guy

Thank you for reading my post. You made some interesting and very credible points. However, I would say that the above description of the cause of the ring width is possibly a little too simplistic. I like the multifactorial explanation below better. It seems to me that ring width is a useful tool to assess not only precipitation, but it is also useful to analyze a large array of local climate conditions. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780123869135000132

In this short video, Max Miller actually cooks with his garum concoction:

A head of Bacchus that dates to the Ancient Greek era has been discovered in the water near the Ancient Greek city of Cyrene in modern day Libya. The artifact may have been uncovered as a result of a storm in September. The city of Cyrene was well know for its export of the coveted medicinal plant silphium (see post below): https://arkeonews.net/researcher-found-the-head-of-the-statue-of-bacchus-inside-a-water-channel-near-the-ancient-city-of-cyrene-in-libya/

This the latest improved version of this video view of Ancient Rome. This version has more colorized buildings:

There have been previous posts about the Carnyx, the frightening Celtic instrument (see below). Here’s an excellent review of the Carnyx and its role in Celtic history.

Today (late December), the morning sky outside my window is either an auspicious or an ominous sign of what the new year (2024) will bring. Let’s hope the new year will bring all good health and fortune. I wonder what our local augur would say.

A Roman-era man in Cambridgeshire has been shown by DNA analysis to have been born outside the Roman Empire and he is of Sarmatian descent, living around modern-day southern Russia and Ukraine. The Sarmatians were a nomadic horse-riding peoples originating in the Eurasian Steppe. By analyzing his teeth, researches also learned about his diet. https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/23997908.a14-cambridgeshire-mans-remains-offers-insight-romans/

Despite Rome’s cultural dominance in the Danube, very few individuals of Italian descent actually lived there. Researchers have analyzed the ancient DNA from 136 Roman era individuals from the Balkan Peninsula (present day Serbia and Croatia). They showed little contribution from the Italian peninsula. Rather than wide scale migration from the Italian peninsula, the DNA studies show that half of the Roman inhabitants were of Balkan Iron Age ancestry, as well as a third were from Western Anatolia. Several individuals from this period have North or Eastern African ancestry. One individual of East African ancestry was buried with an oil lamp depicting Jupiter-related Eagle iconography. Isotopic analysis of his teeth suggest dietary habits from a distant region. https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/civilisations/surprise-discovery-about-roman-empire-found-in-ancient-dna/ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231207161343.htm

Here’s a good video on the find:

Before the fatal volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, a devastating earthquake (of 5-6 magnitude) hit Pompeii in AD 62. A stolen marble relief depicting this earlier event has been found in a wall of a Belgium home. https://arkeonews.net/2000-year-old-genuine-pompeii-marble-relief-installed-in-a-wall-lining-the-staircase-leading-down-to-the-basement-in-a-belgium-home/ An alter at the House of Lucius Caecilius lucundus at Pompeii depicts this earlier earthquake of AD 62. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_62_Pompeii_earthquake

Thanks! Let’s all have a healthy and happy 2024.

A Roman silver ring dated between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD have been found in the Cotswolds. There have been previous Roman finds in the area (see posts below): https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-67692133

Two interesting photos of the swords found in Ein Gedi, Israel earlier this year, overlooking the Dead Sea:

Manhattan District attorney Melvin Bragg ordered the return 30 antiquities to Greece: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/us-repatriates-30-artifacts-to-greece-2410036 https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-return-of-30-antiquities-to-the-people-of-greece/ Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been involved in other repatriations:

Here is good summary article on the find: https://www.aol.com/staggering-excavation-rewritten-fall-roman-140000046.html

Recent excavations at Pompeii have uncovered 13 terracotta figurines measuring around 15 cm (about six inches) https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/12/terracotta-figurines-found-during-excavations-at-pompeii/150014

Winged Cupids dyeing textiles on a frieze at the House of Vettii in Pompeii. In Pompeii there is a project to bring back the techniques of dyeing fabric of the ancient Roman city. They contacted master dyer Claudio Cutuli from Umbria for his input into the research. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/pompeii-brings-back-fabric-dyeing-to-show-life-before-the-eruption/news Here’s an excellent video on the latest findings at the House of Vettii in Pompeii, including the frescoes of scenes of daily life depicting Cupids dyeing fabric, preparing grapes for wine, making perfumes, and creating floral garlands (10:20):

Here’s a nice article on the discovery of this mosaic made of shells and coral. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/style/rome-palatine-hill-archaeology-discovery/index.html

The Scythians were a nomadic Steppe tribe. They were an equestrian nomadic people. They were well known for being skilled mounted bowmen. They were known stating in the 9th century BCE until they were replaced by the Sarmatians in the 3rd century BCE. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-analysis-ancient-scythian-leather-samples.html Here is a comprehensive video on the Scythians. The women were known for their military skills and tattoos:

Elon Musk, while visiting Italian PM Giorgia Meloni in Rome, shared this short view of the Pantheon on X (Twitter): https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/watch-elon-musk-visits-the-pantheon-in-rome-shares-incredible-view-of-the-city-at-night-4690716/amp/1

I wonder how developed for tourism the battlefield site could be since it was only recently that the location was determined (Kalkriese). Plus, the battle extended over a 15 mile corridor.

A recent excavation near the colosseum produced a luxury home and a wonderful mosaic. https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/culture/ancient-roman-home-unearthed-italy-b2464005.html https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/12/14/archaeologists-unearth-luxurious-roman-home-with-unparalleled-mosaic-near-colosseum?utm_source=yahoo&utm_campaign=feeds_articles2022&utm_medium=referral

Below is the fragment of sundial discovered to the left and its imagined appearance in the towns forum to the right. Interesting question. I had never thought about sundials before watching the video, especially conical sundials on a column (see 25:25 of the second video). It is interesting that the sundial would have been prominently displayed in the open space of the forum for easy visibility and away from the other buildings’ shadows that would have interfered with the sundial. I imagine that there would have been a platform for easier visibility. Another article on the discoveries: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/12/new-study-changes-assumptions-of-roman-backwater-town/149927

Thank you for bringing this ongoing research to my attention about the Interamna Lirenas Project. Two aspects of this find stand out to me: First, the finding of a roofed enclosed theater was unusual in Ancient Rome. (One suggestion that this theater had a roof is the presence of gutters on the side of the building.) According to the video, there are around 100 known Greek and Roman theaters in the Peninsula of Italy, but only ten are thought to have been covered. Second, the finding of an inscribed sundial at the site was absolutely fascinating. I learned a lot about precision time keeping in Ancient Rome (both sundials and water clocks). I had never thought about it but I learned from the videos below that the Roman hour during the summer was about 80 minutes; the winter, 40 minutes. This sundial was a nice bit of self promotion. According to the video, there are 600 sundials known from Roman history. About thirty are inscribed and less than half of them have a person’s name inscribed on them. According to the video, the inscription on this sundial reads “Marcus Novius Tubula, son of Marcus, tribune of the plebs who donated this from his own funds.” This sundial dates to the end of the 1st century BCE to the start of the 1st century AD. The office of tribune at this time was held in Rome. It appears from the presence of another inscription with a similar name at Interamna Lineras that this man was probably a local benefactor. This individual possibly made a successful career in Rome and he wanted to celebrate his success with his home town. A short summary video of the find: A more thorough video on the find with emphasis on the roofed theater, numismatic finds, and the inscribed sundial. An excellent video on timekeeping in Ancient Rome.