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Olive oil was an important part of life in Ancient Rome. It played an important part in the diet, as well as being used for washing, medicine, and lighting. This solidified oil is still in the bottle and was preserved at Pompeii after the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. It has been displayed with this carbonized bread at the Naples National Archaeological Museum (see picture above). A recent study confirmed the contents of this bottle: “In this work, for the first time to our knowledge, the authenticity and identity of an olive oil sample, hereinafter referred to as Mann-S1, which has been stored seemingly in its original glass bottle since 79 A.D., has been assessed through radiocarbon dating and detection of analytical biomarkers. The availability of a conspicuous amount of such a well-preserved specimen of organic material is rare and gave us the chance to map the molecular evolution that oil has undergone for almost 2000 years.” Item no. 313337 stored at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN). a Glass bottle containing Mann-S1; b detail of the organic content with inclined surface indicating an original liquid status; c sample used for chemical analyses (Mann- S1); d lipid extracts from Mann-S1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-020-00077-w

A previous thread discussed the drought that might have pressured the Hunnic migration (see thread below). Here’s an interesting video discussing climate and its impact on the Roman Empire:

Another less-technical article on the research: This article also refers to the Armarna letters that suggest the location the meteorite was found: The Armarna letters were an archive of clay tablets primarily consisting of diplomatic correspondence between the Egyptian administration and neighboring kingdoms. They date between c.1360-1332 BCE. (King Tut ruled from 1332-1323 BCE.) Five Armarna letters on display at the British Museum. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-year-old-tablets-king-tut-ancient.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarna_letters

A recent study proves the older theory that an iron dagger found buried in King Tut’s tomb (which dates back to the 14th century BC) was made from a meteorite. Supporting the theory of an extraterrestrial source was the fact that iron smelting isn’t thought to have been developed in Egypt until the 8th century BC. New studies confirm the theory (see video below). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.13787#:~:text=This dagger dates to the,iron smelting was later developed. A 355-pound iron meteorite from Campo del Cielo crater field in Argentina. Iron meteorites typically contain about 10 per cent nickel and less than one per cent cobalt, like King Tut's dagger blade. (Darryl Pitt, The Macovich Collection/Associated Press) Here’s a short and easy-to understand video that explains the methods and significance of the study:

Two female marble heads were found in an apartment bought by a 35-year-old man in Thessaloniki, Greece. Although the article is sparse in details, they are thought to date from the Roman period. I am not sure how the statues got there, however. It’s not clear, either, whether they were stolen or found in an unauthorized excavation. https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/02/23/thessaloniki-roman-marble-statues/?amp

I am surprised how frequently these intricate mosaics have been found on the floors of the elites.

Southwark, London has been the site of some interesting Roman discoveries (see links below). A large intact Roman mosaic has been recently found in the area. “There are two large sections, the main rectangle, which may have been used in a dining room, and a smaller square which may have sat in a recess in the room. At about 8 metres long, this room is particularly large for London, emphasising how important the occupants would have been. The uncovered mosaic includes two highly-decorated panels made up of small, coloured tiles set within a red tessellated floor. The largest panel shows large, colourful flowers surrounded by bands of intertwining strands – a motif known as a guilloche. There are also lotus flowers and several different geometric elements, including a pattern known as Solomon’s knot, made of two interlaced loops.” Roman settlement in Southwark and the adjacent bridge into Londinium https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/remarkable-roman-mosaic-discovered-in-southwark-52165/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-60466187

A fascinating find in Abusir, Egypt of amphora and canopic jars along with other embalming materials. Canopic jars were used by Ancient Egyptians during the mummification process to preserve the viscera for the afterlife. (See Wikipedia link below.) https://english.radio.cz/czech-archaeologists-unearth-largest-mummification-deposit-ever-found-egypt-8742172 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopic_jar Here’s an old thread on human dissection in the ancient world:

For anyone who plays guitar, this song by Led Zeppelin is both beautiful and surprisingly easy to play. This song has a unique alternate tuning, however: (low to high) D G C G C D

A recent excavation in Ribble Valley, Lancashire unearthed some interesting finds. Ribble Valley was not known to have Roman activity area before. Among the finds included 83 coins and two silver bracelets, dated from 50-300 AD. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-60055386#:~:text=A hoard of 83 Roman,Valley Dectorists Club on Saturday. Here is a wonderful video about the excavation: Finds such as these help to expand our knowledge and appreciation of Roman Britain.

The Severan dynasty, despite great family dysfunction, was one of Rome’s greatest dynasties. This is a great recreation of that important dynasty. There was a recent thread on a beautiful gold coin of Julia Domna that came up for auction:

Julia Domna was the wife of Septimius Severus and mother to Geta and Caracalla. Part of her image was the beautiful and intricate hair style. Here is a beautiful gold coin of Julia Domna that recently sold in auction. This coin is a wonderful representation of Julia Domna, similar to the ancient statues and the Severan Tondo with her image: Here’s an old but very entertaining video of the recreation of the Julia Domna hairstyle by historical hairstylist Janet Stephens: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/9849/

Thanks. It’s our backyard and it’s a mess. Being from Pittsburgh, I am fascinated by cactus plants and palm trees. When the cacti bloom, they are absolutely beautiful. The flowers last just a few days, however. Fortunately, my wife deals with the nasty prickly cactus spines (and the far-too-many scary black widow spiders).

There has been further assessment of the coin hoard found a couple years back: “In September 2019, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological watching brief during groundworks associated with residential development at Project Aquarius, Bamfield, Hengrove, Bristol. A coin hoard, consisting of pottery vessel container, copper-alloy scale pan lid, and 309 bronze and silvered-bronze coins, was recovered following emergency attendance during development groundworks. The recovered coin assemblage dates exclusively to the middle of the 4th century AD and included a significant number of coins struck by the usurpers Magnentius and Decentius, who ruled the western provinces of the Roman Empire between 350 and 353.” “The Hengrove hoard is an unusual cache of coins from the mid-fourth century, deposited in a large ceramic jar with the scale pan possibly used as a lid closing the vessel’s opening and sealing the coins inside. The most recently struck coin within the hoard was from the Arles mint, and dated to between 355 and 358, and it is unlikely that the hoard was buried any later than AD 360. Therefore, it is one of a comparatively small number of coin hoards from Britain dating to the later 350s, but the unusually large quantities of coins of the usurpers Magnentius and Decentius mean that it is unlike most contemporary finds. The reasons for the Hengrove hoard’s burial and non-recovery are not known and it is possible that the coins were deposited in the political aftermath of the usurpers’ defeat and suicides. The further coin hoard also discovered within the site in the 19th century is also of interest, although it’s relationship to the hoard recovered during the current works is not possible to determine at this stage.” https://legacy-reports.cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/content/uploads/2022/01/CR0192-Project-Aquarius-Hengrove-Bristol-WB-report-CR0192_11.0.pdf https://cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/a-roman-coin-hoard-from-hengrove-bristol/

“Serves Diocletian right, the quitter! I was just thinking of the vast basement of his retirement villa in Split where you almost expect to see the curvature of the earth hiding the far massive walls. That basement has paid admission, yet is fairly empty and ready for newfound exhibits.“ Despite spending most his time outside of Rome (and retiring in Split, Croatia), Diocletian had a great archaeological footprint in Rome. The Baths of Diocletian (the largest Imperial Bath) is a wonderful building complex. I wonder if the Diocletian spolia is related to some unfinished building project associated with the Baths. I would like to visited Split sometime to see Diocletian’s palace. A nice side trip to the island Hvar would be nice. Hvar is about 40 miles (60 Km) from Split, about a two hour ferry.

Spolia is the repurposed decorative sculpture used for new buildings. Much of the sculptural relief of the Arch of Constantine consists of reliefs and statues from previous monuments to Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius. University of Pennsylvania archaeologist C. Brian Rose now suggests some of the spolia was also from an earlier unfinished monument to Diocletian: Here’s an excellent video on the Arch of Constantine: Arch of Constantine (video) | Late empire | Khan Academy The inscription at the top of the arch honors the emperor’s victory over Maxentius. It is surrounded by sculptures of Dacian soldiers made for a monument commemorating victories of the emperor Trajan (r. A.D. 98–117). A Monumental Imperial Biography - Archaeology Magazine

Havar is a beautiful Adriatic island off the coast of Croatia. A Roman floor mosaic has been discovered during excavation on the island. The floor mosaic dates to the 2nd century AD and was part of a luxurious Roman villa. https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/60248-roman-mosaic-in-stari-grad Here is the location of this Croatian island:

Nice follow-up article: Microscopic egg of whipworm from the chamber pot. Black scale bar represents 20 micrometres. Credit: Sophie Rabinow This is the first time that parasite eggs have been identified from concretions inside a Roman ceramic vessel and confirms the Gerace pot must have been used to contain human feces. Piers Mitchell, the parasites expert who led the study in the laboratory, says, "This pot came from the baths complex of a Roman villa. It seems likely that those visiting the baths would have used this chamber pot when they wanted to go to the toilet, as the baths lacked a built latrine of its own. Clearly, convenience was important to them." https://www.ancientpages.com/2022/02/11/ancient-roman-portable-toilets-studied-by-scientists/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=biblical_mystery_of_the_forbidden_fruit_and_the_deep_sleep_dolmen_de_soto_unique_millennia_old_underground_structure_remains_a_puzzling_enigma_how_on_earth_did_the_ancient_egyptians_raise_their_colossal_obelisks_and_much_more_feb_8_14_2022&utm_term=2022-02-14

I’ve been trying to have a more healthful diet. Nothing like sushi and beer on a hot February day. (It’s almost 80 degrees today.)

Thanks for reading my post. I wanted to ask you (since you wrote the book) if you think the relationship between Stilicho and Alaric portrayed in this documentary was as respectful (almost friendly) as depicted. This was an otherwise interesting documentary when it didn't try to force a modern narrative.

Illegal dig holes have been found at Bart Hill Fort on the Antonine Wall. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1w3exkvzmo Bart Hill Fort is one of sixteen forts found along the Antonine Wall, which was built around 142 AD. Unlike other forts on the Wall, Bart Hill Fort is located several miles south of the Wall. It had the highest location of any the forts, giving it an excellent view of the surrounding valley. It likely housed around 500 soldiers. Archaeological finds have included a latrine, bathhouse, barracks, and a commander’s house. Here’s a great video on the fort and surrounding area:

There have been many discussions about the controversies surrounding the barbarian crossing the “frozen” Rhine in 405/406. Here is an in-depth discussion of why the military failed to meet the challenge: https://www.yalehistoricalreview.org/barbarians-at-the-open-gates/amp/ Here is an interesting video on the events surrounding the barbarian crossing of 406: This is interesting article that asserts that the crossing occurred in 405 AD (and not the widely accepted 406). This would also explain Stilicho’s seeming inaction to the Barbarian crossing. In 405 Stilicho was preoccupied with fighting the Gothic forces of Radagaisus. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Crossing_of_the_Rhine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_of_the_Rhine

You are correct. It's interesting that Nero, the greatest Hellenophile among the Emperors before Hadrian, probably wore a beard to emulate the Greeks he so admired. We commented before on the fact that Nero was still popular in the East even after his assassination.

Roman ceramic flower pot was discovered to really be a chamber pot after identification of intestinal worm (whipworm) eggs. “Once thought to be a flower pot, researchers unearthed the vessel in the bath complex of a Roman villa in Sicily, named the Villa of Gerace. But a microscopic analysis of the pot's internal crust revealed the preserved eggs” “Chamber pots are perhaps one of the more challenging ceramic forms to identify with certainty in Roman pottery studies, despite the availability of detailed ceramic typologies. Here, we describe the analysis of mineralized concretions taken from a Sicilian ceramic vessel of the fifth-century CE, and propose paleoparasitology, the identification of intestinal parasites, as a helpful method for contributing to the detection of chamber pots. Microscope analysis of the mineralized concretions revealed the presence of eggs of the intestinal nematode Trichuris trichiura (whipworm), confirming that the vessel originally contained faeces. This is the first time that parasite eggs have been identified from concretions inside a Roman ceramic vessel. Systematic parasitological investigation of calcified deposits from ceramic vessels may therefore help to establish function.” The pot was found buried in the bath complex of a Roman villa in Sicily. (Image credit: R.J.A. Wilson) https://www.livescience.com/roman-empire-port-o-potty There have been several previous threads on the frequency of intestinal parasites in the ancient world:

(Nero as portrayed in the movie “Quo Vadis”) Hadrian (117-138 AD) was the first Roman Emperor to routinely wear a beard. This probably reflected his admiration of the earlier Greek philosophers. “In ancient Greece, beards represented wisdom and status. Statues of high ranking officials and gods would show a full, flowing beard and Zeus and Heracles were often depicted with massive beards. Ancient Greek men, not immune to vanity, would use heated tongs to curl their beards, and contemporary statues and coins both inspired and reflected men’s beards. Alexander the Great, however, strongly encouraged his soldiers to shave their beards, presumably to give an enemy less to grab onto. Until that time — which historians date to Sept. 30, 331 B.C., when Alexander the great prepared his soldiers for a key battle for control of Asia — a cleanly shaven face had been a sign of youth or even effeminacy. Alexander would also fashion his image into that of Heracles, as youthful and beardless, and expect his soldiers to do the same. Romans were slow to adopt the beard. Nero was the first Roman emperor who is depicted sporting a beard. (Source Wildwinds.com) Here is an interesting video discussing Ancient Roman hairstyles: https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/a-diversity-of-beards-on-coins-ancient-to-modern.html