rthstewart | Today in Ostia Antica

	Gelateria del Teatro Dinner in Rome
	Want to buy an elephant? Elephant mosaic from Ostia Antica -- hawkers in the commercial part of the town of Ostia would sell you an elephant. This was their advertising.
	Cupid and Psyche Art work in the home of a wealthy citizen of Ostia
	Pan This column was near a fountain and shows the god, Pan
	Mithras slaying the bull Given my TSG wanderings into the origins of Christmas, learning more today about the cult of Mithras and his "birthday" on December 25 and the relationship between this worship and early Christianity was fascinating. Our guide was terrific on how much early Christians co-opted other belief systems and how the Christian system was different from Roman and Jewish beliefs and why it caused so much conflict.

I am also happy to report it is very quiet this evening. YEAH!