Why the blue background?
I adopted a blue background from something that Romer said in his series, Testament. He is out in one of the Coptic ruined cities in Egypt, on the top of a hill which he describes quite accurately as a “time capsule.” He finds some parts of a Roman wine jar, Roman stamped-decoration pottery, glass which he opines came from the glassworks at Damascus, and a Roman matron’s hair comb. He also finds small fragments of faience, and states that the Romans loved faience for table decorations and food plates. “Blue like the Egyptian sky,” he muses. If you have seen Romer’s Egyptian documentaries, you know why I wanted the background to be thus.
In Testament, Romer discussed the 7th century BCE plaque with the Priestly Benediction from the book of Numbers. Where can I get a replica of this plaque?
I don’t usually give my blessing to commercial sites, but this is a rather different matter. I have found this site, which offers just such a replica in either gold or silver.
Can you give me an email or postal address for Romer?
A postal address may be found here. As I said before, please do not abuse this resource, which is for scientific (Egyptological) purposes. Also please be respectful of Romer’s privacy, and understand that he has limited personal time to reply to most enquiries.
Your page seems awfully plain. Can’t you jazz it up a little?
Alas, I don’t want a “jazzed up” page. I don’t want frames, I don’t want moving images, and I don’t want blinking text. I am in this for accessibility and the elegance of simplicity (remember that from Ancient Lives?). This page is meant to house as much information as I can find on Romer and his works, so that anyone who wants to know more about him and his creations can find this information easily.
I want to buy a book by Romer that is now out of print. Can you help me find a copy?
Assuredly. The best site that I have found for finding out-of-print books is Bookfinder.com. That’s the first place to go to find his books.
I want to get a copy of a Romer documentary, but Films for the Humanities has a price that is just too astronomic. Do you know where I can get this series for less?
Unfortunately, no. Many of Romer’s devotees, including me, have taped Romer’s series from their past broadcasts. (One should note that Romer’s works do not appear on The Learning Channel or PBS that much anymore.) You might be able to get a copy of the documentary from one of these people, if they are exceedingly generous — which, by the way, I am not. They are as precious to me as my rabbits! You should be aware, however, that network broadcasts, except for those by PBS, are edited down to allow more advertisements to be shown. This precipitates the loss of very crucial information.
My advice is to do what I did and just cough up the money for the original. If you talk to the people at FFH about this, you may be able to purchase videos for private use — that do not include a license for public showing — for a much reduced price.
Can you help me find a copy of Testament? All the usual sources seem not to have it any more.
Alas and alack, forsooth and forsythia, everywhere that I have looked seems to no longer carry Testament for sale. I’m sure we all remain hopeful that at some point in the future some outlet will be found to produce this series for sale. I will keep an eye out for it, and post here when I find it.
All is not darkness and gloom. I’m delighted to note that Byzantium: The Lost Empire is still available from Discovery. Lost Worlds: The Story of Archaeology is available from Films for the Humanities (don’t forget to ask for the reduced private-usage price, which is about US$35 per part). People from around the world have informed me that Romer’s series are being produced and sold in various formats and languages, so check around. Anything is possible!
We just finished watching Testament. We want to see that church again.
You seem to make quite a big deal about Romer’s wife, Beth. Why?
From what I’ve read about her, she seems to be quite an interesting lady. She is an artist (she was responsible for making the excavation sketches for their excavation of the Tomb of Ramesses XI) whose interests also range into textiles and design. Her book, The Tuscan Year: Life and Food in an Italian Valley, is a wonderful description of the Tuscan countryside, its people, and their culinary arts. Also excellent is her paean to rustic Italian breads, Italian Pizza and Hearth Breads. I highly recommend these books!
Just who are you, anyway?
I’m Jean Lindsay, in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. I am a former student of art history whose interests are in ancient and mediaeval art history. See my Bio Page, and also my Publications Page, to learn more about me and how I think. At my A575 paper (on the Publications Page), you will see how I became interested in Theoderic the Ostrogoth partially through Romer’s influence. By the way . . . Theoderic is not half so bad as Romer made him out to seem in Testament.