guy

Thank you for reading my post. I must disagree, however, with some of your points. I agree, for example, that only a small population in the ancient world had any level of literacy. Among the literate (not exclusively the ruling class elite), the knowledge and familiarity of the great Latin and Greek texts was essential. Historian and numismatist Guy de la Bédoyère mentions that even soldiers were frequently at least familiar with these texts. In fact, the military character in Roman comedies was distinguished by the way he would recite quotations (see 11:30 of the video below). As you mentioned, only a few could read. The fact that the writing was on the bottom of the amphora and not easily visible means that it was probably not meant for either the merchants or consumers. Maybe the text was copied for only the amusement of the amphora manufacturer or perhaps it was written by someone to practice and perfect his Latin. Guy de la Bédoyère has done some interesting and insightful work on deciphering an inscription on the reverse of a medallion of Carausius found in the 1930s. (Carausius was the usurper who ruled Britain and Northern Gaul, coming to power in AD 286.) On the reverse of Carausius medals was “RSP” and “INPCDA.” These inscriptions were left without an adequate translation for more than a half century. In 1997 Bédoyère was able to translate the significance of this inscription through his familiarity with Virgil’s “Ecologue.” (Virgil was the Roman Augustan poet who published “Eclogues” or “Bucolics” around 39-38 BCE, more than two centuries before Carausius.) “RSR” was seen to represent as “Redeunt Saturnia Regna;’ “INPCDA” was “Iam Nova Progenies Caelo Demittitur Alto.” This passage is found in Virgil’s “Ecolgues” and means “The Saturnian kingdoms return (or The Golden Age returns), now a new generation is let down from heaven above.” (See page 189 of the article below.) Bédoyère notes that fluency and understanding of Latin and Greek were much more common even in more recent years than today. In fact, he states, “A 1689 medallion of William and Mary issued to commemorate the restoration of the church carries the reverse legend ‘Caelo delabitur alto (he comes down from the heaven above)’ a direct allusion to [Ecolgues] IV, 7.” In conclusion, our lack of familiarity with poetry little more than a century old should not cause us to underestimate the ancient appreciation of poetry several centuries old, even if only superficially. Thanks, again, for reading my post. Bedoyere_2005.pdf (mom.fr)

Split, Croatia was the retirement seaside palace of Diocletian in AD 305. Roman mosaics and baths have been recently found at the palace grounds. https://archaeologymag.com/2023/12/roman-baths-and-mosaics-under-split-city-museum-croatia/ Modern recreation of Diocletian’s Palace.

https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1731469-20231209.htm?spTabChangeable=0 https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/bakery-prison-uncovered-ancient-romes-pompeii-2023-12-08/ Here is a video on the find: https://youtu.be/jFnKLBe3NY8?si=ec65TVuokU1JN6V4

The controversy surrounding an ancient “curse tablet” continues (see previous post). Originally thought to be a lead “curse tablet” written in ancient Hebrew 3,000 years ago, some researchers suggest it might be really just a fishing weight with no discernible writing at al. It had been suggested that it was “the earliest proto-alphabetic Hebrew text — including the name God, “YHWH” — ever.” https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/curse-tablet-with-oldest-hebrew-name-of-god-is-actually-a-fishing-weight-experts-argue

Ceramic roof tiles attributed to the Greek King Antiochus IV (reign 175-164 BCE) were found in Jerusalem this week. It was his persecution of the Jews of Judea and Samaria that led to the rebellion of the Jewish Maccabees and the Hanukkah celebration. https://www.aninews.in/news/world/middle-east/roof-tiles-found-in-jerusalem-traced-to-greek-king-antiochus-iv-of-chanukah-fame20231206150253/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes

Two ancient Roman statues from the second century AD were destroyed by a lunatic in Israel in October. Strangely, he was acquitted. His defense was unusual: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/travel/article/tourist-smashes-statues-israel-scli-intl/index.html https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-776757

Here is an excellent video by Darius Arya of the finds on display:

Here are videos on the find:

We have had several previous posts on the Teutoburg disaster. Here is an excellent article by Professor Jo Ball that reassesses Publius Quinctilius Varus who commanded the doomed Romans in AD 9. He was possibly not the incompetent general as previously believed. Dr Ball contends that Varus, in fact, “was an experienced commander and governor who had served irregular wars and managed complex diplomatic situations, responding effectively to rebellions when called upon.” https://antigonejournal.com/2023/11/varus-teutoburg-disaster/

Here is an interesting (mostly balanced) view about the return of the Elgin marbles: https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/01/the-parthenon-marbles-row-is-about-nationalist-politics-the-sculptures-are-just-a-facade

There have been many posts in the past about the controversial Elgin marbles and their return to Greece (see below). Once again, they are in the news. Earlier this week British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak abruptly cancelled his scheduled meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after Mitsotakis appeared on British TV and demanded the repatriation of the statues and frieze panels that once decorated the Parthenon. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-67549044.amp

Here is an interesting article by the classical historian Charles Freeman reviewing the contributions of the Greeks to Roman society. Although a nice summary, I might have a few (mostly) minor quibbles with the article. In his section about Galen, for example, he writes, “His distasteful party piece was severing the squealing nerves of a pig and the restoring them in front of a public audience.” If by “severing the nerves” Freeman meant ligating (tying off) the nerve to temporarily paralyzing it, I would agree. Usually sever means to cut, however. I doubt Galen could cut a nerve and then perform microsurgery to repair the nerve to a functional state. Then, Freeman describes the events of Hypatia’s death in very simplistic terms: “Hypatia’s death is often seen as marking the end of a pagan learning that welcomed students of whatever beliefs.” I’m not sure of the meaning of “whatever beliefs,” but it wasn’t a tolerant and accepting view, for sure. His final statement is absolutely ridiculous: “These free-traveling Greek intellectuals were replaced by monks whose world was inevitably narrower.” I would remind Mr. Freeman that these same monks he disparages also preserved much of classical thinking after the fall of the Roman Empire. Alan Cameron in his book “The Last Pagans of Rome” wrote: “[T]he main focus of much modern scholarship has been on [the last Pagans'] supposedly stubborn resistance to Christianity. Rather surprisingly, they have been transformed from the arrogant, philistine land-grabbers most of them were into fearless champions of senatorial privilege, literature lovers, and aficionados of classical (especially Greek) culture as well as the traditional cults. The dismantling of this romantic myth is one of the main goals of this book." Overall, this is a good article and his book looks interesting. Some of his historical examples are either wrong or distorted, however. https://antigonejournal.com/2023/11/greek-intellectuals-roman-empire/

The Roman spa at San Casciano dei Bagni in Tuscany has been the source of many new discoveries (see below). Archaeologists have found a marble statue of Apollo Sauroctonos, also known as the “Lizard Killer.” https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/statue-of-apollo-lizard-killer-found-at-etruscan-and-roman-spa/149706 More information about Apollo Sauroctonos: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Sauroctonos

A large number of animal sacrifices, including horses, have been found at the Iron Age site of Casas del Turuñuelo at Badajoz, Spain, in the western Iberian Peninsula. These sacrifices were found in a building site from the late 5th century BCE. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/analysis-reveals-rituals-of-mass-sacrifice-of-horses-and-other-animals/149677 Badajoz, Spain

There have been many previous posts on Garum (see below), the famous fermented fish sauce of the ancient world. Max Miller has attempted to recreate (again) this unusual dish:

Here’s another good article on the “Five facts about the newly-opened Vatican necropolis.” https://news.artnet.com/news/5-facts-about-newly-opened-vatican-necropolis-2397775

Archaeologists have unearthed two temples and a sacrificial pit at a Roman military camp at Halteran in Northwestern Germany: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/cult-temples-and-sacrificial-pit-unearthed-at-ancient-roman-camp-in-germany

Here is very informative video discussing the means Romans counted years (with the aid of coins) by Classical Numismatics:

A Roman necropolis at Vatican City has been opened to the public. The site is thought to hold the remains of many working class Romans, including slaves and servants: https://www.npr.org/2023/11/18/1214000293/vatican-ancient-rome-necropolis

An interesting find in Claterna, an ancient Roman town near modern Bologna: More than 3000 Roman coins and gems have been discovered. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/over-3000-roman-coins-found-at-claternae/149226 https://arkeonews.net/unique-gems-found-in-claterna-known-as-the-pompeii-of-the-north/

About 2000 municipal seals have been found in Southern Turkey. These stamped clay pieces were used to secure and verify documents. Many of the well-preserved seal images were of Jupiter Dolichenus, an important mystery cult popular in the Roman military in the second and third centuries AD. Below are a few threads on Jupiter Dolichenus: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/archaeologists-uncover-over-2000-seal-impressions-in-ancient-doliche/149262 In the mystery cult, Jupiter Dolichenus was recognized as a god of the heavens and determined military success and safety. Jupiter Dolichenus was usually represented standing on a bull and carrying his double ax and thunderbolt. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Dolichenus#:~:text=Jupiter Dolichenus was a Roman,to mid-3rd centuries AD.

I had to do some research on Nola. Seems it only suffered relatively minor earthquake damage during the eruption of Vesuvius AD 77: https://www.archaeology.org/issues/526-2309/letter-from/11661-vesuvius-dark-side#art_page3 http://www.archeolog-home.com/pages/content/nola-neapolis-italie-digging-on-the-dark-side-of-vesuvius.html Here’s a good video on some of the Roman archaeology at Nola:

A tintinnabulum is a type of Roman wind chime frequently designed to resemble a phallus. Archaeologists have excavated one at the ancient site of Viminacium, located roughly 100 kilometers (70 miles) east of Belgrade. https://arkeonews.net/magical-roman-phallus-wind-chime-unearthed-in-serbia/ https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/phallus-wind-chime-found-at-roman-viminacium/149237 An example of a phallus tintinnabulum found in Pompeii. These may have been used to ward off evil and bring good luck.

Here is another article on the discovery: https://the-past.com/shorts/objects/inscribed-amphora-fragment/

Darius Arya has put together an excellent modern recreation of Ancient Rome. I have problems, however, with the fact that the marble structures depicted are mostly unpainted white. We know that Rome was, in fact, a colorful (and filthy) place: Similar recreations of Ancient Greece failed to show the vibrant colors of the city: