at the Café

After lunch we descended the stairs to the entrance of the museum for a guided tour. Our docent, Leonie, was fabulous. A more knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide would be hard to find and her British accent was a pleasure to listen to.

"when questioned about the eruption of Vesuvius, Pliny the Younger, who witnessed the event, said the column of smoke and ash looked like a huge Stone Pine tree. Mr. Getty thought it would be appropriate to bring over some of these trees and he planted this large one next to the Villa."

Weaving in and out of the galleries and gardens we learned about the life of the rich in the days when the Villa dei Papiri would have thrived.

The Inner Peristyle Garden where all important events would take place

The dining room, like so many others, boasted walls and ceilings with elaborate paintings.

Fruit, eggs, fowl, fish depicted above dining room

Here in the dining room you would taste the delicacy of a mouse rolled in honey and covered in sesame seeds. I think I would rather have chicken.

Many of the features appealed to me, not the least of which was the beautiful deep red color on so many walls, the lovely marble floors, and the symmetry of the house and gardens. Here are a few items from among Getty’s many artifacts:

Tiny, highly decorated signet ring

Spouted horn with stag (a silver drinking flask)

Mosaic depicting a scene from the Illiad

Greek men

Greek girl

This last item is one of my favorites. You are looking at Statutes of a Religious Association, Roman, A.D. 100-120

Tablet with rules of conduct

This inscribed slab preserves the statutes of an eranos (religious association) whose members worshiped the Greek hero Herakles. It prohibits “rowdiness and fighting during meetings”.

The Getty Villa