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Baiae was Rome’s resort town, now underwater in the Gulf of Naples. Recent excavations have discovered some stunning mosaics. https://www.newsweek.com/remarkable-roman-marble-mosaic-revealed-notorious-sunken-city-1928724

A Roman temple dating from the 2nd century AD has been found in Ptuj, Slovenia (see map below). I’ll post more details as they become available: https://english.sta.si/3326122/remains-of-2nd-century-roman-temple-likely-discovered-in-ptuj

The trailer for Gladiator II has been released, and it seems to lean more towards fantasy than reality. The movie is set in AD 211 and features both Caracalla and Geta as emperors. It emphasizes gladiatorial fights, including a naval battle inside the Coliseum. Additionally, it includes some fantasy elements, like a conflict involving a rhinoceros. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator_II

Above is a picture of one of the fatalities at Pompeii AD 79, thought to be the victim of a crush injury possibly the result of an earthquake. Below are two articles on the earthquake theory (including the scientific article). https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2024/07/18/pompeii-skeleton-discovery-earthquake https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2024.1386960/full

Around twenty Roman villas have been excavated in the Limburg region of Southern Netherlands (see map below). Above is a reconstruction of one of the Roman villas. Below is excavation of Roman baths found in the area. Here is the article on the ongoing research: https://the-past.com/feature/roman-villas-in-limburg-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-prosperous-farming-community/

Pliny the Younger wrote about the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 while he stayed at a villa in Misenum with his mother and his uncle, Pliny the Elder. He chronicled the unsuccessful rescue mission of his uncle, who tragically perished. Researchers are investigating the "trembling of the earth" mentioned in Pliny the Younger's accounts. Recent studies indicate that seismic activity may have had a more significant impact on the destruction than previously believed, potentially changing the sequence of events that led to the devastation of Pompeii. https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/catastrophic-eruption-of-mount-vesuvius-in-ad-79-was-not-the-only-killer-of-pompeii/cid/2034697 The two letters written by Pliny the Younger describing the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD (pompeii.org.uk) See Letters LXV (to Tacitus) and LXVI (to Cornelius Tacitus) Letters of Pliny, by Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (gutenberg.org)

A 13-year-old boy made a surprising discovery while hiking near Haifa, Israel. A ring believed to be of Roman origin from the 2nd or 3rd century AD was discovered. It is thought to depict the Roman god Minerva, associated with wisdom and war. https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2024-07-17/ty-article/teen-discovers-ancient-ring-depicting-roman-war-goddess-while-hiking-on-mount-carmel/00000190-bf53-d3e0-a5fd-fff7c35e0000

Using LiDAR technology, the outlines of a large Circus Maximus have been discovered in the Basque area of Iruña-Veleia, Northern Spain. It spans 920 by 235 feet. 900-Foot-Long Roman Circus Where Chariots Raced Discovered - Newsweek LiDAR technology explained:

A Roman road has been uncovered in the small village of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell (population 1538). Coins and brooches were also discovered. https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24452357.archaeologists-discover-roman-road-village-near-didcot/#

With the Summer Olympics in Paris just a few days away, NGC Ancients has decided to showcase some ancient coins featuring sports. For example, here is a sestertius of Caracalla with an image on the coin’s reverse of the Circus Maximus, the venue in Rome for chariot racing and other public events and festivals. https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/13035/

Here’s an interesting article on why crocodiles were revered in Ancient Egypt. In fact, the Egyptian deity Sobek was depicted as a human with a crocodile head. https://greekreporter.com/2024/07/15/why-ancient-egyptians-worship-sacrifice-crocodiles/

Archaeologists have found a remarkably well-preserved statue of the Greek god Hermes in an ancient Roman sewer in Bulgaria. The statue, believed to date back to the 2nd century AD, was discovered in the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica. It stands nearly seven feet tall and is considered one of Bulgaria's best-preserved Roman statues. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/archeologists-bulgaria-roman-statue-sewer-hermes-god-preserved/ https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/marble-statue-hermes-uncovered-ancient-roman-sewer-bulgaria-1234711631/

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of a Nestorian Christian church in the Arabian Gulf in Bahrain. Radiocarbon dating has confirmed that the building was in use from the mid-4th century (before the emergence of Nestorianism) to the mid-8th century when it was abandoned due to the rise of Islam. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-archaeologists-earliest-christian-bahrain.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorian

Please remember the text below: Here is an article discussing a series of books documenting the ancient Roman frontier network. The project began with efforts to have the limes in Upper Germany recognized as a World Heritage Site. This required more thorough documentation of the 550 km-long Roman frontier. This initial effort was the first of twenty books written over a span of twenty years to comprehensively document the entire Roman frontier. https://the-past.com/feature/encircling-the-empire-how-romes-frontier-network-was-chronicled/

Remnants of a garden that belonged to Caligula were discovered along the banks of the Tiber during the recent construction of a bridge. The supporting evidence that this was a garden belonging to Caligula is found in this passage: https://greekreporter.com/2024/07/11/roman-emperor-caligula-historic-garden/ https://cultura.gov.it/comunicato/26552 Rome unearths ruins of ancient garden linked to Caligula (wantedinrome.com)

A coin from the Roman Republic, approximately 82 BCE, has been discovered in Carlisle, England. This is the most recent discovery at the Carlisle site. It is unclear how this coin, minted in Rome and predating Julius Caesar's arrival to the island in 55 BCE, ended up in England. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cek9vd9lr2zo

Here's another video featuring Professor Steven Tuck discussing potential survivors of the AD 79 Vesuvius eruption. (The BBC video has been removed from YouTube.)

Not surprisingly, research indicates that Egyptian scribes experienced osteoarthritis due to their work. These scribes exhibited more degenerative damage, particularly in the cervical region, compared to lower-status workers serving as the control group. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-809234

Garret Ryan has done a good video on the current research on the Herculaneum scrolls:

The last population of woolly mammoths have been identified. They appear to have been trapped on Wrangel Island, off the coast of Siberia 10,000 years ago and survived till 4000 years ago (approximately 2000 BCE). The last woolly mammoth, therefore, died about 500 years after both the Sphinx and the pyramid of Giza were build in Egypt. These woolly mammoths became isolated when rising water cut the island off from the mainland. It is estimated that eight individual animals originally lived on the island, surviving 200 generations, and producing a peak population of 300-300. The cause of these woolly mammoths’ extinction is unclear. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240627172101.htm#google_vignette https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00577-4

I didn’t know about that road. Thank you.

Below is a very good video about Abritus, the catastrophic defeat of the Romans by the Goths in AD 251 at Abritus (modern Razgrad, Bulgaria). The Emperor Decius and his son died in the battle. Below is an article about a coin hoard, probably related to the battle.

(I am unable to respond directly to your question, Pompieus, so I opened a new thread.) Caesar's assassination took place at the Curia of Pompey, a temporary meeting hall for Roman senators after the usual Senate building, Curia on the Comitium, had burned down. Maybe the lictors weren't allowed in the Curia. (I assumed the lictors were permitted in the Curia, but for whatever reason, Caesar could not gather them before going.) Or possibly this temporary Senate Hall didn't have enough space for the extra lictors. Or maybe the assassination took everyone off guard, including the lictors. Good question, however. Confirmed: Curia of Pompey, where Julius Caesar was killed, was built in three phases | Ars Technica

Four scales from a type of armor called lorica squamata were found at Roma Magna (Cavoran) near Hadrian’s Wall. A previous post discussed a reassembled lorica squamata from Turkey (see below). https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/07/major-findings-at-roman-magna-excavation/152509 Location of Carvoran Roman fort (Magna) in Northumberland near Hadrian’s Wall

A stone wall and earthwork have been discovered in South-central Calabria, measuring 2.7 km (1.6 miles). Evidence of a Roman fossa (defensive ditch) and agger (embankment) has also been found. Studies suggest that Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus constructed it in 71 BCE to contain the slave revolt led by Spartacus. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/06/archaeologists-find-roman-defensive-wall-built-to-trap-spartacus/152490