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A wonderful find of Bronze Age axes and artifacts have been discovered by a young teenager and her father: “Milly Hardwick was searching for buried treasure in a field in Hertfordshire, England, when her metal detector pinged. The 13-year-old’s father, Colin, joked that she’d found an ax. He was partially right: Hardwick had, in fact, stumbled onto a trove of 65 Bronze Age axes and artifacts dated to around 1300 B.C.E.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/13-year-old-girl-finds-bronze-age-axe-hoard-in-english-field-180979132/

Through the use of robotics and computer analysis, archaeologists are hoping to piece together the thousands of shards of mosaics and pottery found in Pompeii:

Modern DNA analysis is yielding insights into the Justinian plague. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/justinianic-plague-was-nothing-like-flu-and-may-have-hit-england-before-constantinople Below is the academic article on which the above article is based. The article’s purpose was to prove the enormous impact that the Justinian plague had on the ancient world and refute any arguments to the contrary. It seems to me, however, that the argument against a significant impact from the plague was always weak. https://academic.oup.com/past/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pastj/gtab024/6427314?login=true

The Eleusinian Mysteries were initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone. I have little grasp of the numerous mystery cults in Ancient Rome (see link at bottom). It is no surprise, however, that hallucinogenics were used in its rituals. There is an ergot (fungus) that grows on rye that has hallucinogenic properties. https://greekreporter.com/2021/11/22/eleusinian-mystery-hallucinogenic/ Here is a quick review of seven of the most popular mystery cults of the ancient world: 1. CULT OF CYBELE · 2. CULT OF SABAZIOS · 3. ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES · 4. MITHRAISM · 5. CULT OF ISIS · 6. CABEIRI MYSTERIES · 7. DIONYSIAN MYSTERIES https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501560/7-greco-roman-mystery-cults-you-should-know

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-fortress-destroyed-during-revolt-that-established-hannukah-holiday-180979104/ This part of ancient history is very unclear for me. This video, nevertheless, is an interesting view of the find:

I was worried that the linked article would just be clickbait. It was, in fact, very interesting: “One of the most famous gladiators who lived in the first century AD in Rome was Spiculus. Not only was he popular with regular audiences, but he was also greatly admired by the notorious Roman emperor Nero. Spiculus went on to win a number of battles and emerged victorious against many skilled adversaries. Nero was particularly impressed by his heroics and awarded him with more palaces and riches than he could have asked for. Nero had become so fond of him that when he was overthrown in 68 AD, he wanted to die a swift death at the hands of Spiculus. But his aides could not get hold of Spiculus in time and Nero took his own life. Spiculus’s fame did not only revolve around his relationship with Nero, and his depictions in several ancient Roman artworks bear testimony to his far-reaching popularity.“ https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/rome-history/top-10-famous-ancient-roman-gladiators/

I see your book will be available early next year here in the States. On my list. I found this old thread on Galla Placidia. This should be your next screen play (LOL): Galla Placidia: Why no movie? - Colosseum - UNRV Ancient Roman Empire Forums

An interesting article supporting the idea that a plant-based diet was the predominant diet, at least in Pergamon, Turkey during the Roman Empire. Summary: I feel that any diet would based more on availability. Meat was frequently an expensive luxury; therefore, a plant-based diet would have been more a necessity than a choice. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/people-living-in-pergamon-2000-years-ago-had-plant-based-diet

This an exciting find by a farmer’s son who used pottery shards and satellite imagery to investigate this site during the shutdown. “Jim Irvine, son of landowner Brian Naylor, made the initial discovery after spotting "unusual pottery" on a walk during the 2020 lockdown, and contacted the archaeological team at Leicestershire County Council. The Rutland mosaic is thought to be unique in the UK as it features Achilles and his battle with Hector at the conclusion of the Trojan War.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59391650 https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2021-11-extraordinary-roman-mosaic-villa-beneath.amp

I find it incredible that this volcano is still producing activity (November 24):

An Iron Age war trumpet that's the first of its kind to have been found in England is set to fetch £3,000 at auction next month. The boar-headed wind instrument, known as a Carnyx, was once used to strike fear into soldiers in bloody battles almost 2,000 years ago. Picture: SWNS “Metal detectorist Ivan Bailey, 60, found the object lodged in a lump of clay while scanning a field in Bardwell in 2016.” https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/news/ancient-war-trumpet-discovered-in-suffolk-field-to-go-under-9227236/ https://www.eadt.co.uk/lifestyle/heritage/rare-celtic-warhorn-to-be-auctioned-8511634 interesting video of how a carnyx might have sounded:

This is an interesting find. The presence of this cavalry face mask in Hadrianopolis, Turkey offers new insight into the Roman presence in this area. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/roman-soldiers-face-mask-dating-back-1800-years-uncovered-in-turkey/ar-AAR2kY8 Roman calvary mask found in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Roman cavalry masks have long been a source of controversy. It is unclear whether they were strictly ceremonial or whether they were sometimes used in conflict (see video below):

This auction of Roman gold got some high prices: Roman Empire, Macrinus (A.D. 217-218) Gold Aureus graded NGC Ancients Ch XF, 5/5 Strike and 3/5 Surface. Realized: CHF 114,950 (about $125,000) https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/9626/ https://www.biddr.com/auctions/ngsa/browse?a=2047&o=pd

Here’s a frightening reconstruction of Caligula and his family:

Here is a related story about Caligula’s reputation. (Thank you WillieBoy2 from CoinTalk.com for bringing this story to my attention.) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/caligula-rome-60-minutes-2021-11-21/

This is a fascinating story about a Caligula pleasure-boat mosaic used as a New York City coffee table. Here is a previous thread on the mosaic:

There was a previous discussion of the typical gladiator’s diet (see below): Here’s an excellent entertaining and informative video on the gladiator’s diet.

This is an exciting coin hoard found in Norfolk, dating to 610 AD. This was the time of the Kingdom of East Anglia (sixth century to 918) Summary: The significance of this discovery is that it attests to the extensive trade and contact that post-Roman Britain maintained with Continental Europe. None of the coins were minted in Britain. Most coins are from the Frankish Merovingian dynasty (476-750 AD), but at least one of the coins is from the Byzantine Empire. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-59151380.amp https://www.medievalists.net/2021/11/1400-year-old-gold-coin-england/

Here’s an excellent video that brings the statues of Julius Caesar and his conspirators back to life:

An interesting find in the Scythian homelands in Russia. The Scythians were a nomadic people who were finally defeated by the Goths in the Second Century AD. “The Scythians were an ancient nomadic people living primarily in the region known as Scythia, which today comprises the Eurasian steppes of Kazakhstan, the Russian steppes of the Siberian, Ural, Volga and Southern regions, and eastern Ukraine. A study of mound 7 in the centre of the cemetery revealed a wooden tomb constructed with seventeen large oak pillars, covered with half oak beams that dates from the 4th century BC.” https://www.heritagedaily.com/?amp

An interesting new coin hoard of around 5,500 Roman denarii was found in Germany: “Archaeologists have found a hoard of Roman-era silver coins buried by the river in the Bavarian city of Augsburg in Germany. In total, it weighs 33 pounds (15 kilograms) and could be the largest single ancient Roman silver hoard ever found in Bavaria. The team was digging at a planned housing site in the Oberhausen district, the oldest part of Augsburg, before builders began the construction work when they found the stash of Roman silver dating to 1st to early 3rd century A.D. “The coins belong to a wide period from the reign of Emperor Nero in the mid-first century AD to that of Septimius Severus shortly after AD 200. This period covers the reigns of emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius.” “Interestingly, the hoard also includes coins from the reign of Emperor Didius Julianus, who was on the throne for only 90 days (March-June 193 AD) after buying it from the Praetorian guard, which had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax. Since he ruled for such a short period, coins issued in his reign are quite rare.” An interesting point made in the article by AncientOrigens below: “Septimius Severus, the last emperor represented in the coin hoard, wrested the throne from Julianus after routing cohorts of the Praetorian Guard sent out by Julianus to meet him as he marched on the capital from Pannonia where he commanded a Roman legion.” There is some question whether Septimius Severus was, in fact, the latest coin found in the hoard. There might have been even later emperors found in the coin hoard. https://www.sciencetimes.com/amp/articles/34578/20211118/more-5-500-roman-era-silver-coins-found-buried-river.htm https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/silver-hoard-0016082 Here’s a short video clip on the find (in German): I want to thank Al Kowsky and others at cointalk.com for their excellent thread on this find: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/5-500-roman-coin-hoard-found-in-germany.389303/

Ancient sources suggest that there six temples built to the sun god Ra in ancient Egypt between 2500 to 2350 BCE. Until recently, only two of these temples have been identified. Archaeologists may have identified a third sun temple underneath a later temple. “During this era, temples were dedicated to the sun god Ra and kings who reigned were seen as his only living sons on earth.” Meanwhile, pyramids were built as a place to bury pharaohs to ensure they became gods in the afterlife.” It is always humbling to remember that the period of time between today and Cleopatra is shorter than the time between these earliest Egyptian structures and Cleopatra’s reign. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/archaeologists-discover-4500-year-old-sun-temple-in-egypt/PF7MVUUW7NQNE2BB7LL3X4HJW4/ Here is an excellent video explaining the find:

“The study unearthed monumental foundations of an unfinished aqueduct bridge built by the Roman army between AD 114 and AD 117 at the city of Artashat-Artaxata.” “We reconstructed the planned course of the aqueduct by means of a computer-assisted path analysis between the possible sources of the water and its destination." A scientific analysis of the lime mortar used showed that it was a typical Roman recipe. An analysis of soil samples dated the construction of the aqueduct to between 60 and 460 CE, and in the opinion of the researchers this makes the reign of Emperor Trajan the most likely dating for it.” https://www.archaeology.org/news/10148-211116-armenia-roman-aqueduct https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/11/roman-aqueduct-discovered-in-armenia/142015 https://phys.org/news/2021-11-easternmost-roman-aqueduct-armenia.html Artaxata (modern day Artashat, Armenia) was an important site in the Roman history of the East. It was also the site of an important but indecisive battle fought by proconsul Lucullus during the Third Mithridatic War against Tigranes II of Armenia who was sheltering Mithridates VI of Pontus. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Artaxata

“Alfred the Great, in Trinity Church Square, Southwark, was thought medieval until recent conservation work.” “The lower half was then discovered to be Bath Stone and part of a colossal ancient sculpture dedicated to the goddess Minerva.” “The complexity of the carving, which shows detailed muscle definition, indicates that the base was probably made in the late 1st or early to mid 2nd century AD (with a likely date range of AD 80-160) by a Continental craftsman who was used to working in limestone. In addition, they suspect that the original statue, which was twice life-size, probably depicted Minerva, and was a cult image from a major temple dedicated to the goddess. Not only was she widely venerated in Roman Britain during this time (for example, at Bath) but the folds of the drapery are remarkably similar to those found on a headless statue of Minerva from Sibson-cum-Stibbington, near Barnack, now in Cambridgeshire.” https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-59247889.amp https://the-past.com/news/roman-origins-revealed-for-statue-of-alfred-the-great/

The role of climate’s impact on the stability of ancient societies is not well appreciated. Here is an interesting study on the impact of volcanic activity on Chinese dynasties. ”The study compared the dates of volcanic eruptions gleaned from ice-core measurements of sulphate deposited on the polar icesheets with the dates known from historical records of Chinese dynastic collapse across the first two millennia of the Common Era. This exercise found that 62 of the 68 dynastic collapses were closely preceded by at least one volcanic eruption.” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211111214623.htm