guy

Correction made. Thanks.

Hundreds of 5000-year-old sealed wine jars were found at the burial complex of Egyptian Queen Merit-Neith in Umm El Qa’ab necropolis near Abydos. Also at the complex we’re the tombs of 41 courtiers and servants. Although the wine had evaporated and no longer was present, there was a lot of organic residue, grapes seeds and crystals. Grape seeds found in the sealed jars. https://www.sci.news/archaeology/meret-neith-wine-12342.html

Here’s the academic article on the research: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/goddess-new-clothes-the-carving-and-polychromy-of-the-parthenon-sculptures/9D7277925E339AC98642081CBAAD8794

There has been some breakthrough with AI in reading the texts of the charred scrolls at Herculaneum. There are some 600 texts to be examined. Here is some background information about the Vesuvius Challenge: https://arkeonews.net/researchers-use-ai-to-read-words-on-ancient-herculaneum-scroll-burned-by-vesuvius/ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03212-1

Here is another article on the painting of the Parthenon: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/parthenon-marbles-paint-hidden-colors-study-1234682322/

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/10/new-study-identifies-traces-of-paint-used-to-decorate-the-parthenon-sculptures/148836 https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/style/greek-parthenon-sculptures-painted-egyptian-blue-scn/index.html

Wonderful video. Thanks. Very informative.

There have been previous discussions about the possible way victims of Pompeii died (see thread below). There are several possible mechanisms: asphyxiation (lack of oxygen), pyroclastic flows (a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter), falling or collapsing buildings, and even a tsunami. Another mechanism has been suggested about the cause of death: an earthquake. Two male victims aged at least 55 were found in the Casti Amanti at Pompeii beneath a wall that had collapsed before the area was covered in volcanic material. One of the victims appeared to be shielding his face from the falling wall. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2023/5/17/pompeii-excavations-reveal-two-new-skeletons Pompeii had experienced earthquakes before the fateful volcanic eruption in AD 77. Increasingly, the relationship between earthquakes and volcanic activity has become appreciated. Both involve disturbances of the tectonic plates. There is now a possibility that a destructive earthquake occurred simultaneously with the volcanic eruption, causing at least two fatalities that day. https://australian.museum/learn/minerals/shaping-earth/how-are-volcanoes-and-earthquakes-interrelated/

More than 400 fragments of iron was discovered in 2018 at Kalkriese, Germany, site of the Varus defeat at the Teutoburg Forrest Battle site. It has been recently reassembled and the result was a nearly complete set of lorica segmentata. It is made of 30 plates. It has been suggested that it was so well preserved as it was part of a triumph ritual. It is now on display for the first time in a new exhibit at Kalkriese Museum “Cold Case: Death of a Legionary.” https://www.kalkriese-varusschlacht.de/museum-park/ausstellungen/cold-case-tod-eines-legionaers.html Here is a reenactor of the 1st century AD armor:

A 2nd Century AD Roman head of Alexander the Great has been found in Prusias ad Hypium, Turkey. It measured 23 cm (or 9 inches). https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/10/marble-head-of-alexander-the-great-uncovered-at-prusias-ad-hypium/148809

Radiocarbon dating in 2021 of grass seeds found in sediment layers above and below footprints have challenged notions of prehistoric dating: Humans arrived in America 7000 years earlier than expected. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-humans-america-years-earlier-thought.html https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg7586

A tomb of a woman and her son have found along the Appian Way. I’m still looking for further details but this is an interesting find, nevertheless. https://archaeonewsnet.com/the-epigraph-of-a-tomb-belonging-to-a-woman-and-her-son-found-in-the-excavation-of-romes-appian-way/ This discovery was not far from the recent discovery of the life-sized statue of Hercules along the Appian Way.

A fragment of Roman amphora found in Spain was found to have an inscription of Virgil’s Georgics, which dealt with rural and agricultural themes. The amphora shard was initially found seven years ago, but only recently was it translated. The full passage reads: https://amp.theguardian.com/science/2023/jun/21/virgil-quote-found-on-fragment-of-roman-jar-unearthed-in-spain https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/virgil-quote-roman-jar-180982426/ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-archaeology/article/las-georgicas-de-virgilio-in-figlinis-a-proposito-de-un-grafito-ante-cocturam-sobre-un-anfora-olearia-betica/742CDE20EED6987767C896C2A1F01739

Here is a wonderful video by Invicta about the logistics of the Roman army on the move: Here is a great scene from the HBO series “Rome.”

This coin from AD 67/68 was found in the duct. It dates from the first Jewish revolt against the Romans. It was thought to be intentionally deposited by Roman occupiers. Here is another article about the discovered aqueduct. The Roman colony of Amelia Capitolina centered around Jerusalem was founded during Hadrian’s visit to Judaea in AD 129/130. It is thought that the aqueduct was repaired and maintained after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Excavations also uncovered 25 coins in the aqueduct foundations. These coins were distributed at almost equal distances. This was thought to be intentional, possibly placed by the Tenth Legion builders for good luck. Unfortunately, I could not find a more complete description of these 25 coins. https://m.jpost.com/archaeology/article-761571 Here’s an old thread about the Legio X Fretensis that was involved in the First Jewish-Roman War:

Many in the numismatic community have been critical the lack of prominent display of coin hoards. This appears to be a nice exception. The Muddy Hoard was found in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and dates to approximately AD 274 during the joint reign of Tetricus I and his son during the Gallic Empire. The hoard consisted of 9724 Roman coins, including an unrecorded denarius of Tetricus I. (Source Wikipedia) A coin from the hoard of Laelian, a usurper against Posthumous of the Gallic Empire. https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/23826699.roman-coins-found-huntingdon-display-st-ives/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-66827194 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muddy_hoard

Political inscriptions have been found inside a home in Pompeii. Inscriptions were usually found on exterior facades of buildings. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/09/electoral-inscriptions-found-in-pompeii-house/148739 https://arkeonews.net/electoral-inscriptions-discovered-in-pompeii-reveal-clientelism-in-ancient-rome/

A Roman statue thought to date between the first century BCE and the first century AD has been found in the Italian city of Tusculum, outside Rome. Tusculum was a popular resort area for wealthy Romans. Cato the Elder was born there. https://then24.com/2023/09/28/female-marble-statue-from-roman-times-found-at-the-italian-site-of-tusculum/

A fragment of Psalms 46 written in Greek and thought to be of Byzantine origin was recently found in Israel. A tiny gold ring was also found at the site. https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/hybtu2wlp

An unlooted Roman sarcophagus from the second century AD has been found in Northeastern France. https://arkeonews.net/extraordinary-discovery-in-france-an-unlooted-1800-year-old-roman-sarcophagus-discovered/

The victims “relaxed position” suggests that the cause of death was asphyxiation. The victims of Pompeii died a horrible death. Many times it was not, however, the high temperatures or crush injuries that killed them. It was suffocation (and lack of oxygen) that killed the victims. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/elemental-analysis-sheds-light-on-pompeii-victims-final-moments/4018044.article

Detail of dead Philistine soldier in the Samson Carrying the Gate of Gaza mosaic, The excavations in Huqoq, Israel at a 5th century synagogue have revealed numerous mosaics and other finds. Most recently, a mosaic related to the Samson story has been discovered. Below are some of the other mosaics and historically significant finds: https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/07/10/unc-chapel-hill-led-archaeological-dig-in-galilee-uncovers-mosaics-of-samson-and-commemorative-inscriptions/

Four more Roman-era graves have been found in excavations in Gaza. This brings the total to 134 graves, including two lead sarcophagi. See the thread below concerning the original discoveries. https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/137733

The American dime from 1916 to 1945 depicted Liberty on the obverse wearing a pileus or Liberty cap and the fasces on the reverse. Here is an excellent article on the complicated role of the fasces throughout history. https://antigonejournal.com/2023/07/roman-fasces/

Although this is an older article, it is an interesting finding. This Egyptian document possibly bears what is thought to be Cleopatra’s only known hand writing. Below is thought to be Cleopatra's signature on an official document written by an Egyptian official. https://greekreporter.com/2023/09/20/cleopatra-handwriting-greek-word/ https://archive.archaeology.org/0101/newsbriefs/cleopatra.html