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Just putting the shout out that an auction is underway for the 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 of 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘: 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎, the final instalment of the Legionary series, hot off the press after publication last week! Every penny of the winning bid will go to Myeloma UK - the charity that fights to defeat Myeloma blood cancer for good. As you can see, the book is numbered, giving proof that it is the FIRST signed copy, and is also stamped and quoted. I'll gladly add whatever personal message you might like as well. Visit my Facebook page to check out the rules and bid ☺️ https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A6RwE1q9q/

-- doesn't seem to be a Reply tab on Guy's post and can't find the OP on this topic. ..BUT-- According to Suetonius-- as Caesar sat down before the assembled Senate, several conspirators approached him as if to pay respects. The lictors were probably behind or off to the side and not positioned to defend Caesar from the attack which began suddenly and unexpectedly. https://www.livius.org/sources/content/suetonius/suetonius-on-the-death-of-caesar/ (ch 82) Maybe the better question is what did they do in the immediate aftermath of the attack? Maybe they just scrammed realizing that they had just failed their mission?

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority have unearthed an exquisitely sculpted marble sarcophagus near Caesarea, Israel. This Roman-era sarcophagus features a rare depiction of a drinking contest between Dionysus, the god of wine, and Hercules, the mythological hero. While this motif was common in Roman mosaics, its appearance on a sarcophagus marks a first for the region. The discovery was made in the sand dunes outside Caesarea, suggesting that the city's extent during the Roman period was larger than previously thought. The sarcophagus has been sent for conservation, revealing an elaborate central scene of Dionysus surrounded by mythological figures, including satyrs, Hermes, Pan, lions, and tigers. Experts believe the imagery symbolizes liberation and the transition to the afterlife. Exquisite marble sarcophagus unearthed near Caesarea

According to the commentary of the HBO show Rome, Jonathan Stamp, the onsite historian said that it means “Mars! Up and at em!”. If you get a chance to buy the old Blu-ray’s or dvds, they have a feature that adds trivia and facts to the screen as you watch the show. The commentaries are very interesting as well.

What more can a person give to a cause, than their very existence? This is the essence of the ancient Roman oath of 'Devotio' - the word from which the modern term 'devotion' is derived. Read my blog that explores this chilling final resort of ancient Romans at war: https://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/the-greatest-sacrifice?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwakRWTXR2ek5uSTJFYVlvNQEeNZVGENCkHeYmyzIBbxt1NxTONyMw2DhxnpSQRnlx4_kGRYFxh1vhtdIkKyM_aem_eRglGEnEcW7QxP-VhbvZDw

Ever heard of the Bockerley Dyke in southern England? Nope. I confess this was a new one to me as well, though I was aware that the region has many earthworks of a defensive or boundary nature. What we have here is evidence of dramatic times in England's past. Thanks to Paul Whitewick for his research and video documentary.

Interesting read. Is this act of "Devotio" a matter of perspective? If a general knowingly leads a futile charge against the enemy, would that be considered an act of "Devotio"? I suppose this would be better than being executed for incompetence. The Carthaginians famously crucified their generals who failed. Carthage had a reputation for holding its military leaders accountable, sometimes to extreme measures. One notable example is Hanno, executed after his failure during the Mercenary War. Another is Hasdrubal, who faced execution following a disastrous campaign in Sicily during the First Punic War. More recently, British Admiral Byng was executed. Tasked with relieving a besieged British garrison at Minorca during the Seven Years' War, his fleet engaged the French but suffered significant damage. Byng decided to retreat to Gibraltar to repair his ships, leaving Minorca to fall to the French. This decision sparked outrage in Britain, and Byng was court-martialed for failing to "do his utmost" to prevent the loss of Minorca. He was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on March 14, 1757.

A blog investigating the origins and jounrye of Alaric the Visigoth, the king who conquered Rome: https://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/alaric-the-visigoth-king-of-all

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but am a longtime enjoyer of Ancient Roman history. For the past year or so, me and some friends have been working on a spreadsheet, that goes along with some maps and community functions on Discord. I really admire the quality of discussion on this board, and thought I might see if anyone was keen to give some feedback on the project. Below, I've attached a link to the sheet and a guide to view it. I know many likely won't be to appreciative of some liberties that I've needed to take, obviously there's no way to do something like this and retain a real degree of accuracy. But if you spot any obvious points of improvement, I'd really appreciate hearing them, and I hope you enjoy my sheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JqPWIoG6NUVgI_5XasOAFBdl12CU0pSHp2Vy0mXi4rQ/edit?usp=drivesdk https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1E2QWQmCxSFDCypeKCZUODOIBPSjch2VW0DMLad3V9os/mobilebasic https://discord.gg/4JHj6U6j

Thanks Indy! In the end it went through the roof - made over £600 ❤️ Awesome result for the cause!

A Roman gold coin (aureus) was found in a farmer's field near Dudley, England, in the West Midlands. It depicted the ill-fated Vitellius, one of the four Emperors who struggled for power in AD 69, “The Year of the Four Emperors,” following the death of Nero in AD 68. Suetonius described Vitellius as an obese glutton. Vitellius defeated Otho before Vespasian eventually killed him in Rome. Vitellius was Emperor of Rome for just eight months (April 19 to December 20, AD 69). Interestingly, the coin fetched just £4,700 (approximately $6000 US). This is an excellent piece of history that reflects the influence of Vitellius in Britain at the time of the turmoil: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mwm8nw914o A nice summary of the struggle for power after the death of Nero:

A 3-year-old Israeli girl has discovered an ancient Canaanite scarab while hiking with her family. (Scarabs are amulets and impression seals (shaped like scarab beetles) and were popular throughout ancient Egypt.) The scarab is 3,800 years old and was found in Tel Azeka, which is mentioned in the Bible as the site of the battle between David and the Philistine giant, Goliath. https://www.timesofisrael.com/three-year-old-girl-finds-canaanite-seal-where-bible-says-david-battled-goliath/

You're absolutely right about being most likely to find things concentrated at the narrow points of a funnel shaped field. This is why prospectors pan for gold in the streams rather than sifting thru random shovels full of dust on the mountainside. My original comment was tongue in cheek....An order-of-magnitude estimate-- Suppose a village consisted of 200 people, half whom had amulets of which only 0.1% were lost each year over a 500 year existence of the village-- That's 50 amulets for archeologists to find today at that one site....and how many sites are there? It adds up fast.

Looks like they actually visited an external overlook in newly reopened Temple of Venus and Rome. Wiki sayth:

I sense this topic might be mistaken as an uplifting sign of exalted status of Roman women, but reading the fine print: 1) This Ceres type of priestess is the only one rivaling responsibility of a priest, and only 7 were known to ever practice in Pompeii. 2) Her husband (wedding ring on conventional finger as moderns) has subtle indications of upper class, and probably was the source of family status that enabled her to become priestess. Lastly the most notable feature of the women to this rube tourist is her sculpted body veil. Several of these can be found in Naples churches from the 1800s and really impress onlookers. I guess it is a workable optical illusion to create riffles cross cutting thru riffles, but it seems like magic to this baclofen patient (side effect = false sense of well-being).

Awesome idea!! Raising money for a good cause is always a good thing. Let me see what the bid is up to. . .

A canal built by Marius (Caesar’s uncle) has been found in Gaul in the Rhône River delta. It is dated to 104-102 BCE, and is thought to have been constructed to help Rome in the Cimbrian Wars (113-101 BCE). The Cimbrian Wars were between the Roman Republic and the tribes of the Cimbri and Teutons, among others. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/archaeologists-may-have-finally-discovered-famous-lost-canal-built-by-julius-caesars-uncle

Here’s a needed review of the Cimbrian War

Hope this is okay with you all as it's self-promo. I checked with the mods who said it should be alright. Anyway, for the last two years I've been writing a novel based around the Battle of the Frigidus. The more I read into it, the more I realised just how needlessly destructive the whole affair (the second civil war in 6 years) was. Beforehand, I thought it was a candidate reason for the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Now, I'm certain it was (at least the main catalyst). Anyway, here's the deets for LEGIONARY:DEVOTIO AD 391: in the aftermath of civil war, the Roman Empire lies broken. The emperor is missing. Rumours fly that he has lost his mind. Sensing weakness, the Goths rise in revolt. All to the delight of the dark hand who orchestrated the civil war… and plots to stoke another. Far out at sea, Pavo stands watchfully at the prow of the Justitia, running cargo between distant lands. At every port, he hears of the empire's swelling troubles. Of fire and zeal and panic. Of legions, bristling for battle. But his days of protecting the provinces with sword and shield are over. He, his wife and his lad will soon have enough funds to make a home on a quiet island, far from the madness. Yet the empire is an ever-hungry beast, and Pavo is about to sail straight into its jaws… It is a journey that will take him to the brink, and throw down before him the question to which there is only one answer: what would you sacrifice to save your loved ones? Blood, treachery, reckless heroism, justice, honour. This story has it all. If you fancy a read, it's out on all the usual places: Amazon: http://mybook.to/LegionaryX All other retailers: http://books2read.com/Legionary10 Thanks!

The major problem faced here is that the general public want a simple description of how the legions were formed, deployed and disbanded. Because of their need for a straightforward narrative, books such as that by Dando-Collins, which purports to give a straightforward narrative, are bought, read and believed by those with a general interest in the Roman Legions. Consequently, any information which goes against the simple narrative are discounted 'because Dando-Collins says so'. The next stage is that this information passes into 'everyone knows' territory and so becomes accepted as fact, appearing in other books and on TV/the internet. Hopefully sites such as UNRV can help to correct the spread of false information.

I'm interested in material artifacts aspect of Roman history, and am less interested (skeptical in fact) about the going narratives. Think how wrong the media gets a story if you happen to have local knowledge of it. But there are hard to overlook vignettes evoked by ruins that just beg for some contextual story, like the alienation of Tiberius or the refinement of the Quintilii brothers based on their respective villas. Same could be said for their meditative portrait sculpture...

Studying Latin in school-- the myths and legends of the early history. It fascinated me that we were reading the very words written by men who walked the earth more than 2000 yrs ago. Speaking of church, my cigar chomping, truck driver uncle who quit school after the eighth grade was quite irate when Vatican II did away with the Latin Mass-- "That's crazy. We should be hearing the words the way The Lord really said them.' (??)

Respectfully, many items sold on Amazon are also stolen from brick-and-mortar retailers. I was buying a product from a “reliable source” that was using some strange packaging material. Then I realized they were selling stolen items. Now I try to buy directly from the manufacturer. https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/07/06/amazon-sellers-suspended-over-stolen-goods-caught-in-crime-ring.html

These genetic studies must always be taken with a grain of salt...They are obviously not random samples including large numbers of test subjects gathered over the whole geographical area, but usually small numbers from just one or two burial sites, sites probably being family/clan burial sites for obviously closely related individuals....It's just absurd to claim that 99% of a population was wiped out when you only deal with a sample of a few dozen individuals out of a population with numbers in the thousands. It would more honest to claim that "of our small sample, 99% were of new genotype and 1% were of the old." Throughout history, it's been more common for a vanquished population to be taken in as slaves and genetically melded into the population of the conquerors.... ...and Caesar is quite right-- only Adam & Eve had no one else to push out of the way as they expanded their hunting grounds

Good point....For comparison-- over two million cuneiform clay tablets from Mesopotamia have been found, but only ~2% of them have been translated so far, but look how much that has contributed to our knowledge of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, etc civilizations.

That's one of the planet's most seismically active areas. Ground levels regularly rise or fall up to a foot a year. Modern Pozzouli -- Ancient Puteoli https://watchers.news/2025/02/18/over-550-earthquakes-recorded-at-campi-flegrei-caldera-prompting-school-closures-in-pozzuoli-italy Nearby Baiae was developed as a resort starting about 100 BC and became a favorite, decadent vacation spot for the imperial court. It began sinking in the 4th century AD....I think they found a graphitus there that reads "Quod Baiae accidit Baiae manet"

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-06-iq-scores-1970s.html. Actually, IQ scores have been falling by 7 pts per generation since 1970. During that time, thanks to the elimination of Pb from gasoline & paint, airborne levels of Pb have fallen to virtually undetectable levels. ....Not to change the subject, but since the Draconian regulations concerning auto exhaust emissions went into effect, despite measurably "cleaner" air in our cities, rates of asthma & COPD have also skyrocketed....Have they done us a favor with their over-reaching regs? Our regulations concerning acceptable Pb levels/exposures are purely arbitrary, there being no systematicallly acquired body of data upon which to make an educated estimate. The only large-scale experience is based on one episode of chemical warfare committed in Iraq about 30 y/a. Pts with very high Pb levels remained asymptomatic. Symptoms only developed in those with levels several hundred (IIRC) times over levels considered "safe." In the famous case of Flint, MI several y/a, they never told us the levels of Pb found in the water. Doing an orders of magnitude estimation, if the levels were 1000x higher than the regulatory acceptable levels, a 30 kg kid (who never got any bigger nor excreted any of the ingested Pb) would have had to drink 5 gal of water a day for 100 yrs to attain blood levels above the levels considered safe....Always do the arithmetic before panicking. Environmental Pb levels probably vary with geographic location. Before becoming known as Cheeseheads, Wisconsinites were known as Badgers because lead miners in the SW corner of the state used to provide shelter for themselves by burrowing caves, like badgers, into the banks of the Miss. R. where Pb veins are very close to the surface. How does this apply to ancient Romans??? Pb pipes do not cause contamination of the water because a biofilm quickly forms inside the pipes so the flowing water does not actually contact the pipes ...Pb cooking utensils? Doubtful, because most Romans were poor, so they didn't have metal vessels, and besides, most plebs in insulae and ate at the many tabernae & popinae, doing little cooking at home.

There were a few posts on this subject in the distant past (see below): The Wikipedia entry on the cursus publicus, the state mandated courier system of the Roman Empire, was pretty good, also. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursus_publicus A good video by Garrett Ryan that adds insight to your question.

Hello everyone. I' Kevin a Retired Executive Chef here in Las Vegas. And Retire Army Ranger. I worked for years at Caesar's Palace and love every thing about the Roman Empire. Even my House is designed that way.

WThat series ran in the70s. I was in my residency working 120 hrs/ wk--not much time for TV. FWIW- the Wiki article claims Claudius suffered from weakness, particularly of the legs, and had nervous twitches of the head-- consistent with the myopathy and tremors seen in hyperthyroidism. You're right about medical problems of the ancients, not so much that they were exotic, but that without treatment they were carried to extremes not seen often today. These days, I try to avoid watching anything shown on the Propaganda Broadcasting System.

Here’s an article discussing various mental and physical health metrics across different regions of Germany. It notes that the southern areas, influenced by Roman rule, score higher. The Legacy of the Roman Empire in Germany: A Surprising Study Reveals How It Influences the Current Well-Being of Regions Roma Eterna? Roman Rule Explains Regional Well-Being Divides in Germany - ScienceDirect

A rare Brutus gold coin will be up for auction on December 9th.

Here is a walkthru of Pontius Pilates pilgrim's road, which has been excavated horizontally for over a third of a mile 50 feet under Jerusalem. I gather it is nearing being opened to tourists, altho excavation is still in progress as you can see by the host disturbingly yanking artifacts out of a wall of dirt. It was super expensive and high tech to dig without disturbing the surface:

I asked a professor of Classics. He said the translation is good. "No problem on the translation. What your friend has is accurate in vocabulary, grammar and word order. Ready for a tattoo or motto! Signifer Sancte Michael, illumina viam meam" guy

Optime!......Hoc verum est.....although an ancient Roman may have used the dative of possession- mihi- instead of meam.

Amazing......There are rare examples of other ancient seeds able to have been germinated after thousands of years. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_viable_seed. Apparently it's an often repeated myth that grain seeds from the Pyramids have been germinated. Somewhat related, Moses' original Burning Bush is supposedly still alive and doing well at St Catherine's monastery in Sinai. The monastery is only 1700 y/o, so the bush was already 1600y/o when the place was built. I wonder if they have have to pay extra for fire insurance? https://madainproject.com/burning_bush_of_saint_catherine_monastery#google_vignette

-- brings to mind some American sports history.....In college (American) football, Harvard and Yale have their annual "big game,' a rivalry dating back a century (a long time here)....Around 1965, Yale had an unusually good, undefeated team and Harvard an unusually bad team. Harvard had little hope of making a good showing, but, miraculously achieved a tie score at the end of the game, ruining Yale's shot at a perfect season....The next morning, the head lines in the Harvard daily newspaper read "Harvard Wins 0 - 0!

Very interesting. We tend to underestimate the extent & sophistication of trade routes in those days. That lion isn't the only thing fishy at St Mark's......Maybe that isn't even St Mark in the cathedral, but someone else https://www.thecollector.com/alexander-saint-marks-tomb-venice/

Crikey, that's one exposed site. I can just imagine a centurion gritting his teeth as soldiers moaned about the cold wind.

Please remember the text below: Here is an article discussing a series of books documenting the ancient Roman frontier network. The project began with efforts to have the limes in Upper Germany recognized as a World Heritage Site. This required more thorough documentation of the 550 km-long Roman frontier. This initial effort was the first of twenty books written over a span of twenty years to comprehensively document the entire Roman frontier. https://the-past.com/feature/encircling-the-empire-how-romes-frontier-network-was-chronicled/

So limes means frontiers. Those Roman frontier books as well as many other archeo ones are available on free (slow) pdf downloads at https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Open-Access/Open-Access . Some have great photography; I will post a few examples:

Sherlock was always deducing occupations by observing anatomical changes induced by repetitive actions. We call it Over-use Syndrome these days. There was an anthropological report published in the med lit 30y/a about the high number of vertebral compression fractures found in ancient skeletal remains of indigenous people of the Pacific NW, presumably from the stresses of driving dog sleds-- a rate comparable today of that seen only among rodeo riders.

I had listened to his much longer recent podcast on the subject, but I'm not sure it's for everyone (thus he uses his alternate channel):

I stumbled across this video that takes a look at an oddity in Britain, the Fosse Way. For those who don't know of it, it's a Roman era route from SW to NE England - but incredibly straight. Yes, I know, Roman roads are supposed to be straight aren't they? Yes, but only between settlements. The Fosse Way is simply a line on the map, and perhaps it's a sign of something we've forgotten?

The typical Roman has elven facial features, short black or brown hair (for men), fair or olive skin (changes tonne with season), a broad brow, deep eye sockets, high-bridged aquiline Roman nose, round or large almond blue or brown eyes (eye colours can vary), shorter shaved face or short moustache & goatee, medium rosey lips, deep facial depth on side, prominent cheek-bones, raised long straight chiseled jaw and smaller round head. They usually have light olive skin, in summer and pale skin in winter. Their Roman nose could be a natural adaptation to smell where the enemy is located in battle. The typical Romans also have broad shoulders, a muscular Roman statuesque body, as well as strong biceps and calves. This could be inherited from the Roman legions who had to march from Rome to Britain as part of their military training. They are usually around 150-170 cm tall. The typical Romans usually had Roman feet with the first three toes at the same length-possibly as a natural adaptation to give them more stability as they worked hard and marched around a lot. The typical Romans ideally have almost flawless physical proportions, except that many have ears that stick out a bit. This could be a natural adaptation to help them hear better, especially when wearing a Roman helmet. The typical Romans looked like many modern-day Italians, especially from Naples, Lazio, Tuscany, Sicily and Calabria. They also looked like the typical Greeks. The difference was that the Greeks' face was usually longer and their nose was usually straighter. The typical Roman was more common in ancient Rome, before the barbarians invaded and unfortunately polluted their blood-making more of them look more typically foreign. I know all this because I have observed the common physical traits exclusive to hundreds of modern Romans. They don't look much different from the ancient Roman portraits and statues of Romans. Link to what typical Romans generally look like: https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-samsung-ss&sca_esv=558714157&sxsrf=AB5stBjkhoyzPdtfDftQGjQIT4sYgCmUvQ:1692610383270&q=roman+phenotype&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi35IyFue2AAxW-pVYBHc5SCmQQ0pQJegQIChAB&biw=384&bih=718&dpr=2.81#imgrc=-plQ53jFy1UY7M&imgdii=D2w1coIzns4n4M (It should be noted that some Romans in the link look more typical of Greeks and Germans).

The Romans used the "inverted siphon" to do that. HERE'S A LINK describing a system of several Roman inverted siphons at Aspendos, Turkey. An inverted siphon will not deliver water to a higher elevation than the source of the pressure at the top of the header tank, but it will deliver water across a valley without an elevated gravity flow aqueduct serving as the "pipe". Today similar systems are used for sewage systems, which could be either sanitary or storm sewers. Inverted siphons by the Romans are probably more common than observation would indicate since some were entirely buried earthworks and not visible to the perception of the untrained eye. Faustus

How did Rome come to annex Cyprus? How did the whole thing get started? Elsewhere it has been claimed that a lex Julia had named Ptolemy Auletes 'an ally and friend of the Roman people'. Bevan (1929) would also have it so: In 59 B.C. Julius Caesar, the leader of the democratic party, was one of the consuls. It was believed that the annexation of Egypt was part of his own political programme. Yet Ptolemy contrived, by an enormous payment of 6000 talents, to buy Caesar's support. Caesar carried a law, in spite of the opposition of the nobles, by which Ptolemy Auletes was recognized at last as king of Egypt, and, by a new treaty, "ally and friend of the Roman People." But the treaty said nothing about Cyprus, where the other Ptolemy, the brother of Auletes, had been reigning since 80 B.C. as king. In 58 B.C. the tribune Clodius, a partisan of Caesar's, carried a law by which Cyprus was constituted a Roman province, and Marcus Cato was commissioned to go to Cyprus and induce the king to make over ship island kingdom to Rome. The only accusation against the king of Cyprus which Rome could find to justify this act of high-handed spoliation was that he was very rich and had not been sufficiently free-handed with his riches. Cato offered the king, in exchange for his kingdom, to have him installed by the authority of Rome, as high priest in the temple of Aphrodite at Paphos. But Ptolemy of Cyprus preferred to commit suicide. His treasures