Ancient Rome & America - Upcoming Exhibition

A new exhibit is coming to the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will contain ancient Roman artifacts to help compare the Roman Ancient world to that of the modern American one. Some of the following points will be in focus to compare the two worlds:
* "Two eagles depicting this classic symbol shared by ancient Rome and America. The American eagle is carved from gilt wood. It was made in 1804 by Samuel McIntire, an important early American architect. Of the Roman eagle, only the bronze head remains. It likely originated from the top of a Roman army military standard."
* "Roman busts of Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, and Cicero. American busts of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, each portrayed in togas."
* "Gladiator/Football helmets. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Harold Carmichael's helmet will be on display with a gladiator helmet and four original pieces from the gladiator barracks of an amphitheater in Pompeii – a 'greave' (shin guard), two spearheads, and a dagger."
* "Excavated remnants from Pompeii, including silverware, a preserved piece of a wall fresco, and the cast of a man who did not escape the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius."
* "Slave collars from ancient Rome and the United States. Both ancient Rome and America prior to 1865 were slave societies. Made in the early 1800s, the slave collar from the US is a rare artifact that can be tied to one man's quest for freedom. Ben, a slave who worked on a farm in Pennsylvania, tried to escape three times, and after the third time, his owner had an iron collar made for him."
* "A selection of classical works belonging to the Founding Fathers that helped shape their political thought during the early years of the American republic. John Adams' personal copy of Plutarch's Lives, John Dickenson's personal copy of the works of Roman historian Tacitus, and John Quincy Adams' personal copy of Cicero's De Oratore."
* "Two letters from August 1776 exchanged between John and Abigail Adams. In them, Abigail signs her name 'Portia' after the wife of the Roman Senator Brutus. The letters are filled with classical references and ideas of republican virtue."

http://www.luxist.com/2010/01/06/ancient-rome-and-america-upcoming-exhibition/