guy

“Sources from antiquity state that ancient Queen Cleopatra used to bathe in donkey milk to keep her skin soft and glowing. It is said that the milk of 700 donkeys was used to fill her tub. Ancient Roman poet Ovid also suggested women use donkey milk on their faces to improve the health an appearance of their skin.“ https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/06/donkey-milk-a-secret-from-the-antiquity-that-became-a-prosperous-business/ I never thought about the benefits of donkey milk. It is hard to get and expensive, however. Here is an interesting video:

https://m.dw.com/en/israeli-archaeologists-unearth-2700-year-old-toilet/a-59411188

Nice article (and photos) from the Gloucestershire find: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/roman-statuette-of-venus-discovered-at-english-construction-site-180978816/

Here is a short (16 minutes) film on the Goths. It was well done.

I have little understanding of the late Roman Empire; less of the Byzantine Empire. And I have no understanding of the development of the Byzantine military. The Byzantine army was able to absorb foreign influences to become a formidable force. After the Hunnish Empire defeat of the Fifth century, many barbarian horsemen from the Steppes joined the Byzantine Empire. The Heruli, for example, were among those who joined the Byzantines. Here’s a great video on the early Byzantine military development. It stresses the ability of the Byzantine army to adapt to invaders by adopting foreign weapons, tactics, and troops: As the Byzantine Empire began to falter, it became increasingly reliant on foreign mercenary troops. It became, nevertheless, a very formidable multi-ethnic force. Here’s an interesting article on the development and diversity of the Byzantine army: https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/03/byzantine-army/ The Byzantine emperors were also a diverse group: https://balkaniumblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/the-ethnic-backgrounds-of-byzantine-emperors/

I needed to put Colchester in historical perspective. The ancient Roman city (Camulodunum) was the first legionary fortress established after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD. It was attacked and destroyed by Boudicca in 61 AD. It was later rebuilt. It has the only Roman Circus (chariot racetrack) in Britain. It also has two of Britain’s five Roman theaters, including Britain’s largest with 5000 seats. By the Second and Third centuries AD it may have had 30,000 inhabitants. Two great videos on Roman Colchester: This next video is more in-depth, but fascinating: Colchester might have the oldest surviving Roman Christian church on display in Britain (16:30). Many Roman graves were excavated in Colchester. Here is a young female buried with copper pins to keep her hair in place. (21:21) The excavation of the Roman Circus track (33:49). It is estimated to have been a quarter mile long with up to 15,000 spectators. Medical tools found in a pre-Christian grave. (28:28)

I don’t know the accuracy of this claim, but it is unfortunate, if true: Discovery - a section of Roman road was uncovered at the former Essex County Hospital site, off Lexden Road https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-58752445 https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19613644.ancient-roman-ruins-discovered-ex-hospital-site/

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/09/archaeologists-excavate-roman-temple-complex-in-tyre/141542?amp

This is a wonderful tour of a necropolis in Tyre, Lebanon. If you can find this on YouTube, this becomes a virtual reality tour. You can adjust your vantage point (but you will have to go to the YouTube platform). Look for VR Tour | Roman Necropolis | Tyre, Lebanon

Another article on the find: The buried warrior’s head was located next to the skeleton of a five-year-old child. No one knows if there was a kinship relationship between the two. Credit: Anagnostis Agelarakis https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/02/byzantine-warrior-gold-threaded-jaw-greece/

Please post some of your research and insights. Sounds interesting. I know very little on the subject. Here’s the small bit I know about astrology and Roman history: Augustus Denarius. Spanish mint, ca 17 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, head left in oak wreath / DIVVS – IVLIVS across field, comet with eight rays & tail. RSC 97. (Photo and attribution from Wildwinds.com) This is the famous Augustus comet coin. The background information about this comet coin was discussed on cointalk.com. Great link: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-caesars-comet.254853/

Here’s an interesting article that dismantles the myth of Spartan military prowess and courage: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/sparta-much-more-army-warriors-180978583/

Here is what I believe to be the original article. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi7673 Reviewing this article, I found it incredibly difficult to follow at times. There could be a few challenges with the article. Part of the difficulty for me might come from the fact that this is from an international group of brilliant scientists for whom English might not be a primary language. Another problem is that many conclusions are made based on the analysis of only 82 ancient individuals. Here is a quote from the article: Based on this small study, it would be difficult to draw conclusions on ethnic origination, ancient migration, and linguistic development. Finally, the problem may be only me. After reading scientific articles almost daily for more than three decades, I now lose my patience for more abstruse articles. Early-onset dementia?

X

Although found in Vienne, France, this Roman Venus statuette is very similar to the one above found in Britain: Vienna, France https://www.archaeology.org/issues/401-2011/digs/9120-digs-france-roman-vienna

We sometimes forget the pervasiveness and influence of Greek philosophy throughout the Roman Empire. (Not surprisingly, the majority of papyri salvaged at the Villa of Papyri were texts on Epicureanism.) Here is an interesting inscription from the Second Century AD by the Epicurean Diogenes of Oinoanda, Turkey. Diogenes gives advice about a local plague. These are background articles on the find. Diogenes tried to bring a rational approach to a plague that caused so much fear and superstition. The philosophy of Epicureanism was based on the philosophy of Epicurus. https://www.archaeology.org/issues/180-1507/features/3344-turkey-oinoanda-epicurean-inscription https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/01/ancient-inscription-benefits-epicuranism/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Papyri

Ancient warfare would produce horrendous traumatic injuries. Here is evidence of one individual from the Byzantine Empire who suffered a traumatic jaw injury that was repaired with a golden wire. He was able to return to duty, only to later meet his death (and decapitation), presumably at the hands of Ottoman enemies. https://www.livescience.com/byzantine-warrior-fractured-jaw

A slightly different interpretation of the research: http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/etruscans-origin-10105.html

Another article on the subject: “‘The Etruscans look indistinguishable from Latins, and they also carry a high proportion of steppe ancestry,’ Posth tells Andrew Curry of Science magazine. The civilization’s still mostly indecipherable language is noticeably different from other societies of that era but bears some commonalities with Greek, including similar alphabets.“ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dna-analysis-shows-early-etruscans-were-homegrown-180978772/

This 17 cm high statuette was recently unearthed. It is thought to depict Venus, the Roman goddess of love. It is believed to be from the first or second century AD. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-58736866

(December 5)

The landscape that has given Time Team archeologists important clues about the Roman villa, hidden beneath the soil on the Broughton Castle estate for nearly 2,000 years. https://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/archeologists-have-unlocked-the-secret-of-why-the-roman-villa-was-built-in-a-quiet-valley-two-miles-from-banbury-time-teams-tim-taylor-sums-up-the-first-dig-of-the-legacy-project-3399087 Summary: It is great to see the renewed interest in excavation of Roman sites in Britain. This dig was financially supported by donors.

An interesting theory now explains the deposit of so many fragments of writing in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. A medieval document suggests that Qumran served as an annual meeting place for the Essenes. https://www.livescience.com/medieval-damascus-document-dead-sea-scroll-mystery

This is a nice Vespasian documentary:

The Island of Budelli (famous for its pink beaches) recently had its sole resident evicted. After three decades of isolation, Mauro Morandi has learned to cope with civilization: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnn.com/travel/amp/mauro-morandi-italy-hermit-did-next/index.html Here’s a previous thread about Budelli’s beautiful pink beaches: