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We have had many previous posts about the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, which destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Professor Tuck from Miami University has researched the fate of those who may have escaped from those ill-fated cities: https://theconversation.com/records-of-pompeiis-survivors-have-been-found-and-archaeologists-are-starting-to-understand-how-they-rebuilt-their-lives-230641 Dr. Tuck, one of the true giants of Pompeii archaeology, is seen below in the BBC documentary on the latest archaeology about Pompeii. (Video blocked by BBC)

I didn’t appreciate the size of the suspected villa until I saw the size of the man standing next to the pillar below for comparison:

Excavations continue in the Regio IX area of Pompeii (see post below). Recently, the discovery of a painted blue room was announced. Along with the frescoes painted on the walls, intact amphorae were uncovered. Numerous oyster shells were also unearthed. These shells were thought to have been used as part of the plaster or mortar mixture. https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/04/science/blue-sacrarium-pompeii-excavation-scli-intl-scn/index.html

Recent research shows that the water in Roman baths in Bath, England, have a unique biodiversity. Samples were found to contain Actinobacteria and Myxococcus, both of which have potential antibiotic properties. Actinobacteria derivatives create erythromycin, tetracycline, and vancomycin. Mycococcus secretes a novel compound with "antibiotic properties" and bacteriolytic enzymes to combat other bacteria. I wonder if the water at the baths in ancient times had a different biodiversity and whether it could have played a role in combating superficial skin infections, such as those suffered in battle or gladiatorial conflict. Physicochemical and metagenomic analysis of samples from the Roman Baths (Bath, UK) reveals high bacterial and archaeal diversity and a potential for antimicrobial discovery - ScienceDirect What Britain's famed Roman Baths could teach us about microbes | Popular Science (popsci.com) A nice video on the Roman baths at Bath, England

Previous posts have discussed how catastrophic changes in the Nile flow impacted history (see posts below). Here is an article describing the major shifts in the Nile 4000 years ago, which would influence the region's future development. The more technical article is below. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1046715 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01451-z

Thanks for reading. LoL. I took the picture from the second article and I needed to give them credit. I preferred the layout of the first article, however. (I hope it’s not a “stock photo” that is unrelated to the story.)

We have had many previous posts about the excavations at Herculaneum (see below). The is an unfortunate recent example of graffiti by a Dutch tourist defacing the site. https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2024/0603/1452787-herculaneum-graffiti/ https://uk.news.yahoo.com/news/dutch-tourist-accused-defacing-ancient-123508279.html?guccounter=1

Here a good video on the Battle of Frigidus. (You may need to put on the English translations for the video.)

Another article on the find: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/24/05/39113684/unveiling-mayan-secrets-hallucinogens-in-ancient-ball-game-rituals

Childlike graffiti depicting gladiatorial imagery has been found in Pompeii. One drawing that outlines a small hand (see picture below) suggests that it was the work of a child between 6 and 7 years of age. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/05/graffiti-depicting-gladiators-found-during-pompeii-excavations/152088

Here is another article on the find. I had forgotten that this was the site of an ancient “pet cemetery” (see post below). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/letters-written-by-ancient-roman-commanders-have-been-found-in-a-pet-cemetery-in-egypt-180984423/ Below is the release from the Polish scientists doing the research: https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C102801%2Cegiptlisty-centurionow-znalezli-polscy-archeolodzy-w-berenike.html

Dried grapes used in passum production Below are a couple of articles on the Last Supper dinner. Passum was probably the wine. Passum is a sweet dessert wine made from dried grapes that was popular at the time. https://aleteia.org/2024/05/28/what-wine-was-served-at-the-last-supper/ https://aleteia.org/2017/04/28/archaeologists-discover-what-was-served-at-the-last-supper/ Although there may have been some restrictions on females’ drinking wine in the early Archaic Period of Ancient Rome, passum appears to have been the accepted drink for females throughout Roman history. WINE TABOO REGARDING WOMEN IN ARCHAIC ROME, ORIGINS OF ITALIAN VITICULTURE, AND THE TASTE OF ANCIENT WINES | Greece & Rome | Cambridge Core

The Arade River in Southern Portugal has been a rich site for Roman excavation. Past finds include an intact ancient Roman wine amphora found in the river, for example. Recently, numerous new discoveries have been uncovered by metal detection, including this golden ear ring above. These findings suggest a robust shipping and trade in the area. https://www.newsweek.com/roman-gold-ring-bronze-age-axe-more-2200-river-finds-1904491 Below is a picture of the intact Roman amphora found at the Arade River a few years back. It probably dates to the late Roman Republic. https://www.sulinformacao.pt/en/2018/07/primeira-anfora-romana-do-tipo-dressel-1-intacta-recuperada-por-arqueologos-em-portugal-foi-recolhida-no-arade/

There have been previous posts (see below) about the function of the Roman dodecahedron, the twelve-sided copper object pictured above, found at many Roman excavations. Because the vast majority have been found on the border of the Roman Empire, it is suggested that these objects were used by the military as a fire sphere in defense of the border. The belief is that if they had some military or domestic use, they would have also been found throughout Italy. The short video below discusses that theory. My problem is that many, if not most, of the dodecahedra discovered have larger holes, making them very inefficient at carrying a flaming substance any long distance.

Here is an article that suggests a Roman oyster production site has been found in Humber located in Northern England. I’m not sure how they dated the oyster shells to the Roman-era, however. It is interesting to see, nevertheless, that the Roman demand for oysters extended to the far reaches of the Empire. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-69051462 Site of Humber, England

Interesting video. Thanks. Guy de la Bédoyére is one of the true giants of Romano-British numismatics and archaeology. (For interest I posted a previous post about the Rutland discovery that was discussed in the video.)

A statue head of Hygieia was found in Denizli, Southwestern Turkey. The statue probably dates from the first century BCE. ”The worship of Hygieia was closely associated with the cult of Asclepius. While Asclepius was more directly associated with healing, Hygieia was associated with the prevention of sickness and the continuation of good health.” (Wikipedia) https://arkeonews.net/the-statue-head-of-hygieia-the-greek-goddess-of-health-found-stuck-between-two-rocks-in-laodikeia/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygieia The fragment of statue was found in the province of Denizli in Turkey, an area rich in Roman excavation (see posts below)

Berenike, Egypt has been the site of many Roman finds (see posts below). Papyri, with lists of Roman centurions stationed in Egypt, are among the most recent finds. The city of Berenike (Berenice Troglodytica) was an Ancient Egyptian seaport on the western shore of the Red Sea, Egypt (see map below). Site of Berenike, Egypt on the Red Sea https://arkeonews.net/polish-archaeologists-discover-papyruses-containing-a-list-of-roman-centurions-at-berenike/ Interesting video on making papyri:

Here is a better article describing the excavation on Alderney. There were two coins discovered (neither a gold coin as described by the BBC article). Above is a silver “Antoninianus” of the young Caesar Valerian II (reign 256-258), grandson of the Emperor Augustus Valerian who had made Valerian II’s father Gallienus the co-emperor. The coin depicts Valerian II wearing a radiate crown. This Antoninianus is slightly bigger than the older Roman denarius and possibly valued at two denarii. The Antoninianus was debased with bronze, however, and had minimal silver content. The coin below is a bronze coin of Valens (reign AD 364-378), which is around the time the fort was constructed. https://www.newsweek.com/archaeologists-uncover-ancient-roman-coins-small-vital-island-1902486

The Roman stadium of Perga (Perge) in Southern Turkey has been restored. The stadium, which seats about 5000, is one of many fascinating Roman finds in the city of Perga (see video below). Perga was one of the many sites visited by Apostle Paul. https://www.dailysabah.com/turkiye/ancient-roman-citys-stadium-restoration-completed-in-s-turkiye/news

Here is an interesting article about cancer in antiquity from the excellent website "Antigone" The Crab: Facing Cancer in Greco-Roman Antiquity – Antigone (antigonejournal.com)

I had long believed that the Roman Empire exerted full control over Egypt from the time of Augustus until the late Empire, possibly extending as far as the Vandal invasion in the fifth century. The informative article below discusses Egypt during the Roman era and explains that Egypt ceased to be the "breadbasket of Rome" after a revolt led by the Egyptian priest Isidorus in AD 172-173. The unsuccessful revolt, known as the Bucolic revolt, resulted from tax issues and cultural resistance against the Romans and had a lasting detrimental impact on the Egyptian economy. https://the-past.com/feature/palmyra-blemmyes-diocletian-and-egypt/ See Cassius Dio “Roman History” Book LXXII https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/72*.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidorus#:~:text=According to the Roman historian,marshes of the Nile Delta. It appears that after the revolt, the gain supply to Rome resumed. This new supply, however, seems to have been neither as reliable or plentiful. Unforfortunately, there appears to be very little written on the revolt and its effect on the Egyptian economy.

Researchers at a Mayan ball court in Mexico have identified plant types using environmental DNA (since the plants are rarely preserved in the tropical climate). These plants are known for either their medicinal and possible hallucinogenic properties. Discovered was the morning glory plant, for example, which contains tryptamine as well as lysergic acid amide that is chemically similar to LSD. The seeds of the morning glory plant are used for its psychedelic or hallucinogenic effects. https://hightimes.com/news/psychedelic-plants-found-in-ancient-mayan-ballcourt/amp/ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0301497 Frontiers | Paleoecological Studies at the Ancient Maya Center of Yaxnohcah Using Analyses of Pollen, Environmental DNA, and Plant Macroremains (frontiersin.org)

Here’s a video on the find:

A recently excavated Roman shipwreck off the shore of Mallorca, Spain from the 4th century AD had uncovered around 300 amphorae. (I believe the post below is about the original find in 2019.) Only now have the contents of the amphorae been examined. Some amphorae had wine and others suspected olive oil. Many contained a substance residue thought to be a fish sauce distinct from garum . A coin at the wreck depicts Constantine the Great, dating the find at the earliest to the early AD 300s. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-024-01952-3 https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/1700-year-old-roman-shipwreck-was-stuffed-to-the-gills-with-fish-sauce-when-it-sank#:~:text=The Ses Fontanelles wreck lies,after a storm in 2019. Fish sauce, new amphora type identified on Roman wreck – The History Blog Shipwreck seen from above with amphorae: Note: There is great confusion about garum and liquamen since these term have been used interchangeably but they probably are distinct entities. (See article below) Garum and Liquamen, What’s in a Name? | Journal of Maritime Archaeology (springer.com)