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There is a version of I, Claudius that most people probably don’t know about. Most have seen the 1976 BBC television series starring Derek Jacobi, but an earlier 1937 version has become one of cinema's unfinished "lost masterpieces." Apparently, the director Josef von Sternberg and the star actor Charles Laughton (Claudius) had too many disagreements during production. Below is the segment that did survive:

An intact Roman iron window grille has been found near Basel, Switzerland. It measures 1.7 meters (5 ft, 7 inches). It was found near Augusta Raurica, a Roman colony on the Rhine. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/10/archaeologists-unearth-a-complete-roman-window-grille-nails-and-all-at-augusta-raurica-the-oldest-colony-on-the-rhine/ There have been other previous posts about the Ronan colony of Augusta Raurica, a thriving Roman city between the first and third centuries AD. It even had a large amphitheater.

A Roman statue unearthed at Kent will be on display at the British Museum. A Roman statue of Triton, the sea‑god son of Neptune, was discovered during a 2024 archaeological dig at a housing development in Teynham. It will soon go on display in the British Museum’s Roman Gallery. Archaeologists discovered the 60‑kg sculpture in a disused clay‑lined water tank beside Roman Watling Street, near a mausoleum and cemetery. The find was part of a wider excavation that also revealed cremation burials, chalk wall foundations, and a tomb containing a coin from around AD 320–330. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/news/roman-statue-found-on-kent-building-site-to-be-displayed-at-346201/ Kent has been the site of many previous Roman excavations (see below): The County of Kent:

The Second Temple persisted for centuries before it was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, during the First Roman-Jewish War. The remains of the aqueduct that supplied the Temple have been discovered. A newly uncovered 300‑meter the Lower Aqueduct was unearthed during planning for a new neighborhood south of Ramat Rachel. It was built around 100 BCE by the Hasmoneans to solve Jerusalem’s chronic water shortages. https://www.timesofisrael.com/plans-for-new-jerusalem-neighborhood-uncover-300-meter-stretch-of-ancient-aqueduct/ A recent post about excavations involving the Second Temple:

A Roman torso is up for auction. A 2,000‑year‑old Julio‑Claudian marble torso of a Roman emperor—originally displayed in a temple at Salona in modern Croatia—is heading to auction at Sotheby’s, where it is estimated to sale for 8-12 million. The sculpture’s cuirass has a political message. It’s central image shows Sol (pictured below), the sun god, driving a quadriga (bottom picture) over the sea, possibly symbolizing the dawn of a new imperial order. https://www.popsci.com/science/roman-emperor-torso-sculpture-auction/?shem=aimgspe, Good video on the auction:

Neanderthals were surprisingly sophisticated with their wood work. Above is pictured a suspected club found at one of the excavation levels. In 16 archaeological levels in Northeastern Spain dated between roughly 62,000 and 40,000 years ago, researchers identified nearly six hundred wooden imprints and charred remains. These include tools, weapons, and domestic items. This shows that Neanderthals engaged in more sophisticated woodworking tasks rather than only producing simple pointed sticks. The presence of spears, shaped points, trays, tripods, and other crafted items demonstrates an ability to create sophisticated and varied items centered on wood. Neanderthal material culture has been invisible due to poor preservation of organics. Neanderthal woodworking was preserved at the Notheastern Spanish site of Abric Romaní because travertine deposits fossilized organic materials that normally decay. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeh2287

It’s been a while since there was a post about the Lighthouse of Alexandria (see below). An archaeological team working in the submerged royal quarter of ancient Alexandria has uncovered the first known Roman‑era seal ring depicting the Lighthouse of Alexandria, known as the Pharos. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The ring has not been given a definitive archaeological date, but the imagery engraved on it provides a clue. Egyptian authorities note that the depiction of the Lighthouse closely matches designs known from second‑century AD coins, which implies that the ring was likely produced sometime in the 2nd century AD, though this remains uncertain. Below a coin from AD 136-137, minted in Alexandria, Egypt, depicting the Lighthouse: https://arkeonews.net/first-ever-seal-ring-showing-the-lighthouse-of-alexandria-found-in-the-sunken-royal-quarter/#google_vignette

A recent post (see below) about a recovered warship of Mithradates VI (135-63 BCE) made me wonder why the Black Sea has been a source of ancient well-preserved wooden ships. Below is a great video on the subject: The core reason for the remarkable preservation is its deep anoxic (lacking oxygen) layer. Below roughly 150 m, the Black Sea contains almost no oxygen, a result of its unusual stratification. Dense saltwater from the Mediterranean settled at the bottom when the basin was flooded around 5600 BCE, while lighter freshwater remained above. Because the layers do not mix, oxygen from the surface never reaches the depths. In this oxygen‑free zone, the organisms that normally destroy wood, rope, leather, and even human remains cannot survive. As a result, shipwrecks—Greek, Roman, Byzantine—remain intact, sometimes with masts still standing and cargo undisturbed. The Black Sea’s anoxic deep waters, flood‑driven submerged coastlines, and long history as a cultural transport highway make it unusually rich in archaeological discoveries A shorter summary video: https://unanswered.io/guide/unraveling-the-mysteries-of-the-black-sea

This is potentially an interesting discovery: A suspected warship of Mithradates VI has been identified in the Black Sea. Although the wreckage was initially found in 2012, the final analysis and identification of the ship was completed and published more recently. First the background: Mithridates VI Eupator was the king of Pontus from 120 to 63 BCE and one of the Roman Republic’s most dangerous enemies. His ambition brought him into direct conflict with Rome, leading to the Mithridatic Wars (89–63 BC), a series of brutal campaigns in which he initially defeated Roman forces, orchestrated massacres of Romans in Asia Minor, and briefly rallied much of Greece to his side. Archaeologists uncovered the vessel’s surviving lower hull—about 16 meters of timbers—along with copper nails, metal fittings, and a bronze naval ram decorated with stars and crescents, symbols associated with Mithridates. Radiocarbon dating and the ram’s iconography place the ship in the mid‑1st century BCE. Below is the mounting core of the naval ram. https://arkeonews.net/2000-year-old-warship-of-romes-great-enemy-mithridates-found-in-the-black-sea/ A book written by Philip Matyszak on Mithradates VI:

A nice review of the myths surrounding Pompeii’s destruction: https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/7-pompeii-secrets-discoveries

An ancient purification complex has been discovered in Jerusalem. Jewish pilgrims would ritually prepare themselves before ascending to the Temple. Its three mikva’ot (plural for mikvah: a ritual purity bath), as well as a large immersion pool, and a continuous water‑supply system are consistent with a site used for ritual purity. This was a requirement before entering the sacred precincts of the Second Temple (till it’s destruction in AD 70). Ritual bath with surviving stone vault: Immersion pool: Drainage tunnel to complex: Coins found at site: Model of the Second Temple: Because the complex sits beside the southern approach to the Temple Mount, archaeologists conclude it was used for purification before encountering the divine presence. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-monumental-reveal-pilgrims-purified-jerusalem.html https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-public-mikveh-complex-used-for-festival-pilgrimage-uncovered-at-foot-of-temple-mount/

A previously unknown Roman city has been discovered in modern Austria on the Danube frontier. It is estimated that the city last from about AD 80 till AD 180. A large amphitheater seating about 8000 people was discovered (pictured above). Researchers suspect the site may be Claudivium, a town recorded by Ptolemy. Coin evidence suggests abandonment around the death of Marcus Aurelius, when Commodus shifted frontier strategy. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2026/09/lost-roman-city-discovered-on-the-danube-frontier-in-austria/159445

There have been many previous posts about early Ancient Greek and Roman contacts of Britain before Rome’s conquest of Britain. One of the earliest recorded contacts was by Pytheas of Massalia around 325 BCE (see post below). Here is an excellent video that examines these early contacts.

The article reports that in September 2026, archaeologists in Wesseling (North Rhine‑Westphalia) recovered a large Roman silver coin hoard. More than 934 silver denarii, weighing 3.1 kilograms, were recovered. Although the hoard was buried during the reign of Hadrian (AD 117-138), most coins date to the Flavian emperors (AD 69-96) with the oldest coin minted in 148 BCE (in middle of picture below). The latest coin is AD 124/125. The hoard was discovered when amateur detectorist Oliver Riedl noticed his device repeatedly signaling in a field near Wesseling, prompting him to alert authorities. The Cologne–Wesseling region was under Roman control from 39 BCE, beginning with Agrippa’s establishment of a Rhine frontier base that evolved into Colonia Agrippina (modern Cologne). https://www.lvr.de/bodendenkmalpflege/zentrale-infos/presse/sensationeller-roemischer-muenzschatz.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-roman-silver-coins-found-metal-detectorist-germany/

Here is a wonderful full video by Darius Arya on the spolia used on the Arch of Constantine:

There have been several previous posts about Neanderthals. Here’s a nice short video review:

“Good morning from the Pantheon” from Eric J Lyman https://substack.com/@italiandispatch/note/c-336473860?r=k9yfw&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action

Could this be the worst gladiator-themed commercial?

I won’t comment other than to say comedy was different in 1979.

Here is a rather interesting view that that the Roman road system was not as Romanocentric as believed. (Above is a picture of an Ancient Roman road near modern Jerash, Jordan.) The article suggests that while Rome remained symbolically central, the flow of movement, trade, and governmental administration shifted toward the East (especially Constantinople) and the provincial capitals, where the empire’s wealth, military logistics, and strategic interests were concentrated. The researchers used computational modeling to show that the “center of gravity” of Roman “connectivity” moved steadily east, making Constantinople —not Rome—the true hub of late‑imperial mobility. I think this makes sense in later antiquity as Rome and much of the Western Empire became increasingly chaotic and unstable. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/roman-roads-centered-more-on-istanbul-than-rome-study/news

The have been previous posts about the earthquake that devastated Pompeii in AD 62, before Pompeii’s final destruction from Vesuvius in AD 79. The post below discusses the stolen marble (pictured above) from Pompeii in 1975 that had found in a Belgian house in 2023. It had been placed in the basement wall as a decoration and it depicts the earthquake of AD 62. Below is a good review video about that earthquake by Darius Arya.

An international team sequenced the DNA of 314 Roman skeletons found in northwestern Hungary, dating from the third to sixth centuries AD. They compared the DNA of those who lived in the area during the Roman Empire with that of those who lived there after the Empire’s collapse. The skeletons included 68 people from two Roman-era sites and 246 from five post-Roman sites. Roman-period graves reveal people with predominantly southern European ancestry, alongside individuals with ancestry from Asia and Africa, reflecting the Roman frontier’s cosmopolitan character. After Rome’s authority collapsed, however, cemeteries show a sharp rise in northern European ancestry, consistent with sustained migration by groups such as the Lombards, who gradually moved into former Roman territory rather than arriving as a single invading force. Background: Roman administration in Pannonia (including what is now western Hungary) effectively ended by 496 AD, after which the region came under the control of Germanic powers, especially the Gepids. The Lombards, originally a northern Germanic people, moved south into the Middle Danube region in the late 5th century. Under King Audoin, the Lombards defeated the Gepids at the Battle of Asfeld in 552 AD, weakening Gepid control in eastern Hungary. After this victory, the Lombards left Hungary in 568 AD and migrated en masse into Italy, leaving the Avars to dominate the region. It's interesting to see how modern technology is helping us learn more about Ancient Rome. I look forward to more DNA studies in the future, especially those that explore how populations changed over time in Ancient Rome. https://www.newsbreak.com/daily-mail-560402/4880578853434-ancient-dna-exposes-a-hidden-chapter-in-the-fall-of-the-roman-empire How the Lombards easily conquered Italy:

A Roman marble slab unearthed in Hadrian’s Villa suggests Romans revered lightening strikes, attributing them to divine intervention. Archaeologists working at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli uncovered a marble slab still buried in its original ancient position, engraved with the Latin phrase FVLGVR SVBMANIVM. This inscription refers to Summano, the Roman god associated with nocturnal lightning. The slab marks the exact spot where lightning struck, and its deliberate burial reflects a Roman ritual known as fulgur conditum, in which materials hit by lightning were collected and interred to sacralize the site. Researchers say that the find was important because it provides physical evidence of Roman religious practice, showing how Romans believed lightning represented the intervention of a deity and turned the struck location into divine space. Roman sources distinguished daytime lightning (attributed to Jupiter) from nighttime lightning (attributed to Summano), and the slab’s inscription confirms the strike occurred at night. https://www.discovermagazine.com/a-marble-slab-at-hadrian-s-villa-records-a-lightning-strike-romans-believed-came-from-a-god-49659

It's hard to believe it's been three years since the last post about the Buddha statuette found in the port city of Berenike, Egypt (see below). Buddhism originated in northern India during the late 6th to early 5th centuries BCE, when Siddhartha Gautama—later known as the Buddha—began teaching after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. This find suggests that Berenike was not only a commercial hub but also a place where South Asian religious practices could appear, likely through merchants or sailors traveling between the Indian subcontinent and the Roman Empire. While the evidence is not extensive enough to prove a resident Buddhist community, it is archaeological evidence that Buddhism reached Roman Egypt. Below is a short video review of the find and possible significance.

This clip from Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” (1979) is why I could never learn Latin: