Mythology and the Solar System – Roman Immortals in Orbit
27 June 2025
Croatian Natural History Museum
Ozren Domiter
FREE ADMISSION
27 June at 6:00 p.m.
Multimedia Hall
ALL SEATS ARE FULL
Why is the closest planet to the Sun called Mercury, and the largest Jupiter? Who is Ganymede, and what is Europa? Who declared Venus the most beautiful, why did Cerberus quit his job, how did a dolphin help Neptune, and who is the bold thief who dared to steal Apollo’s cattle?
In this humanities lecture, curator Ozren Domiter from the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb reveals how Roman gods came to inhabit the orbits of planets—without astronomy, but with plenty of mythology, history, and fascinating stories.
By connecting classical mythological narratives with the characteristics of bodies in the Solar System, the lecture also touches on the historical reality of the Roman Empire through museum artefacts preserved in the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. Selected objects of Roman material culture—such as figurines, sculptures, honorary inscriptions, and coins—clearly illustrate mythological sequences and the traits, flaws, and both supernatural and human qualities of the deities whose names are still used today for the planets of the Solar System.
📽️ The lecture will take place in a multimedia hall equipped with an advanced 3D projection system, enhancing the experience of space and mythological storytelling.
Join us on this journey through space and myth!