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The road discovered is thought to be a crossroads with the Via Domitia, which was the Roman road that linked Italy with Hispania through Southern France. The remains were discovered between the two roads:
In Ancient Rome the cemeteries were traditionally located outside of the religious boundaries (pomerium) of towns and cities. Tombs and elaborate burial monuments lined the roadsides.
Burial graves and monuments along the Appian Way near Rome
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Here is an article further describing the Roman finds as well as the Roman road uncovered with the finds in Nîmes, France:
https://www.inrap.fr/des-tombes-et-des-buchers-en-bord-de-voies-romaines-nimes-gard-17952#
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1 hour ago, guidoLaMoto said:
It's been suggested that Caesar's "falling sickness" was anything from primary epilepsy or CVAs (both unlikely in a non-diabetic, non-smoker in his 50s) to cystocicersis from eating pork in Egypt (also less likely given the intermittency of his attacks). Tertiary syphylis may be the best fit of his symptoms.
Thank you for reading my post. Here’s an interview with the author:
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Roman glassware have been uncovered in the city of Nîmes, France. Excavations in the area have found cremation pyres and burial sites from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD.
Nîmes, France was known as the Roman city Nemausus (see link below).
QuoteA total of 15 burials have been identified, a majority of which are cremation burials with several inhumation burials.
Buried with the deceased are numerous high status grave goods, including strigils (a tool for the cleansing of the body before bathing), ornate glass vases, ceramics, a glass paste cup, lamps, and fragments of funerary monuments and amphorae.
The glass vases are relatively intact, which were deposited during feasting rituals known as the refrigerium, a commemorative meal held on the day of burial. The refrigerium was conducted by female priestesses and centred on the consumption of wine in glass vessels.
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A boy and his mom have found a Roman bracelet, possibly gold, near the village of Pagham in West Sussex, England.
Pagham is located near the Romano-British town of Noviomagus Reginorum (modern Chichester). The area was recently in the news (see post below) concerning plans to rebuild a temple to Minerva that is thought to have once existed there.
The bracelet dates to the first century AD.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/04/ornate-roman-bracelet-found-near-pagham/151368
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There have been previous threads about infections that ravaged ancient Egypt. Recent studies of the remains of mummies have shown interesting findings:
Of the mummies studied:
65% revealed schistosomiasis*
40% headlice
22% falciparum malaria
10% leishmaniasis
From the articles, it appears that 31 mummies were examined for study.
*Schistosomiasis is spread by contaminated water with parasites released by infected freshwater snails. Even today about 250 million people have been infected with schistosomiasis. Each year schistosomiasis causes many thousands of deaths, possibly as many as 200,000 deaths yearly.
QuoteThe civilizations that appear to have suffered the most severe health consequences from parasites were that of Ancient Egypt and Nubia. There was widespread infection by malaria spread by mosquitos, leishmaniasis spread by sand flies, and schistosomiasis spread by wading in their crop irrigation systems. Malaria and schistosomiasis cause anaemia, and the reduced number of red blood cells resulted in impaired ability of labourers to do hard work. Despite this, the Egyptians managed to complete major building projects such as their pyramids, temples, and ornate tombs for kings and nobility. The widespread anaemia from parasite infection in ancient Egypt meant they would have struggled to build these monuments using their own diseased workforce alone. They could only build the ancient Egypt we see today using imported labour, such as slaves captured during military campaigns.
Child suffering from schistosomiasis
Parasites in ancient Egypt and Nubia: Malaria, schistosomiasis and the pharaohs - ScienceDirect
Parasitic Worms Plagued These Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs (popularmechanics.com)
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/04/study-reveals-disease-landscape-of-ancient-egypt/151312 -
A new archaeological pathway through the heart of Rome is planned.
QuoteLinking the Colosseum to the Forum and from the Baths of Caracalla to the Circus Maximus, Rome's new archaeological walkway will be a journey through the city's most famous archaeological sites.
Although convenient for the casual tourist, I think it will further disfigure the already-diminished ancient footprint of Ancient Rome.
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A Roman villa has been discovered in Grove, a village in Oxfordshire in Southeast England. Interestingly, numerous small tightly-rolled lead scrolls (possible curse tablets) and miniature hammers have been recovered. These could be votive offerings.
A complex brickwork floor was part of the findings
QuoteHundreds of coins, plus rings, brooches, mosaic tesserae and painted plaster with floral motifs have been uncovered during the year-long excavation, allowing archaeologists to pinpoint a long period of Roman activity at the site from the 1st or 2nd century into the late 4th or early 5th century.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/03/28/style/roman-villa-development-oxfordshire-intl-scli-scn
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Prehistoric elephant hunting using spears. Early Homo erectus may not have used spears but may have driven the giant animals into pit traps where they could be killed with clubs and handaxes. (Image credit: Illustration by Dana Ackerfeld)
I can’t imagine eating elephant meat but 2 million years ago in modern Upper Galilee, it is thought humans hunted and butchered elephants. There are many quarries in the region where flint was used to make weapons and cutting tools. These quarries were located near water sources likely used by migrating elephant herds. “The authors looked at the ancient migration routes of elephants — suggested by earlier studies that considered the landscape and fossilized bones.””Excavations yielded a butchered elephant skull associated with basalt and flint artifacts, including hand axes.”
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11759-024-09491-y
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Gold coin of Marcus Aurelius in the Ho Chi Minh City museum, Vietnam
Archaeological discoveries have revealed that there was a robust trade network between Ancient Rome and India.
Recent studies also prove a thriving maritime spice trading between India and Asia, including China and Óc Eo, Vietnam, as well as between India and Rome. (See posts below.)
Potential maritime Spice trading routes from India to both Rome and Óc Eo, Vietnam
The question remains whether ancient Romans had any knowledge of Vietnam. American Professor of Anthropology Nam C Kim from the University of Wisconsin-Madison feels that at least some indirect contact and awareness was possible. (See article below.)
Numerous Roman artifacts have been recovered in Óc Eo Vietnam, an important port city and archeological site in Southern Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. (See the coin above.)
Claudius Ptolemy (AD 100-170) in “Geography” from his account of distant Asia describes a port city of “Cattigara” situated at the mouth of the “Cottaris River.” Nam C Kim believes this reference to Cattigara is Óc Eo at the Mekong Delta. (See article below.)
https://www.badancient.com/claims/romans-reach-vietnam/
Food historian Giorgio Franchetti also noticed the popularity and similarity of fish sauces in Ancient Rome (garum) with Asian fish sauces such as Vietnam (nuoc mam), Thailand (nam pla) and Japan (gyosho) (see article below).Entertaining video on evidence of Ancient Rome in Vietnam.
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The movie “Gladiator” was made in 2000. Tristan Hughes is a historian and host of the enjoyable podcast “The Ancients.” He does a wonderful job critiquing the movie in the YouTube video below:
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Below is the BBC article on the helmet.
The conserved helmet with a modern reconstruction
Replica based on the original
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A man was arrested for his illegal excavations at Philippi (in modern Northern Greece). As a reminder, the Battle of Philippi pitted the forces of the Second Triumvirate (Marc Antony and Octavius) against the forces of the leaders of Julius Caesar’s assassination (Brutus and Cassius) in 42 BCE. The battle resulted in the surrender of the rebel forces and the deaths of Brutus and Cassius.
The New Testament records a visit by apostle Paul during his second missionary journey (AD 49 or 50). It is believed that Paul visited the city two other times in AD 56 and 57.
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In Leicestershire in the early 2000s, rusted metallic objects encased in soil were uncovered. Over two decades the artifacts were restored, using 3D scanning. The fragments formed a Roman helmet. Eventually 80% of the helmet (known as the Hallaton Helmet) was restored, allowing a detailed replica.
It is a thought that the helmet, along with numerous Roman coins and Iron Age artifacts, were buried within a suspected shrine from around 43 AD.
The helmet was ornate and intricately designed, possibly belonging to a high-ranking Roman cavalry officer. The decorations have a wreath “symbolizing military victory and and a scalloping-shaped brow guard displaying a woman’s bust surrounded by animals.”
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/roman-cavalry-helmet-2000-years-old/
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A fragment of a Roman-era lamp, dating from the 4th-5th century AD, has been found near an old Roman fort along the Scorpions Ascent, a hiking trail in the desert Arava region south of the Dead Sea and located in the modern Israeli Negev desert. The lamp fragment was found by a student who was on a field trip. The origins of the lamp was Petra.
The trail, where the lamp fragment was found, was once an ancient trade route connected to the copper mines in the region. The region was patrolled and secured by Roman soldiers, who manned a series a forts along the route.
A similar oil lamp was found in the same location 90 years before (see picture below):
https://allisrael.com/a-unique-1600-year-old-roman-oil-lamp-unearthed-by-an-israeli-pupil
https://www.timesofisrael.com/teen-hiker-stumbles-on-1600-year-old-roman-oil-lamp/amp/
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Interesting article. I know nothing about ancient mythology. I got myself into an ancient rabbit hole, nevertheless, when I realized that the Greek Herakles is different from the Roman Hercules.
The article below delves into their differences:
http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/essays/herakleshercules.html
This article emphasizes their similarites: -
A construction site at Pompeii has been uncovered. The archaeologists found working tools, stacked roof tiles, bricks, and heaps of lines and stones (see pictures below). According to the article, archaeologists also found amphorae storage jars thought to be used to ‘quench’ the lime used for plastering.
https://www.turkiyenewspaper.com/amp/culture/21105
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A section of a Roman wall has been uncovered in Aachen, Germany, near the Belgium border. It is thought to have been built after Aachen was overrun by Frankish forces in the third century AD. Roman civil administration collapsed in the area around AD 375. The last Roman coins found in the area are from the time of the Emperor Gratian (AD 375-383).
https://arkeonews.net/ancient-roman-3rd-century-defensive-wall-found-in-germany/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/69767
https://archaeologymag.com/2024/03/roman-defensive-wall-found-in-aachen-germany/
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On 3/21/2024 at 3:05 AM, Gordopolis said:I went to the #LegionExhibition in London last week. As the name suggests, the exhibition is very much focused on the Roman military, and specifically during the Principate (spanning 27 BC - AD 284).There were some terrific artefacts on show - my favourite being the crocodile armour! But the smartest thing about the exhibition, in my opinion, was how they threaded it all together using the career records of an Egyptian legionary named Claudius Terentianus.
Gordon: Thanks for the review. I had written about the exhibit a couple of months ago (see post below) but I had no firsthand perspective. Your description makes the exhibit sound better than I had imagined. Thank you, again.
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Here is a very thought-provoking video by Sebastian (Maiorianus) concerning the Roman presence and influence in Britain during the late Empire and later. The video was at least partially inspired by the Roman villa found at Chedworth, which was active at least AD 480 (see post below):
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On 3/19/2024 at 11:28 AM, CryptoCurrencymer said:
Is it possible to envision a future where the Roman Empire is resurrected in some form, either politically, culturally, or economically …?
No because a reformulated Roman Empire would presuppose a highly-centralized authoritarian central state that could project its power over a multitude of now-independent and autonomous nation states.
The European Union (EU) is as close to a “modern Rome” as could be achieved peacefully. Unlike Rome, the European Union is a decentralized state that depends on the member countries to enforce the regulations and policies made by the EU. Unlike Ancient Rome, the EU doesn’t have its own military to impose its will and control over its member states (for example, against those unruly and independent-minded Brits).
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Decimation as depicted in the 1964 movie “Fall of the Roman Empire”Discipline was the essential pillar of the Roman Army. Mutinies would be treated harshly, including with decimation. (An excellent old post by Caldrail dealt with Roman mutinies extensively in the post below.)
Here is a good video on the subject:
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There have been several previous posts about the carnyx: the Celtic instrument and psychological weapon. Below is an excellent article on the carnyx.
Scene from the movie “Gladiator” with a carnyx among the barbarians in Germania.
https://www.twz.com/the-carnyxs-eerie-cry-struck-fear-into-soldiers-on-antiquitys-battlefields
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Leather fragments from 2,400-year-old Scythian quivers containing samples of human skin. Credit: Marina Daragan.
Here’s a good article on the find. The quote by Herodotus on the Scythians is chilling:
QuoteAs to war, these are their customs. A Scythian drinks of the blood of the first man whom he has overthrown. He carries to his king the heads of all whom he has slain in the battle; for he receives a share of the booty if he bring a head, but not otherwise.”
“He scalps the head by making a cut round it by the ears, then grasping the scalp and shaking the head out. Then he scrapes out the flesh with the rib of an ox, and kneads the skin with his hands, and having made it supple he keeps it for a napkin, fastening it to the bridle of the horse which he himself rides, and taking pride in it; for he is judged the best man who has most scalps for napkins.”
“Many Scythians even make garments for wear out of these scalps, sewing them together like coats of skin. Many too take off the skin, nails and all, from their dead enemies’ hands, and make thereof coverings for their quivers; it would seem that the human skin is thick and shining, of all skins, one may say, the brightest and whitest. There are many too that flay the skin from the whole body and carry it about on horseback stretched on a wooden frame.”
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/scythian-made-leather-human-skin/
Water returns to the Baths of Caracalla
in Vacatio
Posted · Edited by guy
After a long absence, water has returned to the Baths of Caracalla
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italy-water-returns-to-romes-baths-of-caracalla.html
Here is a wonderful older 3D view of the baths: