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A mythical gorgon, who could turn people to stone, oversees one of the tombs Here’s an interesting article on the Greek archaeological findings in Naples, Italy. These findings predate the Roman presence by centuries. Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas of the world, once a prominent city in Magna Graecia. “Forty feet below the garden of a 19th-century palazzo, in what's now the Sanità area of the city, a steep staircase burrowing underground leads to four tombs. Each with their own grand entrance -- one even has Ionic columns sculpted on its façade -- they open on to what is thought to have been the original pathway that mourners would have taken. Ancient Greeks built twin-chambered tombs -- one upper chamber, where prayers were said, and a lower one, where the bodies were laid to rest -- by digging out the soft tuff rock, rather like making a cave. But these are no mere caves. The chambers have been sculpted to resemble real rooms, with fake ceiling beams, benches, staircases and even high-mattress "beds" -- sarcophagi, inside which multiple bodies were laid to rest. And these weren't sculpted outside and then brought in. Every single detail -- right down to the perfectly plumped "pillows" on those beds -- has been carved from the original rock face.“ The mouth of the gorgon watching over the dead looks mid-breath. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/naples-greek-tombs-cristallini/index.html

Cornwall, in southwest England, has proven to have a greater Roman presence than previously thought. This wonderful intaglio ring dating from the First or Second Century AD was found by a metal detectorist in his own front yard. “For now, the theory is that the ring that came out of Mike’s front garden flower bed is a Roman intaglio ring, made of gold and weighing 12.8 grams, with Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, justice, peace and motherhood, engraved into a chalcedony gemstone.” https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-01-16/the-cornwall-man-who-discovered-ancient-gold-in-his-front-garden This style of ring is similar to the “Good Shepherd” ring found recently in Caesarea:

The is an usual find, for sure. A silver capsule with Christian markings, apparently swallowed, was found in Hampshire, England. It is dated to the time of Constantine. “‘It’s made of silver, about three-quarters of an inch long and is shaped like a paracetamol [acetaminophen] tablet. ‘We found it at a site which we suspect to be a Roman temple, and the coins coming out of there date back to Constantine, who brought Christianity to the Roman empire.’ Mr Beasley described the ‘extraordinary’ and ‘mind-boggling’ artefact as priceless. After cleaning and recording the artefact, which was found five weeks ago, the treasure hunters found the symbol of the Chi-Rho.“ https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/01/16/treasure-hunters-discover-greco-roman-artefact-they-call-the-paranormal-paracetamol/?amp

Here is an excellent video about the Roman military sandal (something I have never thought about before). Below is a nice review of the Roman caligae and calcei: https://www.romanobritain.org/8-military/mil_roman_soldier_footwear.php

Max Miller, the ever-entertaining culinary historian, presents another delightful video. This one covers cabbage and it’s role in the history and culture of Ancient Rome: Cato the Elder extolled the medicinal value of cabbage in his “De Agricultura”: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/K*.html

Marc Antony denarii were known to circulate throughout the Roman Empire more than a century after Antony’s defeat at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE) and his suicide a year later. Possibly coins from this “enemy of Rome” were allowed to circulate because Antony was never subjected to damnatio memoriae by Augustus. Here’s an interesting paper on possible reasons for Augustus’ “clemency”: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&context=discentesjournal Interestingly, the famous Antony denarii were found among a Roman coin hoard discovered in Wales in 2015. This hoard also had a coin from Marcus Aurelius, minted more than a century after Antony’s death. It is doubtful that a coin of an individual who suffered damnatio memoriae and was an “enemy of Rome” would have circulated freely in the Empire. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3334908/amp/Significant-hoard-Roman-coins-discovered-Wales-Silver-money-issued-Marc-Antony-2-000-years-ago.html

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Another good article on this possible transfer of ancient technology: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/fish-like-scale-armor-found-in-2500-year-old-tomb-in-china/

Replica of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the original in the Capitoline museum. We discussed the size of horses in ancient history before. (The UNRV link below is partially broken and deleted.) The theory is that horses in ancient times were smaller than imagined. This article suggests that horses in medieval times were smaller; thus, horses in Ancient Rome were probably smaller, too. http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/medieval-warhorses-10449.html

A worker trnasports traditionally-made clay bricks during a German-Iraqi archaeological expedition to restore the white temple of Anu in the Warka (ancient Uruk) site in Iraq’s Muthanna prvoince, on November 27, 2021. (Qassem al-Kaabi/AFP) It is good to see that archaeological research has resumed in Iraq: “They brushed off bricks and removed earth to clear what appeared to be the pier of a bridge spanning an urban canal of Larsa, which was the capital of Mesopotamia just before Babylon, at the start of the second millennium BCE. The team of 20 people have made “major discoveries,” he said, including the residence of a ruler identified by about 60 cuneiform tablets that have been transferred to the national museum in Baghdad.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-years-of-war-european-archaeologists-return-to-iraq-for-rare-finds/ https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/unearthing-ancients-archaeologists-finally-return-to-war-torn-iraq/news

“Hundreds of Roman coins, jewelry, pottery and a pair of shackles were among the artifacts to be discovered at the site near a village in Northamptonshire, according to a press release from High Speed 2 (HS2) Tuesday. HS2 is a large-scale project intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in central and northern England.” https://www.cnn.com/style/amp/roman-town-iron-age-archaeology-scli-scn-intl/index.html https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-59943179.amp

Dura-Europos was a Roman fortress city in Mesopotamia till its capture and destruction by the Sassanians after a brutal siege in 256-257 AD. Although poorly documented, the battle Involved Sassanian tunnels to enter behind the Roman fortifications. The Romans made their own tunnels to counter this threat. The Roman tunnels were met with failure. “The Sasanian Persians had effective siege techniques to storm Dura-Europos by applying a series of tunnels to bring down the city walls, with mining likely starting within Dura’s underground necropolis. The Romans then dug a series of countermines to stop the incursions, but in the ensuing struggle the Persians won the battle. As the Roman diggers reached the Sasanian lines, the chemicals were pumped into the Roman tunnel, causing suffocation and death from the gas. The use of smoke generators in siege-mines is mentioned in classical text, with the archaeological evidence at Dura suggesting that the Sasanian Persians were well aware of the use of chemical substances and its application in chemical warfare.” Sadly, this archaeological site was mostly destroyed and looted recently by the Islamic State during the Syrian conflict. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/01/the-first-known-case-of-chemical-warfare/142483?fbclid=IwAR3wmgisAqgkz8-7rcmgo2r3199wRfp5H9VlBtogclxqK83JX3cFg9QyoHQ&amp https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dura-Europos

A Roman coin hoard of 209 coins was unearthed by a badger in Northern Spain, apparently in search of food. https://www.cnn.com/style/amp/badger-roman-coins-spain-scli-intl-scn/index.html https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/09/hungry-badger-may-have-uncovered-roman-coins-in-spanish-cave

This is another fascinating incidental find, this time during work in Mendip Hills, England. https://hinkleyconnection.co.uk/discovering-the-remains-of-a-roman-roadside-settlement/ https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/19836219.hinkley-projects-roman-find-features-digging-britain/

One of my biggest regrets in life (and I have quite a few) was missing the opportunity to see Stevie Ray Vaughn (SRV) in 1986. While I was in graduate school, SRV was playing two blocks away from my apartment in a small venue in Pittsburgh of about 3,700 people. I was "too busy," I guess. I promised myself I would see SRV the next time he came around. Unfortunately, there was never a "next time" as he died soon after in a tragic helicopter crash. I recommend you see the performers you like before it's too late. I was lucky to see Neal Peart (Rush) and Chris Squire (Yes) within months of their passing. (I'm afraid to see Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones for fear that he, too, would pass soon afterwards. I suspect, however, that Keith Richards will be around long after the rest of us have crossed the River Styx.) Below is a soundcheck (the preshow check on sound quality and equipment) for a SRV show. SRV was a great talent, for sure.

I still have problems accepting that the image is a dog. As seen before, an image of a lion was not unheard of, even in distant Britain:

New technology has been used to find discoveries about Ancient Rome. This story is a year old, but it shows the potential of this technology. “A group of Belgian and UK researchers recently mapped the entire ancient city of Falerii Novi, about 30 miles outside Rome, using radar technology that scans below the soil. For the first time, the researchers were able to identify new structures like an elaborate bath house and a large public monument, the likes of which has never been seen before.” https://www.businessinsider.com/archaeologists-discovery-ancient-roman-city-falerii-novi-2020-6?amp

Here is a nice discovery in Southern Turkey: “Turkish archeologists have unearthed 10 relief masks depicting comedy and tragedy plays performed in the ancient city of Castabala, which dates back to 500 BC. ‘These masks represent the drama and comedy plays performed in the theater.’” https://m.yenisafak.com/en/news/relief-masks-unearthed-at-ancient-theater-in-southern-turkey-3587350 https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/relief-masks-unearthed-at-ancient-theater-in-southern-turkiye/2467560

Here is a nice discovery in Southern Turkey: “Turkish archeologists have unearthed 10 relief masks depicting comedy and tragedy plays performed in the ancient city of Castabala, which dates back to 500 BC. ‘These masks represent the drama and comedy plays performed in the theater.’” https://m.yenisafak.com/en/news/relief-masks-unearthed-at-ancient-theater-in-southern-turkey-3587350

I’m still intrigued by the statue of a “dog.” Assuming it is not an image of a lion, I am still wondering which breed of dog it could be. Could it be the now-extinct Molossian hound? (This breed might be the ancestor of the modern mastiff.) The breed was referred to in ancient Roman and Greek sources: Here is one of my favorite funerary stones from the Getty Villa in California: Here’s an article about dogs in Ancient Rome: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1603/dogs--their-collars-in-ancient-rome/ Here is Gordon Doherty’s excellent article on “The Dogs of War.” https://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/writeblog/thedogsofwar

Wonderful discovery. I initially thought the statue was a lion. I was wondering what kind of breed the dog could be with the leonine fasces. A Pomeranian?

A little more information on the find: https://phys.org/news/2022-01-toilet-temple-period-luxury-villa.html

Nice song. This song was released by Marcus King when he was twenty. Makes me long for a different time.

That is an exciting find, for sure. Until I did recent research on military diplomas, I knew nothing about these amazing documents that would grant rights and privileges to retired soldiers. ”A complete diploma consists of 2 bronze plates of rectangular shape, between 10x12 and 21x16 cm depending on the period, with text on both sides, bound together by bronze wire and sealed with witnesses seals. The seals were covered by three bronze strips to protect them from mechanical wear. Below a typical diploma, unwired and opened up, with preserved witness seals and their protecting metal cover (closed and opened). This particulary well preserved example was found in Slavonski Brod and had been issued under Vespasianus.” (See below) This is a wonderful site discussing these diplomas: http://www.romancoins.info/MilitaryDiploma1a.html

Wow! I am really impressed. Very few people now remember Rory Gallagher. Am I to guess you are a female from Italy? Brava. I can only imagine how you came to know about Rory. He was one of my guitar heroes when I was a kid back in the 70s. Were you even around in the 70s? (See the picture below of his "distressed" guitar.) Great player who got the most from his instrument. I also like thin Lizzy, but my favorite "Irish" musician is Van Morrison. Van Morrison's music probably saved my life on more than one occasion.