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Here is an interesting article about cancer in antiquity from the excellent website "Antigone" The Crab: Facing Cancer in Greco-Roman Antiquity – Antigone (antigonejournal.com)

Thru examples of runaway destruction of Thebes, Carthage, Constantinople, and the Aztecs "The book—and this conversation—charts how and why some societies choose to utterly destroy their foes and warns that similar wars of obliteration are possible in our time."

I had long thought that the Roman Empire had total control of Egypt from the time of Augustus to the late Empire, possibly as late as the Vandal invasion in the fifth century. The excellent article below on Egypt during the Roman-era states that Egypt was no longer the “breadbasket of Rome” after the revolt of the Egyptians lead by the Egyptian priest Isidorus in AD 172-173. The unsuccessful revolt was a tax revolt and cultural backlash against the Romans known as the Bucolic revolt and left the Egyptian economy permanently crippled. https://the-past.com/feature/palmyra-blemmyes-diocletian-and-egypt/ See Cassius Dio “Roman History” Book LXXII https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/72*.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidorus#:~:text=According to the Roman historian,marshes of the Nile Delta. It appears that after the revolt, the gain supply to Rome resumed. This new supply, however, seems to have been neither as reliable or plentiful. Unforfortunately, there appears to be very little written on the revolt and its effect on the Egyptian economy.

Researchers at a Mayan ball court in Mexico have identified plant types using environmental DNA (since the plants are rarely preserved in the tropical climate). These plants are known for either their medicinal and possible hallucinogenic properties. Discovered was the morning glory plant, for example, which contains tryptamine as well as lysergic acid amide that is chemically similar to LSD. The seeds of the morning glory plant are used for its psychedelic or hallucinogenic effects. https://hightimes.com/news/psychedelic-plants-found-in-ancient-mayan-ballcourt/amp/ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0301497 Frontiers | Paleoecological Studies at the Ancient Maya Center of Yaxnohcah Using Analyses of Pollen, Environmental DNA, and Plant Macroremains (frontiersin.org)

Here’s a video on the find:

Amazing....After two thousand yrs, had the fish sauce gone bad?.....How could they tell?...I bet there weren't very many fat Romans. Very interesting discussion of the evolution of the terms & products garum and liquamen. Thanks for the references.

A recently excavated Roman shipwreck off the shore of Mallorca, Spain from the 4th century AD had uncovered around 300 amphorae. (I believe the post below is about the original find in 2019.) Only now have the contents of the amphorae been examined. Some amphorae had wine and others suspected olive oil. Many contained a substance residue thought to be a fish sauce distinct from garum . A coin at the wreck depicts Constantine the Great, dating the find at the earliest to the early AD 300s. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-024-01952-3 https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/1700-year-old-roman-shipwreck-was-stuffed-to-the-gills-with-fish-sauce-when-it-sank#:~:text=The Ses Fontanelles wreck lies,after a storm in 2019. Fish sauce, new amphora type identified on Roman wreck – The History Blog Shipwreck seen from above with amphorae: Note: There is great confusion about garum and liquamen since these term have been used interchangeably but they probably are distinct entities. (See article below) Garum and Liquamen, What’s in a Name? | Journal of Maritime Archaeology (springer.com)

These songs age better with the mock-sinister lyrics removed. P.S. I am not part of the growing "Brian" cult, but appreciate his eclecticism. Not the first time I have featured tanpura here, something you can load on a tablet and synth-drone yourself to sleep.

There have been previous posts about Roman finds at Alderney, one of the Channel Islands located between England and France (see below). A gold coin of Valens (reigned between AD 364-378) has been discovered on the island. Alderney was the site of a Roman fortress. Below is an artist impression of the site during the Roman era: https://www.bbc.com/articles/cpegg5397wlo

Archaeologists have found a suspected Roman villa and an indoor pool dating from AD 1-400 in the city of Durrës, Albania. Durrës is a port city on the Adriatic. Above is evidence of the mosaic floor that was uncovered. Durrës is already well known for its Roman amphitheater. https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article288475115.html Location of Durrës, Albania on the map.

Excavations in Pompeii have found political graffiti on the outsides walls throughout the city. Recent excavations in the Regio IX area have found graffiti on the interior of a house (see photo above). There have been previous posts on the excavations in the Regio IX area (see below). https://www.archaeology.org/issues/552-2405/digs/12298-dd-italy-pompeii-propoganda

Here is an interesting article about the Greek foundations of the important Roman “Twelve Tables” of laws. The Twelve Tables were formalized in 449 BCE, outlining the rights and duties of Roman citizens. They provided civil rights for both patricians and plebeians. Ancient Roman historians and jurists believed they were the result of social struggle between patricians and plebeians. The Twelve Tables later influenced Byzantine law and even James Madison in crafting the Bill of Rights. https://greekreporter.com/2024/05/13/overlooked-greek-foundations-roman-law/

Obviously beautiful and the painstaking effort to produce such a detailed, elaborate, large design is amazing....but more amazing is it's position placed in a windowless, grotto like room. How did they light it for viewing?....Often an unappreciated fact, activities in ancient times were limited mostly to daylight hours.

A Domus, now named Domus del Vicus Tuscus, was first discovered in 2018. It is located between the Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum and dates to the late Republican period. Archaeologists have unearthed a wall covered with a mosaic, consisting of various types of shells, Egyptian blue tessarae, and tiny flakes of white marble. One of the images on the wall are stacks of weapons and the Celtic carnyx (trumpets). After archaeological studies are complete, this site will be accessible to the public. https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/01/colosseum-domus-mosaic/ Here is a previous thread about the Celtic carnyx:

This is a case report of a 77 year-old man from Wisconsin (upper Midwest United States) who contracted Leprosy (Hansen’s disease). His travel history over the last two decades includes Mississippi, Arkansas, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Ireland. He denies exposure to armadillos or red squirrels. The cause of his disease was M. lepromatosis (and not M. leprae which is found only in armadillos). M. lepromatosis has only been detected in red squirrels found in England, Ireland, and Scotland. This is thought to be the first modern documented case of zoonotic (from animals to human) spread of leprosy, possibly from red squirrels in Ireland. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10874168/

Thinking about this some more, I think in Rome that many (if not most) sporting and entertainment events were sponsored by either politicians or businessmen who were trying to enhance their prestige. Their support would be both recognized and appreciated by the masses. I am not sure these vested interests would have advertised their support as blatantly as the newsreader from the series “Rome,” however. “This was brought to you by the Capitoline Brotherhood of Millers that uses only the finest flour. True Roman bread for true Romans.”

The three lead ingots from various perspectives An analysis of three first century AD Roman-era lead ingots has been untaken. They were found in Belmez, Córdoba in Spain at Los Escoriales de Doña Rama. Most lead ingots are usually found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, the result of a shipwreck. Unusually, after these ingots were analyzed, it was found that these ingots were found at the site where they had been manufactured. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/05/three-roman-era-lead-ingots-found-at-a-site-in-southern-spain-that-may-have-housed-a-mine-smelting-facility-and-processing-area/ https://www.archaeology.org/news/12385-240510-spain-roman-lead https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240507145609.htm

We have had a few previous posts about Roman archaeological finds in the Cotswolds area. Above are some Cupid figurines and below is a nail clipper, some of the more recent Roman finds (see article). These are among the many items that will go on display soon. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjq5p100exzo

Here are more pictures of the site: Ancient Rome breakthrough as scientists make huge discovery near Mount Vesuvius (msn.com)

Here’s a short video on the find and another article. This lump of Tyrian purple is thought to be related to the imperial court of Septimius Severus during his stay in Britain. There was some previous evidence of the Imperial Court in Carlisle: https://arkeonews.net/incredibly-rare-tyrian-purple-discovered-at-carlisle-roman-bathhouse/ https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/news/2024/rare-roman-discovery-found-carlisle

We have had many previous posts on military standards and images before (see posts below). Here is possibly the best video summarizing these:

A bit of light relief - I came across this cartoon on the SPQR Facebook page. So true!

The dodecahedron found in Lincolnshire is bigger than I thought. Here’s a quick news clip about it’s going on display. Its mystery continues.

Ditto caldrail.

It was know for several years that red squirrels were a host for leprosy. it is only recently, however, that genomic studies (looking at complete DNA sequences) of both Medieval squirrels and human skeletons of that era were examined. It showed a direct link between red squirrels and human leprosy in the Middle Ages. The consumption of red squirrel meat and using squirrel fur promoted this zoonotic (spread from animals to people) infection. It is known that in some areas of Texas and Louisiana armadillos were shown to be infected by leprosy more than 15% of the time. A recent outbreak of leprosy in Florida has been directly tied to armadillos. There is some concern that “armadillos may contaminate soil with the leprosy bacteria by burrowing and defecating, infecting humans who later handle soil.” (See article below) One study in Brazil showed that more than 60% of armadillos harbored leprosy. Here is a picture of a man in nearby Ecuador preparing armadillo meat. Brazil is known to have 11.6% of the cases of leprosy worldwide. (India by far has the largest number of cases.) https://epi.ufl.edu/2023/10/16/leprosy-in-florida-medical-experts-monitoring-unusual-new-cases-of-hansens-disease/ https://theconversation.com/humans-gave-leprosy-to-armadillos-now-they-are-giving-it-back-to-us-99915