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Scales with a depiction of Caligula
First half of the 1st century A.D.
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Lekythos. A
goddess with crotala (musical clappers)
First half of the 4th century B.C.
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The large number of bronze artefacts kept in this room
brought it the name "Cabinet of Small Bronze Items". Besides that,
the room is used to display archaeological "rarities": Byzantine silver
bowls, fragments of mosaic, thumb rings from the Golden Horde (worn
for protection when shooting arrows from a bow), dice and a gold scabbard
from the time of the Ancient Iranian Sassanid dynasty (3rd-7th century
A.D.)The hall contains several items from the ancient city of Pompeii.
The story of their arrival in the museum is quite interesting. In
1845 Nicholas I visited Naples aboard the steamer Kamchatka.
Special excavations were carried out in Pompeii in honour of the exalted
guest. The King of Naples made a present to the Emperor of all the
items excavated in his presence. Thus the Hermitage acquired some
remarkable bronze scales bearing a miniature portrait of Caligula.
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