guy

“Saharan dust blowing across Europe has reached the UK, with people in the south finding their cars covered in orange dust.“ https://news.sky.com/story/sahara-dust-cloud-cars-left-covered-in-red-storm-that-blew-in-from-europe-12567718

The ancient city of Alexandria was a center of learning for the ancient world. A key feature of this cultural hub was the Library of Alexandria. Instead of being destroyed by a single catastrophic event, the library's decline was due to a series of mishaps, some intentional and some not, as well as a loss of public support. This article is both readable and fair: ”Wendrich characterized the destruction of the Library of Alexandria as a "slow decay" that "took place over centuries." Indeed, most scholars today are in general agreement that the library suffered a prolonged, painful decline rather than an abrupt, dramatic death. As its influence waned over time, many of its collections were sold or destroyed, and its buildings were ultimately razed or converted into other facilities, such as churches or mosques. However, this decline was hastened by a number of dramatic events, each of which played a role in lessening the importance of Alexandria as an intellectual center.” https://www.livescience.com/rise-and-fall-of-the-great-alexandria-library An informative (and unbiased) video on the decline of the Library of Alexandria: A nice recreation of the ancient city of Alexandria:

Using a technique that uses cosmic ray muons (known as muon tomography), scientists had identified two previously unknown voids (cavities) in the Great Pyramid of Giza in 2017. Since muons are more deeply penetrating than X-rays, muon tomography can be used to image thru material much thicker than trabitional X-rays or CT scans. This original study was part of the ScanPyramid mission. Here is an excellent video on the technology and findings: A new study (known as Explore the Great Pyramid mission), using more advanced muon tomography, will now examine these two pyramid “voids” more closely: https://phys.org/news/2022-03-archeologists-scan-great-pyramid-giza.amp

The presence of this substance “ambergris” in the vase piqued my interest. I had to look that one up: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambergris I never imagined that a substance from a sperm whale would be used in Gaul. Also called “whale vomit” or “floating gold,” this intriguing substance can be found on beaches, including those in Britain. https://www.indiatimes.com/amp/explainers/news/what-exactly-is-ambergris-556633.html It is incredible that the Romans were able to find the rare ambergris and knew about its potential uses.

An innovative scheme to harvest heat from the naturally hot spa water at the Roman Baths and use it to heat surrounding buildings is entering its final phase. The King’s Bath has been drained ready for the energy exchange system to be installed https://mnrjournal.co.uk/article.cfm?id=122042 A nice video tour of the area:

Previous discussions have highlighted the remarkable cage cups made during the Roman Empire, like the Autun cage cup and the Lycurgus cup. A picture of the vase before cleaning Here is additional information about the cage cup unearthed in Autun, France. It appears spectacular after being cleaned. (See thread below) https://the-past.com/shorts/objects/cage-cup/

Here is a wonderful video on the Via Domitia. The aqueduct of Nîmes, France is part of the development that the Via Domitia brought.

There have been two recent findings on two different roads with similar names: Via Domitia and Via Domitiana. First the background: The Via Domitia: The Via Domitiana: By Ruthven - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67719263 First the findings on the Via Domitia (the road in Southern France): An aerial view of the new Roman road section, part of the legendary Via Domitia, discovered in the scrublands above the town of Loupian, France. ( INRAP) New Section Of Famous Roman Road ‘Via Domitia’ Discovered In France | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net) News on the Via Domitiana (the road in Campana, Italy): A portion of the Via Domitiana has been discovered during routine excavation: Pozzuoli, dai lavori spunta un tratto inedito della via Domitiana - Il Mattino.it Via Domitia - Wikipedia Via Domiziana - Wikipedia (Thank you Marco Picardi @MarcoPicardi for brining the Via Domitiana link to my attention.)

A wonderful find in the front garden of a Broadstairs home. ““I excavated out the flagon and next to that there was a broken pot and inside that there were bits of bones.” Now Dave and wife Katie have received a report from the team which reveals the find was a Roman cremation burial dated 1st – 2nd Century A.D. of most likely a woman aged between 20 and 35 There were three ceramic vessels associated with the cremation – a small, imported beaker of the Roman period, a Romano-British flagon and a large Romano-British jar, which contained the cremated bone. The report says: “The vessels, and subsequently the cremated remains, can be dated to late 1st to 2nd century AD. It is likely that all three pots originally had everyday domestic functions and were later chosen for burial with the deceased. “The flagon is almost complete and its features – the fabric, colour, vessel shape and size – suggest it was made in one of the kilns of Roman Canterbury, Durovernum Cantiacorum. The imported beaker had features which the team say shows it was made in the Rhineland and is a type relatively uncommon among East Kent finds. If this beaker was from the Rhineland, it would support the belief that there was an extensive trade throughout the Roman Empire. https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2022/03/09/roman-cremation-burial-site-uncovered-in-broadstairs-front-garden/

Our images of past historical figures are shaped by their modern depictions in the movies and television. Marc Antony is most memorably portrayed by James Purefoy in the HBO series “Rome” seen above. Cleopatra is wonderfully portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor below: Here is a wonderful scene from the HBO series “Rome” between Marc Antony (James Purefoy) and Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal). Here is an artists depiction of how they would look today by graphic designer Becca Saladin: https://www.uxdesigndoc.com/2020/02/17/what-would-historical-figures-look-like-today/ And here is Julius Caesar:

While researching the coin of the more obscure Emperor Volusian (see thread below), I came upon this fascinating video of the emperors of the third century crisis:

A little more information on the find: ”Archaeologists have unearthed a rare Pictish stone in Angus. The 1.7m (5.5ft) long carved monument is one of only about 200 to be found. The site is near a suspected location of the Battle of Dun Nechtain, also known as the Battle of Nechtansmere. Fought in 685 AD, it saw Picts defeat an army of Northumbrian Angles. The stone is thought to date from the 5th or 6th Centuries.” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99jnywwrnlo

Although the details are still not clear, it appears that an Ancient Roman merchant ship found off the the coast of Mallorca, Spain is being investigated more closely. This finding supports the belief that a brisk trade existed among the elites in the Balearic Islands. https://goadnews.com/a-roman-ship-that-sank-in-the-mediterranean-1700-years-ago-gives-up-its-treasures-archeology/

There has been a recent find of a Pictish symbol stone. (There have been several recent threads on the Picts. See below). It is wonderful to see that excavations have continued during this pandemic. The YouTube video below is very good. https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/pictish-stone-found-near-ancient-battle-site-in-truly-remarkable-discovery-3600094 https://news.stv.tv/north/archaeologists-from-aberdeen-university-unearth-remarkable-pictish-symbol-stone-in-field-near-forfar

Interamna Lirenas today (image credit: G. Murro) Here is an interesting article about the little-known Roman colony in central Italy known as Interamna Lirenas. Recent archaeological research has proven that it was more important and developed than previously thought. I had to look the city up in Wikipedia: The town even had a magnificent roofed theater: https://antigonejournal.com/2022/03/roman-town-interamna-lirenas/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interamna_Lirenas

Gordon Doherty did a nice video on Trimontium: Here’s a video from the Trimontium trust:

Trimontium is a Roman fort located in Newstead, Scotland, approximately sixty miles north of Hadrian's Wall. New ground-penetrating radar technology is being employed to better map the fort complex. This could lead to new discoveries and insights into life at the fort. Background information (also see Gordon Doherty’s video below): Trimontium was a Roman fort located at Newstead, near Melrose in the Borders region of Scotland, situated close to the three Eildon Hills (from which the name "trium montium" derives). The geographer Ptolemy identified the fort in his writings. The Romans occupied Trimontium intermittently from 80 to 211 AD. At the peak of Roman occupation, approximately 1,500 soldiers and a civilian population of similar size inhabited the settlement. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-60602352 https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Trimontium_(Newstead)

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/03/new-survey-reveals-extent-of-roman-villa-complex-found-at-rutland/142985?amp

A little too dark for me. That song is reminiscent of this Metallica song, which is also too dark for me:

Here is an update on the recent excavation of a Roman villa in Rutland. (See below for the original thread). The villa is much larger than initially believed. Less than 3% of the site has been uncovered. Excavations have included, so far, the marvelous mosaic shown above. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-60603329

A rare Roman gold coin known as a binio (a double aureus) of the emperor Volusian was found in Somogy, Hungary (see map below). He was the co-ruler with his father Trebonianus Gallus from 251 to 253 AD. They were possibly assassinated by their own troops with the approaching usurper Aemilian. https://www.archaeology.org/news/10385-220301-hungary-gold-coin https://www.livescience.com/rare-roman-gold-coin-hungary

Am I missing something? Looks the same on my IPhone.

Modern excavation of Butrint, Albania began in the 1920s under the direction of Mussolini’s fascist Italy. After WW II, however, the archaeological site was abandoned. Research has resumed, however, rescuing some of the archaeological finds. In the 4th century BC, the city (called Buthrotum by the Romans) had a Greek sanctuary to Asclepius and also large theater. In 228 BC Buthrotum became a Roman protectorate along with neighboring Corfu. The city later became a colony for retiring loyal troops, first under Caesar and later Augustus. The theater is known for its inscriptions carved on stone. The majority of these inscriptions deal with manumissions freeing slaves. Most of the slaves had Greek names with a few Latin exceptions. Unfortunately, most of these inscriptions were thought lost after being excavated in the the 20-30s. The theatre at Butrint lay within a sanctuary complex devoted to the cult of Ascelpius. A set of inscriptions documenting the manumission of slaves were found when the theatre was excavated in 1928. Although the inscriptions have since degraded, an important new discovery provides an opportunity to see the texts as they appeared shortly after they were unearthed. The inscriptions remain in place in the theatre, but, as these photographs show, the texts are no longer as legible as they were when first discovered. Paper ‘squeezes’ made of at least some of the theatre inscriptions in the 1930s were unexpectedly found in Macerata, during lockdown in 2020. These three-dimensional copies of the letters reveal how legible the inscriptions were a few years after they were unearthed, allowing early readings of the texts to be checked. PHOTOS: Pierluigi Giorgi https://the-past.com/feature/butrints-slave-manumissions-shedding-new-light-on-the-unesco-world-heritage-city/

During work on a new stadium in Gloucestershire (Southwest England), ten skeletons and other artifacts thought to date from Roman Britain have been found. Adult male and female, and children's, remains were grouped together, which may indicate they were a family group, the team said https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-60591007

Votive offering found inside the Large Temple. Credit: SIKAIT PROJECT There was a previous thread about the importance of emeralds in Ancient Rome. The Romans referred to emerald as smaragdus. Current excavations are being conducted in the area of emerald mining. The dig is at the Roman site of Sikait, Egypt. The Romans referred to the mountains they mined as Mons Smaragdus or Emerald Mountain. This was the only place within the Roman Empire where emeralds could be found.* https://phys.org/news/2022-03-roman-empire-emerald-fallen-nomads.html https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/504053 https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/gc/article/view/2752/3212