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guy

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guy last won the day on January 28

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    Ancient Roman history, The Dutch Golden Age of Art (16th-17th century), Poker, blues guitar, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania (My birthplace), Reggio Emilia, Italy (My ancestral home), Las Vegas, Nevada (My Mecca), One wife, two kids, one dog, two cats

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  1. In Leicestershire in the early 2000s, rusted metallic objects encased in soil were uncovered. Over two decades the artifacts were restored, using 3D scanning. The fragments formed a Roman helmet. Eventually 80% of the helmet (known as the Hallaton Helmet) was restored, allowing a detailed replica. It is a thought that the helmet, along with numerous Roman coins and Iron Age artifacts, were buried within a suspected shrine from around 43 AD. The helmet was ornate and intricately designed, possibly belonging to a high-ranking Roman cavalry officer. The decorations have a wreath “symbolizing military victory and and a scalloping-shaped brow guard displaying a woman’s bust surrounded by animals.” https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/roman-cavalry-helmet-2000-years-old/
  2. A fragment of a Roman-era lamp, dating from the 4th-5th century AD, has been found near an old Roman fort along the Scorpions Ascent, a hiking trail in the desert Arava region south of the Dead Sea and located in the modern Israeli Negev desert. The lamp fragment was found by a student who was on a field trip. The origins of the lamp was Petra. The trail, where the lamp fragment was found, was once an ancient trade route connected to the copper mines in the region. The region was patrolled and secured by Roman soldiers, who manned a series a forts along the route. A similar oil lamp was found in the same location 90 years before (see picture below): https://allisrael.com/a-unique-1600-year-old-roman-oil-lamp-unearthed-by-an-israeli-pupil https://www.timesofisrael.com/teen-hiker-stumbles-on-1600-year-old-roman-oil-lamp/amp/ https://www.edexlive.com/amp/story/news/2024/Mar/27/israel-student-accidentally-discovers-roman-era-lamp-during-school-trip
  3. Interesting article. I know nothing about ancient mythology. I got myself into an ancient rabbit hole, nevertheless, when I realized that the Greek Herakles is different from the Roman Hercules. The article below delves into their differences: http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/essays/herakleshercules.html This article emphasizes their similarites: https://ancient-literature.com/heracles-vs-hercules/
  4. A construction site at Pompeii has been uncovered. The archaeologists found working tools, stacked roof tiles, bricks, and heaps of lines and stones (see pictures below). According to the article, archaeologists also found amphorae storage jars thought to be used to ‘quench’ the lime used for plastering. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pompeii-building-site-reveals-ancient-roman-construction-methods-2024-03-25/#:~:text=The archaeologists found working tools,the Massachusetts Institute of Technology https://www.turkiyenewspaper.com/amp/culture/21105 Construction site found at Pompeii reveals details of ancient building techniques – and politics - CBS News
  5. A section of a Roman wall has been uncovered in Aachen, Germany, near the Belgium border. It is thought to have been built after Aachen was overrun by Frankish forces in the third century AD. Roman civil administration collapsed in the area around AD 375. The last Roman coins found in the area are from the time of the Emperor Gratian (AD 375-383). https://arkeonews.net/ancient-roman-3rd-century-defensive-wall-found-in-germany/ http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/69767 https://archaeologymag.com/2024/03/roman-defensive-wall-found-in-aachen-germany/
  6. Gordon: Thanks for the review. I had written about the exhibit a couple of months ago (see post below) but I had no firsthand perspective. Your description makes the exhibit sound better than I had imagined. Thank you, again.
  7. Here is a very thought-provoking video by Sebastian (Maiorianus) concerning the Roman presence and influence in Britain during the late Empire and later. The video was at least partially inspired by the Roman villa found at Chedworth, which was active at least AD 480 (see post below):
  8. guy

    The Roman Empire reborn?";.

    No because a reformulated Roman Empire would presuppose a highly-centralized authoritarian central state that could project its power over a multitude of now-independent and autonomous nation states. The European Union (EU) is as close to a “modern Rome” as could be achieved peacefully. Unlike Rome, the European Union is a decentralized state that depends on the member countries to enforce the regulations and policies made by the EU. Unlike Ancient Rome, the EU doesn’t have its own military to impose its will and control over its member states (for example, against those unruly and independent-minded Brits).
  9. Decimation as depicted in the 1964 movie “Fall of the Roman Empire” Discipline was the essential pillar of the Roman Army. Mutinies would be treated harshly, including with decimation. (An excellent old post by Caldrail dealt with Roman mutinies extensively in the post below.) Here is a good video on the subject:
  10. guy

    The Celtic Carnyx

    There have been several previous posts about the carnyx: the Celtic instrument and psychological weapon. Below is an excellent article on the carnyx. Scene from the movie “Gladiator” with a carnyx among the barbarians in Germania. https://www.twz.com/the-carnyxs-eerie-cry-struck-fear-into-soldiers-on-antiquitys-battlefields
  11. Leather fragments from 2,400-year-old Scythian quivers containing samples of human skin. Credit: Marina Daragan. Here’s a good article on the find. The quote by Herodotus on the Scythians is chilling: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/scythian-made-leather-human-skin/
  12. guy

    Mars depicted on coins

    Mars (and the Greek counterpart Ares) were frequently depicted on Roman and Greek coins. In Roman mythology Mars was the god of war and protector of the Roman army. In mythology he was the father of Romulus and Remus. Above is a bronze sestertius of Marcus Aurelius with the reverse showing Mars. Here is an article from NGC ancients about coins with the image of Mars (or Ares). https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/12676/ngc-ancients-mars-ares/
  13. An underground hiding complex from the Bar Kokhba revolt has been discovered. https://m.jpost.com/archaeology/article-792468 Here’s a simplistic (but helpful) explanation of the Bar Kokhba uprising: A recent post about the Bar Kokhba revolt:
  14. guy

    Plagues of Ancient Egypt

    Thank you for reading my post and thank you for your thoughtful response. I will disagree, however, with what you wrote. First, the sickle cell trait’s being in a local population is not sine qua non (an essential condition) for endemicity of malaria. (Interestingly, other conditions also seem to confer some immunity to malaria: G6PD deficiency, thalassemia, blood group O, and a Duffy-negative phenotype.) Second, since Egypt was once the “bread basket of Rome,” I assume the Egyptian microenvironment was different with greater rainfall and temperatures more conducive for grain growth (and malaria). In fact, malaria was not eliminated in Egypt till 2010-2013. In the United States as late as 1850, almost 50 people out of every one thousand who died, died from malaria. During the American Civil War (1861-65), 10,000 Northern troops died from malaria and hundreds of thousands of others were infected. Fortunately, the use of Quinine in the Union Army reduced the morbidity and mortality from malaria. Finally, studies at Amarna, a capital of ancient Egypt from 1346 to 1332 BCE, have shown conclusively that malaria was endemic in the area (affecting perhaps half the population): Thank you, again, for reading my post and responding. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2600412/
  15. Pictured above are some of the 3000 ceramic fragments found. Below is a video on the find: https://divernet.com/scuba-news/archaeology/ships-masts-stand-out-at-roman-harbour-site/ https://www.archaeology.org/news/12215-240315-slovenia-roman-harbor
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