Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Welcome to the AD 410 web site

2010 marks the 1600th anniversary of the end of Roman Britain in AD 410 - one of the greatest turning points in our history. What was life on the island like at this critical moment? Was it fire and sword, with barbarian raids, peasant risings, tribal warfare?

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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Yes! We've found another Nero..

AN ANCIENT statue of a boy's head is very likely a depiction of one of the most hated Roman Emperors, scientists have revealed.

The breakthrough discovery at Fishbourne Roman Palace has amazed archaeologists and could rewrite history.

Scientists believe the statue unearthed at the palace depicts Emperor Nero as a young boy.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Mosaics tell of Somerset prosperity in Roman times

They were the perfect way to demonstrate wealth and culture in Roman Britain, and a new book on Roman mosaics says a little town in Somerset was probably home to some of the art's best craftsmen.

To impress your guests, what could be better than installing a mosaic pavement full of cultural (and sensual) delights in the bath block?

The owner of the villa at Low Ham, near Langport, did just that. He called in craftsmen to recreate the legend of the love between Dido, Queen of Carthage and Aeneas of Troy, as told by Virgil, in five lively panels on the floor of the cold room.

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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Roman remains site 'has become dumping ground'

A SITE that helped archaeologists discover more about Colchester’s history has become a “dumping ground”, according to residents living nearby.

The piece of land in St Peter’s Street, which backs on to Northgate Street, has been left undeveloped for almost a decade.

Colchester Archaeological Trust discovered the remains of a Roman Road, Roman wall and a well-preserved wooden Roman drain when they dug up the site last year.

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Week of the centurions at Fishbourne Roman Palace

A museum is going military to teach children army life nearly 2,000 years ago.

Fishbourne Roman Palace, near Chichester, has organised a Roman Army Week from October 26 to 30.

Visitors will be able to get an army 'tattoo', try their hand with spear practice and learn how to write their name in Latin.

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Roman chariot find needs £200,000 to secure centre dream

PLANS for a Roman chariot circus visitor centre in Colchester could fail for the lack of £200,000.

A consortium, which is looking to create the centre, has had offers from two bidders who between them are prepared to put up half the £400,000 needed from private investors to secure the project.

But the January deadline is fast approaching and Philip Crummy, of Colchester Archaeological Trust, said he was “pessimistic” of finding a third backer.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

History Cookbook

Welcome to the history cookbook. Do you know what the Vikings ate for dinner? What a typical meal of a wealthy family in Roman Britain consisted of, or what food was like in a Victorian Workhouse? Why not drop into history cookbook and find out? This project looks at the food of the past and how this influenced the health of the people living in each time period. You can also try some of the recipes for yourself. We have a wide range of historical recipes from Brown Bread Ice Cream to Gruel (Why not see if you would be asking for more - just like Oliver Twist).

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Ancient Rome's Real Population Revealed

The first century B.C. was one of the most culturally rich in the history of the Roman Empire - the age of Cicero, Caesar and Virgil. But as much as historians know about the great figures of this period of Ancient Rome, they know very little about some basic facts, such as the population size of the late Roman Empire.

Now, a group of historians has used caches of buried coins to provide an answer to this question.

During the Republican period of Rome (about the fifth to the first centuries B.C), adult male citizens of Rome could be taxed and conscribed into the army and were also given the right to vote. To keep track of this section of the population (and their taxable assets), the Roman state conducted periodic censuses.

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Monday, October 5, 2009

Ship survey reveals Romans liked French wine

THE Department of Antiquities has just released the findings of its survey of a Roman shipwreck near Cape Greco on the Island's southeast coast.

The shipwreck dates from the 2nd century AD and contains over 130 ceramic jars, likely to have been carrying wine or oil.

"Its location in shallow waters, suggest that either the vessel was nearing an intended port-of-call, or else was engaged in a coasting trade, moving products to market over short distances up and down the coast," said a press release from the Department of Antiquities.

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Whatever happened to all the Neros?

Archaeologists believe a statue of a boy's head may be a depiction of one of the most hated Roman Emperors.

The head found at Fishbourne Roman Palace, West Sussex, will undergo a 3D scan to see if it is a rare marble statue of Emperor Nero as a young boy.

If it is, it would be only the third surviving piece of its kind in the world.

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