The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) has opened “Ancient Splendor: Roman Art in the Time of Trajan,” a major traveling exhibition featuring a seven-foot-tall marble statue of Emperor Trajan and a vast array of artifacts from his reign. Organized in collaboration with the Italian organization StArt and curated by Roman expert Lucrezia Ungaro alongside SLAM’s Hannah Segrave, the show is structured into three thematic sections: the imperial household, the domestic lives of everyday Romans, and the public sphere. To enhance immersion, the museum has integrated sensory elements including scent stations that replicate ancient fragrances and a commissioned soundscape.
This exhibition is significant for its focus on social history and accessibility, moving beyond traditional military narratives to highlight the lives of women, enslaved people, and the working class. By utilizing innovative multisensory techniques and research into the polychromy and scenting of ancient marble, the show challenges the "white marble" myth of antiquity. Furthermore, as one of only two U.S. venues for this collection, the exhibition represents a high-level international partnership between St. Louis and major Italian cultural institutions.