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A large Gothic cemetery dating to the fourth century AD has been discovered in Northern Poland. The site has at least fifty Gothic graves and many silver items have been recovered: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/vast-gothic-cemetery-brimming-with-grave-goods-and-ornate-silver-jewelry-discovered-in-poland

It’s been a while since we mentioned Pytheas of Massalia (writing in the fourth century BCE), an explorer from the Greek colony of modern Marseille in Southern France. Although his original writings were lost, he was referred to by many ancient writers such as Strabo. Pytheas may have had the first written description of Britain. He may also have been the first to have called the people of Britain “the painted ones” or the “tattooed folk,” derived from a Celtic term. The recent discovery of several hundred ochre fragments at a 6,500-year-old ceremonial site near Carlisle, England seems to confirm the description of the Celts’ body painting: https://greekreporter.com/2023/08/26/archaeological-find-supports-ancient-greek-explorers-account-britons/

Roman cup inscribed with “Avoca te” meaning “Enjoy yourself” or “Have fun” A wonderful and unique Roman drinking cup has been found in the modern Belgium city of Mortsel. (Thanks Dr. Tom for bringing this find to my attention.) https://www.brusselstimes.com/art-culture/653877/new-roman-phrase-discovered-on-unique-drinking-cup-in-antwerpA https://www.belganewsagency.eu/archaeologists-discover-new-roman-phrase-on-ancient-cup-in-mortsel

A large Roman complex has been found in Cham, Switzerland: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/08/archaeologists-uncover-large-roman-complex-in-gravel-quarry/148387

The Romans enjoyed eating eggs. Maybe not surprising, they sometimes used honey in their egg dishes. Here is Apicus’ description of egg preparation with honey from his cookbook De re coquinaria. (Although the cookbook is attributed to Apicius of the first century AD, it was thought to be compiled in the fifth century AD.) Here is the recipe for ova sphongia ex lacte (spongy eggs made with milk): https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Apicius/7*.html https://historicalitaliancooking.home.blog/english/recipes/ancient-roman-dessert-ova-spongia-ex-lacte-sweet-omelette/ Here is a video on the preparation of this sweet omelette:

There have been several threads before on the formidable Balearic slingers (see below). Here’s a nice short video on them:

There have been numerous posts about the destruction of the library of Alexandria (see below). Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook had an interesting discussion about that subject on their recent podcast “The Rest is History.”

This is a wonderful time to be delving into the more confusing Crisis of the Third Century in Roman history. There are now many resources (including UNRV) to use. YouTube is filled with great work on the period, also. Fortunately, your numismatic interest is in the coinage of Philip the Arab. Coins related to him and his reign are diverse and surprisingly affordable. Good luck in your endeavors and please share any research with us.

A section of the aqueduct of Caesarea in Israel recently collapsed. Originally built by Herod the Great, it was the later expansion by Emperor Hadrian that collapsed. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timesofisrael.com/arch-of-famous-caesarea-aqueduct-collapses-official-we-repeatedly-sounded-alarm/amp/ Here is a 360 view of the aqueduct before the recent collapse : On the YouTube app, one can move the image with their finger.

Two new fragments of the Fasti Ostienses have been discovered at the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park. (The Fasti Ostienses are a calendar of Roman magistrates and significant events from 49 BC to AD 175, found at Ostia, the principal seaport of Rome. https://www.finestresullarte.info/en/archaeology/two-new-fragments-of-the-fasti-ostienses-found-in-the-ostia-antica-archaeological-park

Recent DNA analysis of Ötzi the ancient iceman of the Italian Alps has shown that he had Turkish roots, as well as his skin was darker and he was balder than previously thought. The most recent image of Ötzi. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02562-0 https://www.dailysabah.com/life/oetzi-the-turk-dna-study-shows-surprising-details-about-iceman/news

A beautiful Roman gem has been found in a lagoon north of Venice at Lio Piccolo. Lio Piccolo has long been a thriving fishing community. Underwater excavation also discovered a structure from the first or second centuries AD that had a brick base and oak walls and is thought to have been an oyster holding tank. https://arkeonews.net/precious-roman-gem-engraved-with-mythological-figure-discovered-in-italian-lagoon/ https://www.newsweek.com/precious-engraved-roman-gem-discovered-1816286?amp=1

Here’s an excellent short video recreating Carthage:

There have been many previous posts about Carthage (see below). Invicta has produced a wonderful video “Inside the Walls of Carthage—The Rome of Africa.”

The recent discoveries involving the Roman Amphitheater in Mérida, Spain have been making the news. One of the interesting discoveries was a Roman window grill (pictured above). It is thought that this grill was used to hold translucent stone (known as lapis specularis) instead of glass. Lapis specularis was used because it is a cheaper, more readily available substitute that could be mined from local sources. (A modern example of lapis specularis) (A window made from lapis specularis in the Roman forum of Cartegena) Lapis specularis was the Roman name for a translucent selenite gypsum stone that can be cut out of the local mines in large crystal-like sheets and used as window panes. According to Pliny the Elder, lapis specularis could be found throughout the Empire, but the best source of clear and large pieces of lapis specularis were found near the modern city of Segorbe (ancient Segobriga), Spain. (Evidence of Roman mining for lapis specularis in Segóbriga. See video below.) https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D36%3Achapter%3D45 Excellent article on the finds in Merida, Spain. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68019 All that shines is not gold; lapis specularis (antiquitatem.com)

It is interesting to see that the Rus later formed some of the most loyal military and security forces for the Byzantines by the late 10th century. Along with other Scandinavians, they formed the Varangian guard. Being from outside the Byzantine Empire, the Varangians were supposedly more loyal and trustworthy than the often-treasonous Byzantine military. Here is an excellent video summarizing this transformation: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangian_Guard

There have been a few posts in the past (see below) about the Emperor Aurelian (reigned AD 270-275). Here is an excellent new video about him from SPQR Historian: “Aurelian ‘Restitutor Orbis.’”

Using LiDAR technology, scientists have found a more extensive Roman road network in Southwest England than previously thought. https://www.holsworthy-today.co.uk/news/roman-road-network-spanning-the-south-west-identified-in-new-research-631525

Thank you for reading my post. Your point is well made. The fact that two boats have now been discovered in the area, however, makes me suspicious. Plus, the city of Viminacium's being described as a harbor in Nototia Dignitatum (despite its modern distance from any waterway) seems to confirm the belief that the city was once a possible port.

Max Miller has done a very entertaining episode on creating a suspected Carthaginian food staple (according to Cato the Elder): Punic porridge or Pultem Punicam. De Agri Cultura by Cato the Elder 85: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/E*.html Here's a good article about the preparation of this Punic porridge: https://cibiantiquorum.com/punic-porridge/

Definitely a good choice. Retinol is the OTC compound similar to prescription Retin A. (Retinol must be first converted by skin enzymes into the active ingredient of Retin A. Retinol is much weaker, however.) Also, a good alternative is Adapalene which is just as effective as Retin A. Adapalene is now OTC, too. All these creams are effective for treating wrinkles and sun damaged skin.

Here’s some further information about the find: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/ancient-roman-boat-from-empires-frontier-unearthed-in-serbian-coal-mine https://www.telegraf.rs/english/3727618-ship-remains-at-least-10-centuries-old-.found-at-viminacium

A Roman mosaic dated from the late second to early third century AD has been discovered in Türkiye's Pompeipolis. https://www.dailysabah.com/turkiye/1800-year-old-mosaics-unearthed-in-turkiyes-pompeipolis/news https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeiopolis

Here’s an interesting article on the Rus’ attacking Constantinople in AD 860. Constantinople was almost defenseless at that time as the Byzantine Emperor Michael III was with his army fighting in Asia Minor against the Abbasid Caliphate while the Byzantine navy was in the Mediterranean Sea fighting Arab pirates. The Rus’ were originally Norsemen, mainly from present-day Sweden who settled and ruled the river-routes between the Baltic and the Black Seas from around the 8th to 11th centuries AD (Source: Wikipedia). The Rus’ gave their name to the Russians and Belarus. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/06/the-viking-russ-siege-of-constantinople/139507 For some reason, I never imagined that these Viking ancestors had attacked Constantinople. Here's a good article about the interactions between the Rus' and the Byzantines both as enemies and even allies. Viking graffiti in the Hagia Sofia Globetrotting Vikings: The Quest for Constantinople | HISTORY

Very little is known about the diet of the Celts outside of the very biased ancient sources. Here’s Strabo In Book IV, chapter 4 of “Geography.” http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/strabo/4d*.html Here’s an excellent article about the suspected pre-Roman Celtic diet: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8ced9f818eb94929b90ce2e6c28dfda6 So what did they drink? Studies looking at the organic residues found on Greek ceramic fragments found in Celtic hillforts in pre-Roman France show that the Celts drank imported Greek wines, as well as local beer in these imported ceramic vessels. https://amp.abc.net.au/article/11218012 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0218001 Max Miller does a wonderful job preparing a Celtic meal based on Strabo and the other ancient sources in this episode of “Eating History with Max Miller”: