Spot the Frippet: something roman.

There are still some people of the ancient Roman Empire around:  


Skeleton at Fishbourne, West Sussex. photo by Jaguar

though I have to admit that none of them are exactly perky.

Modern Romans, i.e. people who live, or were born, in the city of Rome, are much friskier:


the Roman Isabella Rossellini (with David Lynch (though he was born in Montana))

There are also Roman Catholics, who can come from anywhere (the Pope comes from Argentina). Then there are Roman arches, blinds, candles, collars, noses, numerals, and snails:


photo of Helix pomatia by Hsp90

But of course you don't need to look out for any of those because two different roman things have been dancing all the time before your eyes: this post is written in the roman alphabet and (except for the italics) it's also written in roman type.

Extra points if you can think of a roman (a French mediaeval verse narrative), a roman à clef (a novel in which real people are depicted under pseudonyms) or a roman-fleuve (novel or series of novels about a group of people over several generations).

Spot the Frippet: something roman. The word roman means to do with Rome, of course, and the city was called after its founder and first king Romulus...unless, as some say, it was the other way round and Romulus was named after Rome. In that case the Rome comes from Rumon, the old name for the River Tiber; the Etruscan ruma, which is to do with teats (upon which Romulus and his twin sucked after they were adopted by a wolf); or from the Greek rhōmē, which means strength.