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There has already been a post on the vanilla in ancient Judean wine (see below). The spice was found by chemical analysis of an ancient jar of the First Temple Period. Vanilla would have had to come from either distant Africa or India (reflecting an extensive trade network). Now the taste test: A good video on the find:

It is nice to see numismatic evidence is being used to further understand life in the Roman Empire: The fact that the coins were minted from around the Empire may reflect a vibrant trade network in Roman Britain during the fourth century. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-60955255 https://malmesburycoinhoard.uk/coin-facts/

(Scene from HBO's "Rome depicting the defeat of Marc Antony at Actium.) Many historians and scholars have reassessed Marc Antony and his role in Roman history. In fact, we have written many threads on the subject. (See posts below.) A new book on the death struggle between Marc Antony and Octavian has created a renewed interest. Barry Strauss, in his book “The War that made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium,” delves into the subject further. Here is an interview with him at ars technica: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/04/a-fresh-take-on-why-octavian-won-the-war-against-antony-and-cleopatra/ Here’s a video interview with Professor Strauss on the book:

The Avars are now a forgotten barbarian tribe. They allied themselves with the Lombards and helped to destroy the Kingdom of the Gepids in the mid-sixth century AD. The Lombards would then migrate west to occupy Italy. The Avars, on the other hand, would later establish themselves in Pannonia for more than two centuries and repeatedly threatened the Byzantine Empire. They established the Avar Khaganate from the late 6th century to their rapid disappearance by the early 9th century. They dominated the Pannonian region (much of modern-day Hungary) as well as considerable areas of Central and Eastern Europe. This study uses genetic evidence proving their origin from Mongolia and their rapid dominance of Central Europe. https://www.science.org/content/article/mystery-warriors-made-fastest-migration-ancient-history Ancient genomes reveal origin and rapid trans-Eurasian migration of 7th century Avar elites: Cell

I think the Roman presence in Wales is becoming more appreciated. There have been a few posts on Roman findings in Wales before.(See below.) Here’s a recent finding: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10676689/amp/Skeleton-Roman-mercenary-unearthed-Welsh-countryside.html https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-60935927.amp

Here is an interesting video discussing the fate of Caesar if he had survived his assassination attempt: I agree with the video that Caesar’s health was precarious at the time of his death at the age of 55. If he were suffering from mini-strokes (as opposed to just epilepsy), his lifespan may have been very limited, anyway.

Welcome to UNRV. We need younger scholars in ancient history to invigorate the field. Obviously, you can look under the subforum at UNRV "Salutem et Sanitas." And the search function on this site is rich in resources. Four books that I would recommend: "Doctors and Diseases in the Roman Empire" by Ralph Jackson: This is an older book that is very readable and enjoyable. You might be able to find this book on Abesbooks.com "Ancient Medicine" by Vivian Nutton: A wonderfully rich book by a brilliant author "Roman Medicine" by Audrey Cruse: Considered the classic book on Roman medicine "The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire" by Kyle Harper: A young professor who brings new insights to disease in ancient Rome. Fortunately, there are many other resources now online, including several good videos: Good luck in your endeavors.

An Israeli prison in Megiddo, Israel will be moved to allow further study of an early Christian prayer hall buried underneath the prison yard. The finding was during excavations between 2004 and 2008. The prayer hall is thought to be the earliest found. It will also be accessible now to tourists. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/foundations-of-christianity-unearthed https://m.jpost.com/christianworld/article-702712

Here is an interesting article that supports the belief that there was an extensive trade network in the ancient world. In this article the spice vanilla, probably originated in India, was found in wine jars from ancient Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/324890 There have been previous posts about the analysis of contents in ancient vessels:

Here is a follow-up of a previous post surrounding the discovery of a potential brewery in Bedford, UK at a newly-discovered Roman farm. (See previous post below): This article demonstrates the increased importance of archaeobotanists in the study of ancient Roman excavations. https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/people/fancy-an-early-pint-evidence-of-roman-beer-production-found-near-bedford-3631618

Here is a follow-up on the British Museum’s unexplained prohibition against the digital scanning of the Elgin marbles. This scanning would help to create high-quality copies of the Parthenon sculptures, much better than the plaster casts of the past. This scanning controversy is part of the larger controversy to return the Elgin marbles: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/29/british-museum-facing-legal-action-parthenon-marbles-3d-scan-refusal

The temptation to find ancient artifacts must be great, especially since they are so prevalent: “A novice Warwickshire metal detector enthusiast was arrested for undertaking a Roman treasure hunt at a protected monument. Warwickshire Rural Crime Team say that the south Warwickshire man had failed to educate himself on what he could and could not look for. They say that the man, who has not been identified, explained under caution that he had been hoping to find Roman treasure as he went about detecting on an Ancient Scheduled Monument.” https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/novice-metal-detectorist-stopped-police-23489900

This is a delightful article from Antigone about graffiti in the Roman Empire. https://antigonejournal.com/2022/03/roman-graffiti/ There have been a few interesting posts in the past about ancient Roman graffiti, including this post: No doubt that ancient graffiti will continue to give insights about everyday life in ancient Rome.

Here is a follow-up on the recent dig at the Carlisle Roman site . https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/20023185.frontier-town---dig-uncovers-secrets-edge-empire/ Here is a previous thread on the work at Carlisle:

As pressure mounts on the British Museum to return the Elgin Parthenon marbles, some are preparing to make replicas. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/digital-archaeologists-secretly-scan-elgin-marbles-in-british-museum/ar-AAVtWPU There have been several threads on the controversy of these Elgin marbles before:

Thank you for the thoughtful assessment of the article. Critical analysis is too frequently lacking surrounding archaeological and other scientific findings and discoveries. To the Times of Israel’s credit, they state that the article has not been peer reviewed, yet.

This tiny lead curse tablet may change our understanding of the Ancient Hebrews: https://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologist-claims-to-find-oldest-hebrew-text-in-israel-including-the-name-of-god/

Here is an interesting article describing studies to determine the contents of ancient containers from the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization in modern-day Pakistan and northwest India from 2600 to 2000 BCE. The findings can be used to further understand ancient trade routes: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/03/scientists-analyse-traces-of-ingredients-in-5300-to-4000-year-old-cooking-vessels/143098?amp There was a previous thread about a similar analysis of the contents of a Roman cup that showed ambergris (called whale vomit): A previous thread has shown the utility of assessing the contents of ancient Roman pottery. This study showed an ancient Roman flower pot was probably a chamber pot, instead.

This is a new episode of the popular series “Time Team” that explored archaeological Britain. This time, they are digging an Iron Age settlement in Cornwall:

Here is a nice view of some Pictish symbol stones:

Welcome to UNRV. Very interesting. Are the classes in Italian? If so, are you a fluent Italian speaker? Please post any of your work.

Catullus is one of the ancient poets who still resonate with us today. First, some of the background information from Wikipedia: Here's a good article on the works of Caullus: Catullus: Foul-mouthed Genius? – Antigone (antigonejournal.com) Catullus - Wikipedia

“The Northwich helmet is very impressive because all the decoration on top of the helmet – representing hair – has been astonishingly well preserved." [The helmet dates from 75-100 AD.] “No exact parallels of this helmet have survived, but the type is depicted on gravestones from Cologne and Mainz in Germany.” (Modern recreation of the Northwich-style helmet) "Northwich, known as ‘Condate’ by the Romans because it is at the confluence of the River Weaver and River Dane (condate meaning ‘at the confluence of’), was a mixed-infantry and cavalry fort and may have housed up to 26 cavalrymen. Not only was Northwich in a strategic location, but the local Cornovii evaporated salt from the nearby naturally-occurring brine pools, and the Romans were keen to oversee production." Summary: I’m not sure how common this Northwich-pattern helmet is. There have been only a few examples found, either the mostly-intact helmet found in Northwhich or those depicted on gravestones in Germany. https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/20009373.roman-auxiliary-cavalry-helmet-examined-weaver-hall-museum/

Here is a beautiful image of Stane Street in southern England. Stane Street is the modern name of the 91 km-long (57 mile) Roman road. It linked Londinium (London) to Noviomagus Reginorum (Chichester). (Wikipedia) Thanks Roman Britain News @Roman_Britain for bring this picture and article to our attention https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/sussex-countryside-roman-road-can-6821412 https://dorkingmuseum.org.uk/the-romans-of-stane-street/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stane_Street_(Chichester)

A previous thread discussed the fact that today’s date palm trees are very different from those found in Ancient Rome. (See thread below): “Israel is today one of the world’s great producers of dates. These date palm trees, however, are not the original date palm trees of Ancient Judaea. The original Israeli date palm trees were devastated by the Roman conquest of Ancient Judea. The Romans disrupted the date production. Also, human activity and climate change further impacted on their near-complete destruction by the 15th century.” This article further describes the dates produced from ancient seeds found from previous excavations: https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/how-king-solomon-and-the-romans-shaped-the-judean-date-palm-1.10685653