guy

A subject I had never thought about was the long struggle between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens for domination. Here is an interesting article that delves into that struggle: https://www.inverse.com/science/humans-vs-neanderthals Here’s an interesting video that explores the relationship between the two species further:

Roman Amphorae have been discovered while preparing defenses in Odessa, Ukraine: The extant and influence of the Roman Empire was staggering. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/05/ukrainian-soldiers-find-ancient-amphorae-whilst-digging-defences/143599?amp Here is a good review of the Roman Empire in Ukraine. http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages\R\O\Romans.htm#:~:text=Many Roman merchants settled there,the 2nd to 5th centuries

Many artifacts from the second and third centuries A.D. were unearthed in an underground city in Mardin's Midyat district in Turkey, as shown in this April 16 photo. (Image credit: Photo by Halil Ibrahim Sincar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Excavation teams discovered that a cave, which was found during works carried out in the historical streets and houses in the district two years ago, opened up into underground corridors that provide passages to different places. (Image credit: Photo by Halil Ibrahim Sincar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) A possible underground city that was a refuge from Romans in Turkey has been discovered. https://www.livescience.com/christians-hid-from-romans-in-underground-city

The Elgin marbles have been a source of controversy. Recovery of the ship that originally carried the marble (but sank) is being further investigated. (Elgin's shipwreck the Mentor) So far, at least, there has been no spectacular finds. The marble pieces had been recovered and taken to the British Museum two centuries ago. Small pieces of nautical wreckage have been recovered, however. (Nautical instrument found in the wreckage) From The Depths Of Despair: Lord Elgin And The Parthenon Sculptures (greekcitytimes.com)

(Fresco of a gambling dice table) Rome and the rest of the ancient world became another place after the sun set. Both enticing and treacherous, the night offered opportunities for food and socializing, but also the dangers of robbery or bodily injury. Here’s an entertaining video on “Bars and Nightlife in Ancient Rome”

Thank goodness things are opening up.

Here is an interesting article on masculinity in Ancient Greece. https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/manhood-in-ancient-greece-battle-blood-and-not-being-a-bottom-1.10787527

Here is a wonderful article on the Latin accents in the ancient world by classical language expert professor Wolfgang de Melo of Oxford. https://antigonejournal.com/2022/05/latin-accent/

An interesting conference In Basel, Switzerland. (I guess see Zoom attendance is available): “Palaeoclimatologists believe to have identified a period of unusually warm and humid weather in Europe and the Mediterranean that expanded from roughly 200 BCE to 150 CE, which they called the ‘Roman Climate Optimum’ or the ‘Roman warm period’. Some historians have linked this overall perseverance of unusually stable and favorable climatic conditions to the expansion of the Roman Empire to its greatest height, and argue that these predominantly warm and humid conditions in large parts of the Empire enabled the delivery of sufficient supply to the growing urban population around the Mediterranean and to the Roman army.” ”This international conference will be the first that is specifically devoted to the notion of a Roman Climate Optimum and its impact on the fate of the Roman Empire.” https://ancientclimate.philhist.unibas.ch/en/event/the-end-of-the-roman-climate-optimum-and-the-disintegration-of-the-roman-empire/

Here’s another article on the exhibit. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/pompeii-sexual-erotic-art-exhibition

This is an interesting Roman hoard found in Pewsey that is coming up for auction. A nice siliqua from the usurper Eugenius (reign 392-394 AD) minted in modern Trier, Germany Siliqua from Trier of usurper Magnus Maximus (reign 383-388 AD) Information from the auction site: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-61331388 https://www.noonans.co.uk/auctions/calendar/643/catalogue/

Although possibly apocryphal, this quote by Oscar Wilde is both witty and cautionary: The use of a tax to shape social policy is nothing new. A Bachelor tax was enacted in Mussolini's Italy, for example: Today there are many that feel a tax break on joint marriage income also represents a bachelor tax. An early precedent for the Bachelor tax was imposed by Augustus: Ancient Rome was a source of unusual taxes, indeed. The famous "urine tax" of Nero and Vespasian is remembered even today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecunia_non_olet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_tax https://taxfitness.com.au/Blog/bachelor-tax

Olea Hadriani is only available at the estate It’s wonderful to imagine sampling olive oil from the olive groves of Hadrian. This includes a rare variety of olives called Albero Bello. This rare variety of olive oil is only available on the estate and not to the general public. “The majority of olive trees used for current production are only a few hundred years old. As many as seven different cultivars of olive trees grow on the estate, including one totally unique variety called Albero Bello, or the beautiful tree. Dating to the 13th century, the tree stands 52 feet tall. Last month, the villa produced special olive oil made only from the olives of this nearly thousand-year-old giant.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/emperor-hadrian-villa

There have been several posts before about the possible bubonic plague in Ancient Rome. (See posts below.) Rufus of Ephesus (70-110 AD) mentioned earlier plagues that might have been a form of bubonic plague. These early plagues described by Rufus were much less severe than the later suspected Bubonic Plague of Justinian (541-549 AD) and the Black Death that devastated Europe (1347-1352). These plagues described by Rufus might have been caused by a completely different disease. Many believe that black rats and fleas played a key role in spreading the bacterium (Yersinia pestis) responsible for bubonic plagues. Finding evidence of ancient black rat populations would support the occurrence of ancient bubonic plague, at least during the reign of the Eastern Emperor Justinian. This study shows that the black rat population both fluctuated and declined, especially during and after the Justinian Plague. This study supports the belief that at least the Justinian Plague (among all of the ancient plagues) was a form of the bubonic plague. The plagues were able to spread quickly through developed societies that facilitated trade (and disease) from distant locations. Grain transport, for example, would carry both essential food supplies and infected rats over long distances. The plague would decline either because these trade networks were disrupted or (less likely) because climate change affected rat populations. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-30009-z https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220503141339.htm

Dr. Francis Fukuyama is a thoughtful economist and political scientist. I found his paragraph from the Wall Street Journal (April 31, 2022) somewhat surprising, however. I found this paragraph wrong. Let's analyze it further. He insists that in 221 BCE China (not Ancient Rome) was the first society that developed the "foundational elements of a modern state", "1,800 years before [European societies] started to evolve modern states. What are his criteria for a modern state? A merit-based civil service: The success of both the Roman Republic and Empire depended on a developed and sophisticated civil service and bureaucracy. Centralized taxation: Rome was notorious for its bureaucratic tax system Uniform weights and measures: The success of Roman engineering was dependent on a highly accurate system of weights and engineering. Usually Dr. Fukuyama can be very thoughtful in his writing. This paragraph, however, was just plain silly.

Further insights have been found about the site. The attached article has some wonderful pictures: (Evidence of cremation) https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/fascinating-finds-reveal-bishops-stortfords-past-as-a-roma-9251991/

Here is a wonderful video on the Gallic Roman Empire (260-274 AD).

Archaeologists hope to discover more about the story of Eildon Hill North. The site in southern Scotland may have been occupied much later than previously thought. Eildon Hill North in the Scottish Borders was a large Bronze Age fort prior to the arrival of the Romans. It was thought to be abandoned when the Romans built the nearby fortress of Trimontium in the 1st century AD. (See previous post below.) Although evidence of a Roman signal tower associated with Trimontium was found at the summit of Eildon Hill North, Eildon Hill North was thought to be otherwise reduced in both function and importance with the Roman invasion. New archaeological evidence suggests, however, that a thriving community persisted at Eildon Hill North possibly during the Roman occupation or later. (Map showing close proximity of the Roman fort Trimontium and the Bronze Age community at Eildon Hill North: 2.6 miles or 4.2 km) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-61258228

The use of absorption spectrometry has revealed faded pigment on ancient monuments. This has allowed researchers to reconstruct the original appearance of monuments that had long been faded by time. Although this is an older study, it shows that the monuments in Ancient Rome were brightly colored spectacles. We may need to reassess our view of how the Arch of Titus (with its famous menorah) and other monuments, such as the Arch of Constantine (see post below), used repurposed decorative sculpture, including fragments from earlier monuments, in Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome was a city of bright colors and gaudy facades, more akin to modern-day Las Vegas than the sterile white-marble city depicted by Hollywood. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.haaretz.com/amp/archaeology/MAGAZINE-archaeologists-reconstruct-how-the-arch-of-titus-looked-in-full-color-1.5449144

This is an interesting article about the new isotope-based technique to measure the age of antique wood. Previously, dating the wood was based on the rings of the tree (known as dendrochronology). (See example above.) A tree ring carefully dissected prior to chemical analysis. Credit: UK Oak Project Summary: This new dating technique will be helpful to date older wood samples in Britain. https://www.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-events/news/2022/04/ancient-oak-trees-to-shed-light-on-the-climate-of-the-past-4500-years.php

It is good to see that life is returning to normal post-pandemic. This looks like an interesting exhibit: Fresco of Leda and the swan Archaeological Park of Pompeii https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-was-erotic-art-so-popular-in-ancient-pompeii-180979988/ http://pompeiisites.org/en/comunicati/art-and-sensuality-in-the-houses-of-pompeii-an-exhibition-to-recount-the-central-position-occupied-by-sensual-and-erotic-images-in-the-domus-of-pompeii/

It looks historically accurate to me.

A skeleton and a caltrop [a Roman era device similar to police spikes possibly used to stop advancing troops and horses]. Both were unearthed at Grange Paddocks by archaeologists (Image: East Herts District Council) A small, but interesting find at Grange Paddocks: https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/roman-skeletons-weapons-discovered-during-7004357 Summary: It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to find Roman ruins buried in a modern frequently-used sports complex. It does, however, reflect the extensive Roman development in the area. I had never considered the use of caltrops in ancient warfare in Britain, probably to slow advance of troops, horses, and even chariots. Here is further information on the use of caltrops in ancient warfare: (Picture from Trimontium Museum archive) https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/roman-skeletons-weapons-discovered-during-7004357 https://www.trimontium.co.uk/archive-item/caltrop-replica/

(Proposed renovation of Britain's only known Roman circus in Colchester.) The Roman circus served many purposes: it was the venue for chariot and horse races, gladiatorial performances, and public celebrations. There have been previous posts about the excavation of Roman ruins in Cholchester. (See post below.) There has been a partial excavation of the only known Roman circus in Britain, located in Colchester. Plans are now underway to reroute a busy highway to uncover the rest of the circus. https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/20092058.colchester-roman-circus-calls-made-remove-busy-road/