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Corbridge, a town in Northumberland, England, near Hadrian’s Wall and along the River Tyne, was an important Roman settlement and supply center, yielding many Roman artifacts (see the post below). Today, an exhibit titled “Roman Rivers and Rituals” is on display at Corbridge Roman Town, showcasing Roman discoveries made near the bridge. Pictured above: a Roman knife handle depicting a secutor gladiator was found in the river near Corbridge. A new exhibition at Corbridge Roman Town (Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland) is unveiling a remarkable set of Roman ritual deposits recovered from the River Tyne-objects deliberately offered to river gods at a major bridge crossing. The finds include a gladiator-shaped knife handle, scabbard fittings, a panther-shaped mount, shackles, coins, and personal grooming tools, all discovered by divers in the 1990s and now displayed publicly for the first time. The objects were ritual offerings placed near a Roman bridge on Dere Street, the major road from York into the northern frontier territory. Romans believed running water and river crossings were spiritually potent-and potentially dangerous-thresholds. Travelers, soldiers, and traders offered items to river gods for protection, safe passage, or thanks after leaving the frontier zone of Hadrian's Wall. https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/25970742.rare-roman-objects-hadrians-wall-northumberland-site/ Previous post about the finds:

Researchers believe that an army, possibly allied with the Romans and possibly heading south to join the Roman Empire, was destroyed in Norway in AD 205. A large cache of 1,800-year-old weapons found in a Danish bog may represent a defeated army of roughly 1,000 warriors-possibly from Norway—who were on their way to serve as Roman mercenaries around the year 205 CE. Archaeologists disagree on whether the force truly came from Norway, but the evidence shows deep Scandinavian-Roman connections, early runic writing, and a surprisingly organized military culture in Norway during the Roman Iron Age. https://www.sciencenorway.no/archaeology-denmark-roman-empire/a-roman-army-from-norway-of-a-thousand-men-may-have-fought-in-denmark-1800-years-ago/2600351

Researchers have found several Roman graves during excavation of a future farmer’s market in the Croatian city of Vinkovci (the Roman city Cibalae). The graves date from the 2nd-3rd century AD. This recent article and the older video below discuss the ongoing finds at the site. Cibalae-lying beneath today's Vinkovci-was one of the key towns of Roman Pannonia, noted for its strategic role, its flourishing workshops, and its status as the birthplace of two Roman emperors. https://www.croatiaweek.com/roman-graves-market-site-vinkovci/

Here is a good article on Pytheas of Massalia (b c350 BCE). He was a Greek explorer and geographer who was the first person to write about Britain. (Below is a thread about Pytheas.) https://open.substack.com/pub/worldpolitics/p/pytheas-massalia-ancient-greece-thule-arctic-north?r=k9yfw&utm_medium=ios

Here is a good discussion on the planned excavations later this year of the suspected Roman villa at Port Talbot, Wales. The discovery of a Roman villa in Southern Wales will rewrite British Roman history. This discovery forces a rewriting of Roman Wales: It shows elite Romanized life deep into western Britain. It provides a rare non-military high-status site in Wales, where most Roman remains are forts or camps. It may reshape understanding of 3rd-4th century Romano-British society.

A page of the work of Archimedes, written in AD 900, has been discovered on a palimpsest re-used as a Christian prayer book. There have been previous posts about other palimpsests (see below): [Palimpsest: a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.] A French researcher, Victor Gysembergh of CNRS, has rediscovered one of the three missing pages from the famous Archimedes Palimpsest, a medieval manuscript containing rare copies of Archimedes' mathematical works. The page was unexpectedly found in the archives of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Blois, after Gysembergh jokingly searched the city's manuscript catalog. The rediscovered leaf is a 10th-century copy of Archimedes' treatise "On the Sphere and the Cylinder," containing geometric diagrams and text that match photographs taken in 1906 by scholar Johan Heiberg. The manuscript had been overwritten in the Middle Ages as a Christian prayer book (a typical palimpsest), and the page also contains a later drawing added in the 1900s to increase its value. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lost-page-legendary-archimedes-palimpsest.html

Roman troops of Lucius Cornelius Sulla conquered the Roman city of Pompeii in 89 BCE. Excavations have found evidence of the related siege of the city with suspected impact scars on the walls and sandstone balls at the site. It is suspected that Roman ballistas caused the damage. The ballista was a powerful torsion-powered artillery weapon, essentially a giant crossbow designed to hurl heavy bolts or stones with high accuracy during sieges and battles. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-pompeii-scars-linked-ancient-machine.html https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/9/3/96 Video on the Roman ballista:

Here’s a well-done short video on the discovery:

I’m glad you are feeling better but … you have inspired me to take Lutein / Zeaxanthan supplements to prevent my cataracts.

I saw this interesting picture (above) on Substack (Architecture & Tradition). The Aqueduct of Valens, the longest aqueduct built in Roman times, is still partially intact in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople, Turkey). It was originally completed by Valens in AD 373. The 4th-century first phase was 268 km (167 miles).

There have been several posts on the Roman trade to the East, including India and Vietnam (see posts below). Here’s another video on the topic by Invicta

I never heard of that term before. I don’t know any Latin, but the term “senatores ambulantes” doesn’t seem right. The term “senatores pedarii” would seem better, but I don’t think Cicero used that term either. Here is a later use of the term “senatores pedarii.” https://latin.packhum.org/loc/1254/1/93/316-323?utm_source=copilot.com#93 Here is an English translation of the above passage from the Roman grammarian Aulus Gellius (AD 125-180). Gellius was known for his “Attic Nights,” a compilation of notes on grammar, philosophy, and history. Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae 3.18 - Translation "What 'pedarian senators' are, and why they are called that; and what the origin is of the words found in the traditional edict of the consuls: "senators and all those who are permitted to give an opinion in the senate.' There are many people who think that pedarii senatores were so called because they did not give their opinion in the senate by speaking, but instead went over with their feet to the opinion of another. But what then? When a senatorial decree was passed by division, did not all the senators give their vote with their feet? There is also another explanation of this term, which is said to be the true one, and which Gavius Bassus recorded in his commentaries. He says that in ancient times those senators who had held a curule magistracy were accustomed, as a mark of honor, to be carried to the Curia in a chariot, in which there was a seat on which they sat - and for this reason it was called the sella curulis. But those senators who had not yet held a curule magistracy went to the Curia on foot. Therefore, the senators who were not curule magistrates were called pedarii, 'the walking ones.'

Another article on the find. (There are only a few pictures available of the find.) https://www.heritagedaily.com/2026/03/gladiatorial-reliefs-discovered-near-the-appian-way/157415

Here is a short video to go along with the poem:

Here is a brief video (partially in Latin) of the Roman invasion of Britain under Emperor Claudius in AD 43. The pretext for the invasion was Rome’s coming to the defense of the pro-Roman King Verica who had been expelled by the Atrebates tribe. More likely, Claudius needed a military victory to solidify his authority as emperor.

I do hope you’re feeling better. I remember a discussion, possibly on another forum, of the Roman procedure of couching, as mentioned by Guido above. Here’s a simple short video on the ancient procedure: https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/roman-cataract-surgery/

Two Roman mosaics from Lusitania have been highlighted, one of which depicts a drunken Hercules (above) and a Medusa head (below). These mosaics were first discovered at the Roman villa of Rabaçal in central Portugal in 2023. The Roman Empire divided Iberia into three provinces: Lusitania (modern day Portugal and western Spain), as well as Baetica and Terraconensis. https://arkeonews.net/from-a-drunken-hercules-to-a-watchful-medusa-roman-mosaics-in-portugal-reveal-myth-power-and-protection/

This is an interesting article about the fascinating frescoes at the Pompeian property of the House of the Thiasus, named after the term for a Dionysian procession. The article describes the discovery, excavation, and interpretation of a spectacularly decorated Dionysian dining hall in a massive Pompeian residence now called the House of the Thiasus. Its vivid frescoes-painted between 40-30 B.C.-depict ecstatic followers of Dionysus, violent maenads, and lavish food imagery, offering new insight into Pompeii's deep, centuries-long engagement with the mystery cult of Dionysus. One of the article's most important contributions is showing that Pompeii's relationship with Dionysus was: Older than previously thought More pervasive across social classes More deeply tied to household religion than to public cult This article contrasts the findings of the House of the Thiasus (located in Pompeii) and the Villa of the Mysteries (located outside the city walls) House of the Thiasus Located inside Pompeii, embedded in an elite urban neighborhood. Part of a massive townhouse complex, renovated repeatedly to project status. The Dionysian room is one chamber within a multifunctional domestic environment. Villa of the Mysteries A suburban villa outside the city walls. A self-contained estate with agricultural, residential, and ritual spaces. The famous fresco room is part of a villa designed for retreat, leisure, and elite display. Implication: The House of the Thiasus shows Dionysian ritual inside the everyday fabric of city life, not just in secluded villas. The Villa of the Mysteries is a Dionysian initiation environment— a place where individuals underwent symbolic transformation through a structured ritual narrative. Both are Dionysian, but they represent two different faces of the god: Dionysus the bringer of ecstasy and abundance (House of the Thiasus) Dionysus the initiator into mystery and rebirth (Villa of the Mysteries) https://archaeology.org/issues/march-april-2026/features/pompeiis-house-of-dionysian-delights/ Here is a previous thread on the find from early information:

The via Appia is the vital Roman road that extends nearly 400 miles (650 km) from the city of Rome to Brindisi on the Adriatic coast. Here is a slightly older story about a funerary monument found near the road in the province of Benevento. It depicts a gladiatorial scene and dates from the first century AD. The image suggests that the individual buried there had a connection to gladiatorial games: possibly a lanista (gladiator owner, manager, and trainer) or a game sponsor and organizer. Hopefully, further information and images concerning the find will be released in the near future. https://arkeonews.net/monumental-roman-tomb-with-gladiator-scenes-discovered-along-ancient-via-appia/ https://www.ilmattino.it/en/gladiators_and_memory_the_rediscovered_funerary_monument_of_apollosa-9413882.html

A Carthaginian coin from the first century BCE was used as bus fare in Leeds, England, in the 1950s when it was unknowingly accepted by the cashier for Leeds City Transport. It was rediscovered by the grandson and donated to the local museum. Origin of the Coin Minted by Carthaginians (Phoenician culture) in Gadir/ Gades (modern Cádiz, Spain). Features Melqart, a Phoenician god often depicted like Herakles wearing a lionskin. https://news.leeds.gov.uk/news/fare-to-say-ancient-coin-has-travelled-through-time#:~:text=Fare to say ancient coin has travelled through time

In AD 8, Ovid was sentenced for unknown reasons to exile in the fringes of the Empire in Tomis, modern Constanța, Bulgaria, on the Black Sea coast. Recently, 34 Roman-era graves have been discovered during hospital renovations in the city. Also recovered was a bronze parade shield boss. These date to the 3rd-4th century AD. Amphorae from Africa, possibly used for wine or olive oil, were found at the site. They indicate commercial connections between Tomis and North Africa during the Roman Empire. In funerary contexts, these vessels may point to both wealth derived from trade and symbolic expressions of status. Two other finds: 3rd-century Greek inscription revealing social/ spiritual structure of Roman Tomis. Shield umbo from a ceremonial parade shield— extremely rare in funerary contexts, implying elite or military honor. heritagedail... Why It Matters Confirms strong commercial links between Tomis and North Africa during the Roman Empire. Indicates wealth and status among individuals buried in this sector. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2026/03/34-roman-period-tombs-found-in-ancient-tomis/157221

Above is a short video by the talented Max Miller explaining a gladiator diet. Below is an older post that explores the gladiator diet in more detail.

Below is a very good short video describing the Ostrogoths and Visigoths: Key moments: Battle of Adrianople (378 CE): Visigoths defeat Emperor Valens, a turning point in Roman military history. Sack of Rome (410 CE): Alaric I leads the Visigoths in the first sack of Rome in 800 years. Theodoric the Great (493-526 CE): Ostrogothic king who ruled Italy with remarkable administrative sophistication. Kingdoms They Founded Visigothic Kingdom in Gaul and later Hispania (capital at Toledo) Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy (capital at Ravenna) Both kingdoms blended Roman law, Christian religion, and Germanic traditions.

Archaeologists have uncovered a temple to Mithras in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. The temple dates to AD 80-171. Regensburg (ancient Castra Regina) was established in the early 2nd century AD as the permanent base for Legio III Italica, a legion deployed to guard the Danube frontier. The Regensburg Mithraeum provides insight into the religious life of the legionaries along the Danube Limes. https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/03/04/the-cult-of-mithras-archaeologists-find-signs-of-ancient-men-only-mysterious-religion-in-g

Dupuytren’s contracture is a potentially crippling fibrotic condition of the fingers being permanently bent in a flexed position. Here is an interesting article suggesting that having Dupuytren’s contracture might be a genetic trait inherited from the Neanderthals. The video and article below describes this association. Because of its frequency in some populations, Dupuytren’s contracture has been called the Viking disease or Celtic hand. In Norway, about 30% of men over 60 have the condition and in the United Kingdom, 25% of the men over 65 have the condition. (Above is President Reagan who famously suffered from the condition.) https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/mysterious-viking-disease-linked-to-neanderthal-dna On the subject of Neanderthals, here’s a short video from the BBC suggesting that Neanderthals had a high-pitched voice: Here’s an interesting post about human and Neanderthal interactions: