Announcer: This is a Getty Podcast.
Host: Do you ever have trouble getting going in the morning?
Well today we're getting ready with a pocket-sized
Roman demigod called a Lar.
Welcome to If Objects Could Talk, a podcast where art
and artifacts that get to leave the museum vault and
tell their side of the story.
Thanks for joining us as we bring objects into the light!
How do you like to start your day?
You probably get up, get dressed, and have
a little breakfast.
Maybe you pack up your backpack and get on the road!
Well in ancient Rome, mornings included another important
step—praying to a small deity or god, called a Lar.
Lares were household gods responsible for
keeping a family safe.
Families would place their Lar statuettes in small home
shrines and gather there each day to pray for protection.
Today’s guest is one such Lar.
He is a little bronze man with intricate details, made
over two thousand years ago.
Don’t let his size fool you—he’s pretty powerful
when he needs to be!
Lar: Uh, just a moment I can't seem to find
my ...oh where is it?!
Oh [taps microphone] are we on?
No warning or anything, we just get straight to it?
Fine, fine, I don't mind the element of surprise.
You’ve got to be prepared for anything when your
job is protecting a family generation after generation.
Ok, well was your job...I’ve been retired for some time
now, but it's important for you to know that, one: I was a
pretty big deal in my heyday.
And two: I am still tired from watching over the Julius
Family—no, not that Julius.
Totally unrelated.
Right.
I’d like to get the particulars out of the way first so I
can get to the good stuff.
I am about two thousand years old and I come
from the Roman Empire.
I’m a little over five inches tall, about the
length of a candy bar you would find in a mercatus.
Oh, I’m sorry, I think you all might call it a “grocery store?”
I am made of bronze.
My arms are outstretched as if I am about to receive a hug
from a grateful family member!
In my right hand I carry a small offering bowl called a patera.
In my left arm there should be a cornucopia, a symbol
of prosperity and abundance, but it’s gone missing and
I can’t find it anywhere!
Originally, my eyes were inlaid with a contrasting material,
like stone or glass, but they too have gone missing.
I’m sensing a pattern here.
Where is my cornucopia and where are my eyeballs?
Anyway, should we discuss fashion?
Of course, I do think what I’m wearing is rather
timeless and says that I’m a minor god on the go!
On my head I have a wreath tied loosely and the ribbons fall
gracefully over my shoulders.
I’ve got on a short, belted tunic with incredible folds,
a cloak draped over one shoulder and secured in my
belt, and open-toed boots.
My tunic and cloak make me feel like me.
I'm sure you can relate, right?
What’s your favorite thing to wear?
What makes you feel most like you?
Can you describe it or draw it out for me?
While I do love to check out what the new fashion
trends are, I always go back to my tunic and cloak.
Besides, I couldn’t pull off a bucket hat if I tried.
Now, now, I won’t cry.
I must soldier on!
Enough about fashion—let’s discuss my work:
protecting my family.
I lived in the home of a wealthy land owner.
I am not really sure what Mr. Julius did outside of that,
but he was certainly always busy with the land, the home,
and with his twin 10-year-old boys, Adrianus and Atticus.
Our home was outside of the city of Rome and my little
world was the Lararium, or shrine, near the kitchen.
I hear home shrines or alters to gods, goddesses, and ancestors
are still common and are used as sites of daily worship
or for quiet meditation.
Maybe you have one in your house or have seen one at a friend’s?
Well, every morning, the father would lead a short prayer for
the family at my Lararium before everyone went about their day.
The prayer would express gratitude to me for
keeping the family going and they would present me
with a little food from breakfast and sweet incense.
Most nights I would even join the family for dinner;
I'd sit right on the table.
Even when friends or business acquaintances would
come over to dine, I was always the most delightful
and well-dressed guest!
At the end of their morning ritual they'd ask me to
watch over them as they went about their day.
“Lar help us!” is how they would end their prayer and I really
would try, but with two of the most mischievous twin boys
ever, I had more than my fair share of work cut out for me.
Like some boys of means, Adrianus and Atticus had
private tutors who taught subjects like mathematics,
poetry, history, and literature.
They would wake up in the morning, remove their long
night tunics and put on their shorter tunics for the day.
They would brush their teeth with frayed sticks
and a toothpaste made of finely powdered eggshells.
They would gather for their prayers to me with the rest
of the family and then grab something to eat before it was
time for their daily lessons.
These often included field trips to sacred
sites or the marketplace.
But the twins had a knack for slipping away,
making the tutors’ jobs difficult—and mine, too!
Sure, it was my duty to look after them, but why
did they have to make it harder by running off!
You see, Adrianus and Atticus preferred the school of life
to math lessons and would often spend their day chasing hares,
climbing trees, and daydreaming about sailing around the world.
One afternoon, the boys were sitting in a tree
enjoying a fine spring breeze, when they heard a
booming voice down below.
It was their father!
He was out for a walk with a neighbor and if he looked
up he was sure to see them!
They had been caught skipping lessons once
before and certainly didn’t want to get caught again.
Atticus closed his eyes and called out to yours truly:
[whispers] “Lar help us!”
Well I immediately sprang into action, leaping from my tidy
Laraium, but I tripped and fell!
Lucky for me that I am made of bronze, a strong and
forever fashionable metal!
Now, you’re probably thinking if I am a statue from the
Roman Empire, shouldn’t I be made of marble?
Common misconception!
There were as many bronze sculptures as marble
sculptures back then!
But, tragically, many bronze sculptures were melted
down and re-purposed—an issue that persists today!
I wonder if that's what happened to my tiny cornucopia?
Could a tiny bronze thief be on the loose?!
I’m sorry, I’m getting distracted again.
Where was I?
Oh yes, I was running!
I found Adrianus and Atticus just as their father was
dangerously close to looking up to admire the tree’s fruit.
I knew I needed a quick distraction and a way
to complicate their father’s journey home.
I began to call his name softly
and then louder
and louder.
He looked all around and finally walked towards the
road, just certain another neighbor was calling out to him.
With their father’s back to the tree, Adrianus quickly climbed
down and Atticus followed.
Then I began to rustle the grass in front of their father,
so that he would look down.
When he did, Adrianus and Atticus ran!
The boys made it home and immediately lit incense
at my feet in thanks, which I appreciated.
When their father came home and saw the boys at
my altar, he simply admired how dedicated they were
to tradition and to home.
[Laughs] Little did he know!
Well, those boys are lucky that although I am but a
small home-based deity, my power and protection extended
within the boundaries of the land their father owned.
If they'd been any further out they would have to pray
to the sea and the sky!
So like I said, I was a pretty big deal!
Oh, are these flowers for me?
Host: Yes.
Lar: They look just like the garlands of flowers I used
to get for Compitalia, the annual festival of the Lares!
I can’t wait to decorate the museum vault with these.
The next time you hear from me, I’ll tell you what happened
at my first Compitalia.
Host: I hope you enjoyed learning about Lares and daily
routines in Ancient Rome.
Join us next week when a water jug shares some
water cooler gossip.
To see photographs of the statuette and learn more,
visit our website at Getty dot edu slash podcasts.
This episode was written by Tocarra Elise and
produced by Zoe Goldman.
Timmy Morgan voiced the Lar.
Theme music, mixing and sound design by Alexandra Kalinowski.
Christopher Sprinkle is executive producer.
Special thanks to curators Ken Lapatin, Judith
Barr, and Hana Sugioka.
Catch you next time!