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Before people learned to extract iron from ore during the Iron Age, meteorites were the only source of the metal. This iron Bronze-age arrowhead found in Mörigen, Switzerland was not surprisingly crafted from a meteorite. It dates to 900-800 BCE. After closer analysis, however, the meteorite iron source was determined to be most likely from a meteorite that fell in distant Estonia. This distance of 1600 km (almost 1000 miles) from the Baltic area may reflect the extensive trade in Bronze Age Europe. In 2021, a team of scientists from the institution began studying the relic using noninvasive methods—including electron microscopy, X-ray tomography, and gamma spectrometry—to prevent any damage. While the researchers initially suspected the material to have come from the Twannberg meteorite, which hit a barley field in [nearby] Twann about 170,000 years ago, the arrowhead’s metal content led them instead to the Kaalijarv meteorite. The Kaalijarv meteorite, also known as Kaali, landed in the region of Estonia during the Nordic Bronze Age (c. 1700–500 B.C.E.). https://news.artnet.com/art-world/bronze-age-arrowhead-made-from-meteorite-2345756/amp-page https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440323001073?via%3Dihub#sec4

Naxian sphinxes depict a winged lion with a female face. One example from the third century AD was uncovered in the Roman provincial town of Potaissa in ancient Dacia, located in present-day Romania. The bronze sphinx was stolen in the nineteenth century and never has been recovered. Based on a surviving drawing, however, the sphinx inscription has finally been translated. Note that the poem needs to be read right to left. A "dactyl" in poetry is a poetic foot (rhythmic unit) consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables, but in this inscription which is read right to left, the patten is the opposite. https://arkeonews.net/mysterious-inscription-on-ancient-dacia-sphinx-is-deciphered/ https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/01/inscription-on-naxian-style-sphinx-deciphered/150132 Inscription on a Naxian-Style Sphinx Statue From Potaissa Deciphered as a Poem in Dactylic Meter | Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry (maajournal.com)

A small hoard or cache of ten coins dating from the reign of Byzantine Emperor Constans II (AD 641-668) have been discovered in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in the modern day Karabük’s Eskipazar district in Turkey. https://www.dailysabah.com/turkiye/1400-year-old-coins-found-in-piggy-bank-in-turkiyes-karabuk/news/amp http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/69169 https://arkeonews.net/1400-year-old-coins-found-in-a-piggy-bank-in-ancient-city-of-hadrianopolis/#

What a wonderful trip planned. Despite traveling to Italy a few times to visit relatives, I’ve never been to Venice. Looking at the map, the two places are very close, but are distinct sites. Looking at web sites, only the North Arsenal is regularly open. The Southern Arsenal is open only during the biannual art festival. From the picture, one can see the Arsenal and the maritime museum (Museo Storico Navale) are extremely close. Sounds fun. Post pictures. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Storico_Navale https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_Arsenal

Thank you for reading my post. You made some interesting and very credible points. I would say, however, that the above description of the cause of the ring width is possibly a little too simplistic. I like the multifactorial explanation below better. It seems to me that ring width is a useful tool to assess not only precipitation, but it is also useful to analyze a large array of local climate conditions. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780123869135000132

In this short video, Max Miller actually cooks with his garum concoction:

A head of Bacchus that dates to the Ancient Greek era has been discovered in the water near the Ancient Greek city of Cyrene in modern day Libya. The artifact may have been uncovered as a result of a storm in September. The city of Cyrene was well know for its export of the coveted medicinal plant silphium (see post below): https://arkeonews.net/researcher-found-the-head-of-the-statue-of-bacchus-inside-a-water-channel-near-the-ancient-city-of-cyrene-in-libya/

This the latest improved version of this video view of Ancient Rome. This version has more colorized buildings:

There have been previous posts about the Carnyx, the frightening Celtic instrument (see below). Here’s an excellent review of the Carnyx and its role in Celtic history.

Today (late December), the morning sky outside my window is either an auspicious or an ominous sign of what the new year (2024) will bring. Let’s hope the new year will bring all good health and fortune. I wonder what our local augur would say.

A Roman-era man in Cambridgeshire has been shown by DNA analysis to have been born outside the Roman Empire and he is of Sarmatian descent, living around modern-day southern Russia and Ukraine. The Sarmatians were a nomadic horse-riding peoples originating in the Eurasian Steppe. By analyzing his teeth, researches also learned about his diet. https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/23997908.a14-cambridgeshire-mans-remains-offers-insight-romans/

Despite Rome’s cultural dominance in the Danube, very few individuals of Italian descent actually lived there. Researchers have analyzed the ancient DNA from 136 Roman era individuals from the Balkan Peninsula (present day Serbia and Croatia). They showed little contribution from the Italian peninsula. Rather than wide scale migration from the Italian peninsula, the DNA studies show that half of the Roman inhabitants were of Balkan Iron Age ancestry, as well as a third were from Western Anatolia. Several individuals from this period have North or Eastern African ancestry. One individual of East African ancestry was buried with an oil lamp depicting Jupiter-related Eagle iconography. Isotopic analysis of his teeth suggest dietary habits from a distant region. https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/civilisations/surprise-discovery-about-roman-empire-found-in-ancient-dna/ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231207161343.htm

Here’s a good video on the find:

Before the fatal volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, a devastating earthquake (of 5-6 magnitude) hit Pompeii in AD 62. A stolen marble relief depicting this earlier event has been found in a wall of a Belgium home. https://arkeonews.net/2000-year-old-genuine-pompeii-marble-relief-installed-in-a-wall-lining-the-staircase-leading-down-to-the-basement-in-a-belgium-home/ An alter at the House of Lucius Caecilius lucundus at Pompeii depicts this earlier earthquake of AD 62. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_62_Pompeii_earthquake

Thanks! Let’s all have a healthy and happy 2024.

A Roman silver ring dated between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD have been found in the Cotswolds. There have been previous Roman finds in the area (see posts below): https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-67692133

Two interesting photos of the swords found in Ein Gedi, Israel earlier this year, overlooking the Dead Sea:

Manhattan District attorney Melvin Bragg ordered the return 30 antiquities to Greece: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/us-repatriates-30-artifacts-to-greece-2410036 https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-return-of-30-antiquities-to-the-people-of-greece/ Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been involved in other repatriations:

Here is good summary article on the find: https://www.aol.com/staggering-excavation-rewritten-fall-roman-140000046.html

Recent excavations at Pompeii have uncovered 13 terracotta figurines measuring around 15 cm (about six inches) https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/12/terracotta-figurines-found-during-excavations-at-pompeii/150014

Winged Cupids dyeing textiles on a frieze at the House of Vettii in Pompeii. In Pompeii there is a project to bring back the techniques of dyeing fabric of the ancient Roman city. They contacted master dyer Claudio Cutuli from Umbria for his input into the research. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/pompeii-brings-back-fabric-dyeing-to-show-life-before-the-eruption/news Here’s an excellent video on the latest findings at the House of Vettii in Pompeii, including the frescoes of scenes of daily life depicting Cupids dyeing fabric, preparing grapes for wine, making perfumes, and creating floral garlands (10:20):

Here’s a nice article on the discovery of this mosaic made of shells and coral. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/style/rome-palatine-hill-archaeology-discovery/index.html

The Scythians were a nomadic Steppe tribe. They were an equestrian nomadic people. They were well known for being skilled mounted bowmen. They were known stating in the 9th century BCE until they were replaced by the Sarmatians in the 3rd century BCE. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-analysis-ancient-scythian-leather-samples.html Here is a comprehensive video on the Scythians. The women were known for their military skills and tattoos:

Elon Musk, while visiting Italian PM Giorgia Meloni in Rome, shared this short view of the Pantheon on X (Twitter): https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/watch-elon-musk-visits-the-pantheon-in-rome-shares-incredible-view-of-the-city-at-night-4690716/amp/1