guy

The accepted narrative was that Palmyra was destroyed by Aurelian In AD 273 when Zenobia and her son rebelled against a weakened Roman Empire. New studies, however, suggest that climate impact may have played a significant role, also. Poor harvests may have weakened the city’s resolve and ability to defend itself. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/09/archaeologists-give-new-insights-into-final-blow-of-autonomous-ancient-palmyra/144774?amp https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273241

An ancient anchor, possibly of Roman origin, has been found off the British coast of Suffolk during survey works for a wind farm turbine by ScottishPower. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/09/ancient-anchor-found-at-the-bottom-of-the-north-sea/144778?amp https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2022/09/26/anchor-discovered-during-offshore-wind-farm-work-may-date-from-roman-times/

A Roman mosaic in Folkestone, England was reburied due to lack of funding after being discovered in the 20s. It has recently been unburied. Folkestone is a port town on the English Channel in south eastern England. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/09/roman-mosaic-re-exposed-by-archaeologists-in-folkestone/144724?amp Interestingly, the recently-discovered Roman villa in Scarborough has been reburied:

There have been previous posts about the use of opium in antiquity, including the recent finding of opium in a Canaanite grave (see below). Here is a scientific article dealing with the subject of the Canaanite find and conclusions of the research: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/arcm.12806

Thanks for that interesting quote: Here’s an interesting post that deals with the legacy of Nero: https://ancientimes.blogspot.com/2015/08/why-did-optimus-princeps-trajan-admire.html?m=1

Nero a successful emperor (despite numerous faults)? I’ll put you down as a “maybe.”

A cornu mouthpiece has been found at Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/09/roman-cornu-mouthpiece-uncovered-at-vindolanda/144736?amp

Another article on the site: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-evidence-of-earliest-known-opium-use-180980823/

Items found at the site of the Roman baths at ancient Corinth include a spectacular carnelian stone carved with the likeness of a young man. Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture The Greek city of Corinth was known throughout Ancient Greece as a destination known for its rich lascivious lifestyle. It became an important commercial center because of its prominent location on the Greek isthmus. Not unexpectedly, it was destroyed by Rome in AD 146 (the year Carthage was finally destroyed by the Romans) but was soon rebuilt by Rome to become an important city in the Roman Empire. The finding of this Roman bath site at Corinth offers a glimpse into Greco-Roman culture. Interestingly, a Bronze Age settlement was found under the bath complex. https://greekreporter.com/2022/09/22/bronze-age-settlement-roman-bath-corinth/

Pottery vessel with opium found at Tel YehudAssaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority This finding of opium in a Canaanite grave confirms the belief that psychoactive drugs were part of the ancient world. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/360096 This is the 2020 find of cannabis at an ancient Jewish alter. This cannabis find, however, is dated 600 years after the opium discovery:

Here is an exceptionally well-done, but dystopian view of London in AD 500. I imagine a sort of “Mad Max” post apocalyptic scene after the last organized Roman presence abandoned the Island.

A Roman harbor has been discovered off the coast of Barbariga, Croatia. It was used as distribution point for a local olive oil mill that is now submerged by water. I expect more discoveries as underwater archaeology develops.

We have discussed the reassessment of Nero before. (See threads below.) Here is an article that outlines ten positives of Nero; Nero Helped Rebuild Rome After the Fire Nero Set New Urban Rules for Rome He Significantly Lowered Taxes He Built the Biggest Roman Palace at the Time: The Golden House or Domus Aurea Nero Relentlestly Promoted Artistic Expression Nero Backed and Encouraged Athletic Events Nero Allowed Slaves to Complain Against Their Master Millions of People Loved Him… Even After His Death! Nero Enhanced the Greek Culture His Diplomatic Abilities Ended the War Against the Parthian Empire https://listverse.com/2022/09/18/10-positive-qualities-of-nero-and-his-reign-people-dont-know/

This is another great video by Classical Numismatics. This video deals with the history and numismatics of Aurelian, one of Rome’s most successful Emperors who helped to unify a fragmented empire. Here is a previous thread on the deity Sol Invictus. The fifth post delves into the role that Aurelian played in promoting the previously lesser deity into Rome’s major official religion in AD 270.

Another press release on the find of a Roman turret in the Ouseburn area. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/historians-excited-roman-wall-turret-25034469

This is a nice statuette now on display at the Museum of Gloucester for the first time. It was found recently during a shopping center development. https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/roman-artefact-dug-up-during-7569697 https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/new-vision-modernise-kings-walk-6618399#

Three beautiful early Roman sculptures along with other artifacts will be removed from the Getty museum in California and will be repatriated to Italy. https://www.archaeology.org/news/10826-220913-italy-repatriation-sculptures https://www.manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-returns-stolen-italian-sculptures-from-the-getty-museum/ https://amp.theguardian.com/culture/2022/aug/12/getty-museum-to-send-stolen-terracotta-statues-back-to-italy

It’s good to see life returning to some form of normalcy: The UK’s premier Roman re-enactment society will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in Cirencester next weekend. The Ermine Street Guard will be holding a special free event – Romans Return - at Cirencester Amphitheatre on Sunday, September 18 as part of its birthday celebrations. https://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/21224529.ermine-street-guard-coming-cirencester-amphitheatre/ Thank you Roman Britain News @Roman_Britain for bringing this event to my attention.

LoL. Probably the same person.

I don’t understand this at all. Although I appreciate the enthusiasm to promote the appreciation of Roman Britain, this project seems rather kitschy: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-62820751

A Roman mosaic held for years in a Los Angeles storage facility has been repatriated to Italy: According to officials involved the case, the mosaic appeared in “cultural property records” in 1909. Then, in 1959, the mosaic resurfaced in a newspaper advertisement for sale in the Los Angeles area. No details surrounding the former owner’s acquisition of the piece have been released. According to the FBI, the owner offered to repatriate the work after learning it was unsellable due to lack of sufficient provenance information. Italy’s police force, the Carabinieri, authenticated the mosaic and worked with the owner to facilitate its return to Rome, which occurred in April. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-mosaic-repatriated-to-italy-1234638576/amp/ https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/09/06/fbi-returns-roman-mosaic-italy

A turret along Hadrian’s Wall has been discovered near Newcastle during a construction project. Berm obstacle pit – Image Credit : PCA Pre-Construct Archaeology https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/09/archaeologists-uncover-remains-of-roman-turret-at-hadrians-wall/144602?amp

A skull found in a duck pond in Fulstow, England launched a murder investigation. Forensic studies, however, suggest the individual was alive during the Roman period, between AD 276 and 342. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-62839169

I found this excellent article below very helpful on the subject with numismatic evidence. It appears that Sol was probably always part of the Roman Empire's pantheon of gods (at least till the outlawing of pagan gods by Theodoseus I in AD 381). It was not till Aurelian, however, that Sol was elevated to the highest position among the gods (reign AD 270-275). Sol and Oriens on Roman Coins (forumancientcoins.com) I'm sorry I missed your original post. Below is an older post on the subject.

Fossils of a dinosaur, known as the Hadrosaur, were found with the skin intact in the badlands of Calgary, Canada. https://allthatsinteresting.com/canadian-hadrosaur-fossil