tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24168765556018963102024-03-14T06:12:13.130+01:00Roman Archaeology BlogThe Roman Archaeology Blog is concerned with news reports featuring Roman period archaeology. If you wish to see news reports for general European archaeology, please go to The Archaeology of Europe Weblog.David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comBlogger1377125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-71432738709017691622024-01-31T09:43:00.004+01:002024-01-31T09:43:30.206+01:00Archaeology Classes on the Oxford Experience summer school 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="1200" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0aoSHQBHyPagcTWN1OJGbQbpJk6ntFZOc7Gh8orqUr8DgmfB3l0yW1IQUFzl_AQDaD7FNgxcQqLkF9dqWQ1Ou4SUrs-xH3ZaLfgWEk3Y_xvHi3psCrDJh3cvHoOancHFd2euly2w4SecQn1n3XUz-ORUk-Ob50W-mCkOh7cwppr4T-3d_Z1L/s320/Tom%20Quad%20DJB.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tom Quad, Christ Church, Oxford University – image David Beard</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Oxford Experience summer school is held at Christ Church, Oxford. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Participants stay in Christ Church and eat in the famous Dining Hall, that was the model for the Hall in the Harry Potter movies.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This year there are twelve classes offered in archaeology.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://archeurope.com/oxford-experience-archaeology/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">You can find the list of courses here…</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-47909016446325911512024-01-29T17:10:00.002+01:002024-01-29T17:10:39.933+01:00‘Their heads were nailed to the trees’: what was life – and death – like for Roman legionaries?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8eb1cc6ff0457b762ebe8b24d369207946815ee8/0_0_4745_3553/master/4745.jpg?width=1300&dpr=2&s=none" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">‘It was killing fields as far as the eye can see’ … the Latin-inscribed slabs crossing the site of the battle, which features in the British Museum show Legion.<br />Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">‘Their heads were nailed to the trees’: what was life – and death – like for Roman legionaries?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It was the defeat that traumatised Rome, leaving 15,000 soldiers slaughtered in a German field. As a major show explores this horror and more, our writer finds traces of the fallen by a forest near the Rhine</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It is one of the most chilling passages in Roman literature. Germanicus, the emperor Tiberius’s nephew, is leading reprisals in the deeply forested areas east of the Rhine, when he decides to visit the scene of the catastrophic defeat, six years before, of his fellow Roman, Quinctilius Varus. The historian Tacitus describes what Germanicus finds: the ghastly human wreckage of a supposedly unbeatable army, deep in the Teutoburg Forest. “On the open ground,” he writes, “were whitening bones of men, as they had fled, or stood their ground, strewn everywhere or piled in heaps. Near lay fragments of weapons and limbs of horses, and also human heads, prominently nailed to trunks of trees.”</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/jan/29/heads-nailed-trees-roman-legionnaires-british-museum-legion?" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-14601718661971553372024-01-29T17:00:00.001+01:002024-01-29T17:00:01.547+01:00Link found between cold snaps during Roman Empire era and pandemics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/link-found-between-col.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Schematic drawing of the relationship between climatic change and sociological, physical, and biological factors influencing infectious disease outbreaks.<br />Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk1033</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A team of geoscientists, Earth scientists and environmental scientists affiliated with several institutions in Germany, the U.S. and the Netherlands has found a link between cold snaps and pandemics during the Roman Empire.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In their project, reported in the journal Science Advances, the group studied core samples taken from the seabed in the Gulf of Taranto and compared them with historical records.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Researchers learn about climatic conditions in the distant past by analyzing sediment built up from river deposits. Tiny organisms that are sensitive to temperature, for example, respond differently to warm temperatures than to cold temperatures and often wind up in such sediment. Thus, the study of organic remains in sediment layers can reveal details of temperatures over a period of time.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://phys.org/news/2024-01-link-cold-snaps-roman-empire.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-47334348886196805772024-01-25T11:30:00.001+01:002024-01-25T11:30:51.568+01:00Mystery of 'unusual and largest ever' Roman hoard discovered in UK town finally solved<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhlyVCYscpzFxK2v9UngCWxwORiceLH8PY3-U1SGdKRGxCTthoXn-S5OMH9ycJkKuqlu-UwuqQwvGKOK4msF8xyzM1kGKPqLKiNx0eP8Rah_MFyj23GiRyyhEMp_JyZ458m3eZEr7kh2RW4uxpN2EPf8YDoLBckd8Q23gKycBlzdMLYF4pef2/s940/Knaresborough%20hoard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="940" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhlyVCYscpzFxK2v9UngCWxwORiceLH8PY3-U1SGdKRGxCTthoXn-S5OMH9ycJkKuqlu-UwuqQwvGKOK4msF8xyzM1kGKPqLKiNx0eP8Rah_MFyj23GiRyyhEMp_JyZ458m3eZEr7kh2RW4uxpN2EPf8YDoLBckd8Q23gKycBlzdMLYF4pef2/s320/Knaresborough%20hoard.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">While the Knaresborough Hoard, as it came to be known, was found way back in 1864, never has there been a detailed analysis of the items included in it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The people who found the hoard, in the tiny Yorkshire town, were also unsure about the story behind the hoard. All they knew was that it dated to the Roman period.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">That has all changed after archaeologists at Newcastle University carried out the first comprehensive study of the collection, something that has finally 'revealed the mystery' after all this time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Exactly 30 items make up the hoard, most of which are now on display in the Yorkshire Museum in York.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">They were donated to the museum in 1864 by Thomas Gott, an ironmonger who was also a Town Councillor and lived in Knaresborough — though he was reluctant to reveal where they had been found or who owned the and from which they were pulled.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1859366/roman-uk-town-hoard-knaresborough-newscastle-university-spt" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-23443930994336456662024-01-24T16:03:00.002+01:002024-01-24T16:03:40.160+01:00Spicy wine: New study reveals ancient Romans may have had peculiar tastes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/spicy-wine-new-study-r-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Buried Roman fermentation jars (dolia) from Villa Regina, Boscoreale. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Credit: E. Dodd, courtesy of the Ministero della Cultura – Parco Archaeologico di Pompei</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's no secret that the ancient Romans were lovers of wine. So gripped by the grape were they, that they even worshiped a god—Bacchus—devoted to wine and merriment.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But, little is known about what their wine actually tasted like. Was it bitter or sweet? Fruity or earthy? According to a pioneering new study, it was rather spicy and smelled like toast.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The study, published on Jan. 23 in the journal Antiquity, analyzed Roman clay jars, known as dolia, which were used to manufacture, ferment and store ancient wines.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://phys.org/news/2024-01-spicy-wine-reveals-ancient-romans.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-9418472947771916802024-01-24T10:46:00.002+01:002024-01-24T10:46:12.442+01:00Roman Villa Associated with Pliny the Elder Discovered in Naples<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://greekreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Site-of-the-Roman-villa-in-Naples-connected-to-Pliny-the-Elder.-Credit--1392x924.png" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Researchers in Naples have discovered an ancient Roman villa on the seafront thought to be the place from where Pliny the Elder watched Mount Vesuvius erupt.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeological assistance sought during an urban regeneration project in the vicinity of Punta Sarparella in Bacoli, Naples, has led to the uncovering of the remains of a monumental Roman villa, dating back to around the 1st century AD.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Structure, built using diamond-shaped cubilia in the opus reticulata form (decorative Roman wall facing), is comprised of ten large rooms in various stages of construction, and extends all the way to the beach from the site.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://greekreporter.com/2024/01/24/roman-villa-pliny-the-elder-naples/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-64620314238519467022024-01-17T09:55:00.002+01:002024-01-17T09:55:42.752+01:00See the Face of Roman Britain’s Only Known Crucifixion Victim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/OlNSIXhDN3Cj6PjEisfw9fBrFzk=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale():focal(640x482:641x483)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/71/27/7127f22f-29d3-49e2-a799-c71687a21c02/face_lead_image.jpeg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Only one victim of crucifixion has ever been identified in Roman Britain: The man’s skeleton—with a two-inch nail driven through its heel bone—was discovered during a dig in Cambridgeshire in 2017. Now, researchers have released a facial reconstruction showing what he may have looked like 2,000 years ago.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As Joe Mullins, a forensic scientist at Virginia’s George Mason University, says in the new BBC Four documentary The Cambridgeshire Crucifixion, “I am staring at a face from thousands of years ago, and staring at this face is something I will never forget.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Mullins’ work usually involves working with law enforcement to reconstruct the faces of modern-day crime victims, according to a statement from George Mason. As he tells BBC News’ Katy Prickett, the ancient victim possesses “by far the most interesting skull I’ve worked on in my career.”</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-face-of-roman-britains-only-known-crucifixion-victim-180983596/?utm_medium=distribution&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=editorial" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-72394437492597207142023-12-19T10:41:00.002+01:002023-12-19T10:41:50.258+01:00The battle was likely fought around 15 B.C.E. between Roman troops and local Suanetes fighters, who lost the bout.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/archaeologists-at-battle-site.jpeg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists at work uncovering evidence of a battle that was fought in the Julier Valley around 15 B.C.E. image: Archaeological Service Graubünden</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">oday, the Julier Valley in Switzerland is an idyllic place with majestic mountains and wide, green fields. But some 2,000 years ago, archaeologists now believe that it was the site of a fierce battle between Roman soldiers and local warriors, one which changed the course of history and helped lead to the Roman occupation of modern-day Switzerland.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">During the examination of the site, which is located in the Crap-Ses gorge between the towns of Tiefencastel and Cunter, archaeologists have found thousands of objects that allude to the valley’s violent past. These include swords, slingshot bullets, brooches, coins, fragments of shields, and thousands upon thousands of Roman hobnails, which were hammered into the soles of leather boots and shoes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There is so much at the site, in fact, that archaeologists uncovered an average of 250 to 300 objects per day during a three-week period in the autumn.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/roman-battlefield-switzerland" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-70503982451022136122023-12-19T09:24:00.001+01:002023-12-19T09:24:02.627+01:00Was Honorius’ Letter Really Sent to Britain?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="800" height="230" src="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/emperor-honorius-letter.jpg?width=1200&quality=70" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Romans ruled Britain for nearly four centuries, from 43 CE until the beginning of the fifth century. Most commentators agree that the actions of Magnus Maximus can be viewed as the beginning of the end of Roman rule over Britain. He withdrew a large portion of Roman troops when he proclaimed himself emperor and set off to attack Emperor Gratian on the continent. This was in 383, quite some time before the fifth century. But while acknowledging that it was a gradual process, many modern sources claim that one specific year can be cited as the final end. In 410 Emperor Honorius wrote a letter telling the recipients that the Romans could no longer protect them. But was it really sent to Britain?</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/emperor-honorius-letter/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-40626343110848806222023-12-12T12:10:00.002+01:002023-12-12T12:10:52.620+01:00 Archaeologists unearth ‘most shocking example of Roman slavery’ at Pompeii<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="710" height="299" src="https://www.archaeology.org/images/News/2312/Pompeii-Regio-IX-Bakery.jpeg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A bakery where enslaved people were imprisoned and exploited to produce bread has been discovered in the ruins of Pompeii in what has been described as the most shocking example of slavery in the ancient Roman city.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The cramped bakery with small windows barred with iron was part of a home that emerged during excavations in the Regio IX area of the Pompeii archaeological park in southern Italy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The discovery provides more evidence on the daily life of Pompeii’s enslaved people, often forgotten about by historical sources but who made up most of the population and whose hard labour propped up the city’s economy as well as the culture and fabric of Roman civilisation.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/dec/08/archaeologists-unearth-most-shocking-example-of-roman-slavery-at-pompeii" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-2624309435000859052023-12-12T12:08:00.001+01:002023-12-12T12:08:02.174+01:00Pompeii Bakery Yields Evidence of Enslaved Workers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="710" height="299" src="https://www.archaeology.org/images/News/2312/Pompeii-Regio-IX-Bakery.jpeg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Pompeii Archaeological Park)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">ROME, ITALY—The Guardian reports that a small bakery equipped with windows blocked by iron bars has been uncovered in the Regio IX area of Pompeii. The remains of three people have been recovered from the structure, which may have been undergoing renovations when it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Markings on the floor of the bakery are thought to have directed the movement of enslaved workers and animals that were likely blindfolded while grinding grain and baking bread in the space. The bakery’s only exit led to the main hall of the luxurious residential section of the structure. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.archaeology.org/news/11989-231211-pompeii-bakery-slavery" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-68780652058143564152023-12-12T12:03:00.002+01:002023-12-12T12:03:55.177+01:00‘Shocking Side Of Ancient Slavery’: Prison Bakery Where Enslaved People Toiled Unearthed In Pompeii<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1021" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXB1IK7n5azJ6NDrj08C-iFDK9-Sp_Rdt1ZoNkb2CA8uCAkAl0MVmuOYjSLQJmKpIN2GJhnsXr31pzbWGIvag1cByL-v8B4_UOeMgUP1aqeRdeS9ZOXIBmLgNGCp63utz1tnp1MC145p3aWXXq40lcx0AcU1Af4LKR8JDlahkxMM6E0pMkBM41/s320/Roman%20Bakery.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The “prison bakery” in Pompeii is just one of the latest archaeological discoveries in the doomed town.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There have been some astounding discoveries in Pompeii in recent years, including a ceremonial chariot, the ancient Roman version of a “fast food stand,” and erotic frescoes. But the latest discovery sheds light on an often overlooked part of Pompeii society: slavery.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists excavating the doomed city, which was destroyed with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E., recently announced the discovery of a “prison bakery” where humans and animals toiled under brutal conditions to make bread. According to a statement from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the cramped room had no view of the outside world and only a few high, barred windows. Indentations in the floor showed where blindfolded donkeys were forced to walk for hours in order to grind grain for bread.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/pompeii-prison-bakery" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-12884033541952949392023-12-12T11:59:00.002+01:002023-12-12T11:59:18.704+01:00Roman-Era Winery Uncovered in Southern France<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB12xF_rpzkKUm1q3Pq9tMhmJn7KA57Lmx4YVbWx4OOoryCYWY2ppSs7C3fYICDdbv7HgiRiAGLAMnpIaLVvhKmU1XLfACpWX3kbUzU1F6-ooJC_9BYH5Tgqq3F1t8apJgQvxOn4OPQpdOIaZdUobNjbZPxjghbxJd3iwUJmPm3Qn62MP_TzZc/s320/LAVEYRON.jpg" width="239" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-size: 14.6667px;">LAVEYRON, FRANCE—According to a </span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #202020; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/1-900-old-winery-made-203204865.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHaf6pamnluJyVgrfGjRUSnPFrF0shhuWmKZt3KTtv9yE72xZf7z6gQsfzXop62k2A7RB_ffFHPBFHpagsBTQmFjsCK5zxZMCf2bZTk7k6q0TWbFv02NzNmSqZlT8Tg4vKG8cnP4XTESAH-Pc11gCA3xvzbprI625ykHtK8T5cPb" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: #0088cc; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Miami Herald</a> </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-size: 14.6667px;">report, researchers from France’s National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) discovered remnants of a 1,900-year-old winery during an investigation conducted ahead of a construction project near the Rhône River in southern France. The wine was likely consumed by Romans, who conquered the region in 53 B.C. Grapes would have been pressed on the site’s central platform. Basins on either site of it would have collected the grape juice, then drained it into cellars made of rectangular bricks. </span><br /><br />Read the rest of this article...</span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-78193575019012569482023-12-12T11:49:00.002+01:002023-12-12T11:49:39.464+01:00Roman 'backwater' bucked Empire's decline, archaeologists reveal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="265" src="https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/roman-backwater-bucked.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">View of the Interamna Lirenas excavation from above and from the North. Photograph taken in September 2023. The remains of the theater can be seen in the center, with the remains of the basilica behind it. Credit: Alessandro Launaro</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A rare roofed theater, markets, warehouses, a river port and other startling discoveries made by a Cambridge-led team of archaeologists challenge major assumptions about the decline of Roman Italy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">New findings from Interamna Lirenas, traditionally written off as a failed backwater in Central Italy, change our understanding of Roman history, its excavators believe.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Their thirteen-year study—published today in the edited volume "Roman Urbanism in Italy"—shows that the town in Southern Lazio continued to thrive well into the 3rd century A.D., bucking what is normally considered Italy's general state of decline in this period.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-12-roman-backwater-bucked-empire-decline.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-42448560662092941272023-12-07T11:33:00.002+01:002023-12-07T11:33:32.538+01:00 World's only intact Roman shield and body armour unearthed on a battlefield where Germanic tribesmen wiped out three legions in AD9 to go on display at the British Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/06/15/78647753-0-image-a-1_1701878367863.jpg" width="300" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The shield, on loan from Yale University, was found in Syria in the 1930s</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The body armour was discovered in 2018 in Kalkriese, north-west Germany</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The world's only intact Roman shield and body armour that was found in a German field after being buried for more than 2,000 years are set to go on display in a new exhibition at the British Museum.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The shield, which is on its maiden transatlantic loan from Yale University in the US, was found in Syria in the 1930s.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Although discovered in pieces, it was restored to its former glory by experts and will be seen by the British public for the first time in the Legion: life in the Roman army exhibition, which opens on February 1 next year. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12833133/Worlds-intact-Roman-shield-body-armour-unearthed-battlefield-Germanic-tribesmen-wiped-three-legions-AD9-display-British-Museum.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-42106176773033745532023-11-29T17:32:00.005+01:002023-11-29T17:33:29.221+01:001,000-year-old skeleton of noblewoman with hollowed-out skull found buried next to 'husband' in Germany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BwhvHbKMUUCTQ3gjrGJq8j-970-80.jpg.webp" width="400" /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The 1,000-year-old noblewoman’s skeleton was found without a face.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">(Image credit: Jan Woitas/dpa)</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The skeletal remains of a man and a woman buried in Germany caught archaeologists off guard when they discovered that the skull of one of the skeletons was completely hollowed out.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists made the unusual finding during ongoing excavations near a 1,000-year-old former royal palace built by Roman Emperor Otto the Great (also known as Otto I) in Helfta, a village in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The two skeletons were buried directly next to each other, suggesting that they were "possibly a married couple," Oliver Dietrich, an archaeologist with the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin who worked on the excavation, told Live Science in an email.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1000-year-old-skeleton-of-noblewoman-with-hollowed-out-skull-found-buried-next-to-husband-in-germany" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-13369814417286120642023-11-29T17:24:00.002+01:002023-11-29T17:24:11.903+01:00More Than 100 Cultural Landmarks Have Been Destroyed During Gaza Airstrikes, Report Says<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://www.artnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1813306962.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Israel’s repeated airstrikes on Gaza have destroyed more than 100 cultural landmarks and historic sites according to a preliminary report by the Catalonian NGO Heritage for Peace that was released earlier this month.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The airstrikes, which took place after the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,400 Israelis and involved the taking of 240 hostages, have “destroyed or damaged” roughly 45 percent of housing in Gaza, leading to what the United Nations has called a “humanitarian catastrophe.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Historic religious sites, museums, and archaeological sites have been destroyed, the report says, noting that Gaza has been a cultural hub for every civilization that has conquered the region, from Egypt in the early 15th century BCE, to the Greeks under Alexander the Great, to the Roman and Byzantine Empires.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Read the rest of this article...</span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-68886880040139069112023-11-26T17:05:00.002+01:002023-11-26T17:05:16.555+01:00New guide aims to highlight Newcastle's rich Roman Wall heritage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://i2-prod.chroniclelive.co.uk/incoming/article20067269.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/1_TMP_NEC_100321HadriansWall14JPG.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lesser know sections and parts of Hadrian's Wall. Denton West, a section next to the busy A69 at West Denton.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A new guide aims to ensure that visitors to Newcastle don’t miss the Roman heritage under its streets.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The conviction that Newcastle was missing a trick in highlighting its rich heritage had for some time for some time occupied an organisation based in the city’s West End, where there are several examples of visible remains of Hadrian’s Wall. The route of the Wall threads through the main thoroughfares of Newcastle, but the Hadrian’s Wall national path, opened in 2003, diverges from that line and instead skirts the city via a riverside route.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The national trail leaves the line of the world heritage monument at Heddon-on-the Wall and does not rejoin it for another 12 miles until they meet at Segedunum fort in Wallsend. The argument is that visitors are both not following the Wall and are also missing many other nearby historical features from across centuries of Newcastle’s history.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/new-guide-aims-highlight-newcastles-28171797" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-11921994510312942362023-11-08T18:03:00.001+01:002023-11-08T18:03:44.383+01:00Roman Fort Of Apsaros Reveal Some Of Its Archaeological Secrets<p> </p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5SN7IXv5D22d7BmShsmyff12Xrm4YsrJgb1_d70U1EJyq7s4PVEBxxYouIwj2Yh611JZEyf5lxHkdZqX3QAtQOUE4ylvkMMQ2FuOva-2JE6G9xplk0GqbULi57m5BjgknwVnFgU8LT7K8LEHHZsv6XCdZjVanYi-GEcUtacAN4nV9LyYHP8I/s700/Apsaros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5SN7IXv5D22d7BmShsmyff12Xrm4YsrJgb1_d70U1EJyq7s4PVEBxxYouIwj2Yh611JZEyf5lxHkdZqX3QAtQOUE4ylvkMMQ2FuOva-2JE6G9xplk0GqbULi57m5BjgknwVnFgU8LT7K8LEHHZsv6XCdZjVanYi-GEcUtacAN4nV9LyYHP8I/s320/Apsaros.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Credit: Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This autumn, the Polish-Georgian Gonio-Apsaros expedition completed the 10th season of excavations at the Roman fort of Apsaros, south of Batumi on the Black Sea coast of Georgia. The fieldwork of the team headed by Dr. Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski (Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw) and Prof. Shota Mamuladze (Gonio-Apsaros Archaeological and Architectural Site) has delivered several interesting discoveries.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Based on this observation, Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski suggested that the material required for making official inscriptions and other complex stonework, such as marble, or high-quality limestone, was brought to Apsaros from afar. Fragments of these stone varieties are rare at the site. Their scarcity is certainly the result of their use in later periods as valued raw materials for the production of lime needed for construction purposes.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.ancientpages.com/2023/11/07/roman-fort-of-apsaros-archaeological-secrets/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-23482288019922891552023-10-24T08:39:00.002+02:002023-10-24T08:39:53.510+02:00Roman grave found at water pipeline construction site<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/105E7/production/_131474076_mediaitem131474073.jpg.webp" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A 2,000-year-old coin was found during excavations</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman grave and a 2,000-year-old coin on the route of a planned water pipeline.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The discoveries were made at the proposed Southern Water site in Hampshire.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Members of Wessex Archaeology have been carrying out the excavations before pipelines are installed between Andover, Otterbourne and Portsmouth.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The scheme is linked to plans for a new reservoir at Havant Thicket, the first to be built in England for 25 years.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr Nicola Meakins of Southern Water said: "Roman graves are not uncommon - when the Romans built roads, legionnaires who died were simply buried by the side of the road.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-67158304" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-15490197005835844862023-10-05T17:09:00.002+02:002023-10-05T17:09:12.056+02:00In France, an ancient sarcophagus has been discovered. It remained unopened for 1800 years.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/format:webp/1*oTiW57p_qRBFfK_HShV2Rg.jpeg" width="400" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Although sarcophagi are commonly associated with Egypt and Egyptian mummies, this type of coffin was also popular in ancient Rome. From the 3rd to the 1st century BCE, terracotta, stone, or metal sarcophagi were crafted. They took the form of a chest with a lid, often adorned with reliefs depicting mythological or genre scenes. From the 2nd century CE, depictions of the deceased and their portraits sometimes appeared on the panels.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Ancient Roman City in Gaul</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Burial sites usually serve as valuable subjects for archaeological studies. They provide insights not only into the specific individual but sometimes shed light on ancient cultures, their customs, practices, and traditions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists from the French Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP) conducted excavations in Reims, northeastern France. In antiquity, this location was the city of Durocortorum and was the second-largest city in Roman Gaul after being conquered by Julius Caesar’s forces. It is estimated that up to 100,000 people may have lived here.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><a href="https://articlebay.medium.com/in-france-an-ancient-sarcophagus-has-been-discovered-it-remained-unopened-for-1800-years-649b3c541f0a" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Read the rest of this article...</span></a>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-29322999890313485492023-10-05T17:06:00.002+02:002023-10-05T17:06:10.539+02:00Kilns used to make bricks for Colchester's Roman wall found<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/E59D/production/_131318785_untitled-1.jpg.webp" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The recently unearthed kilns were likely to have manufactured bricks and tiles used in Roman Colchester, including for its ancient wall </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">IMAGE: COLCHESTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Roman kilns which created the bricks used to build Britain's oldest town wall have been found during a dig.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The excavation took place at Cymbeline Meadows, Colchester, Essex, ahead of the city council's plans to transform the site into a nature reserve.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologist Philip Crummy said it is "unusual" to find a collection of Romano-British kilns in one area.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The town wall was built following Boudicca's revolt and dates to about 60 to 80 AD.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-66995231" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-59189044395153817562023-09-27T17:26:00.002+02:002023-09-27T17:26:17.588+02:00Large Roman Public Latrine With 60 Wooden Seats Discovered In Bet Shean, Israel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="700" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLuxsYyc88EqARPP0Ke2wNf4u_EuyPW9iXWownmiH_0MpmKTIcrxLrs8qKn_C6U0ROvAuC_KzzUcM20zNaTKc7-2Ba0fr_4TAHuNQOwPW5rltT2c2epVB3Gmynbua5GTjxST2eFD3YfJP4bp2LwvGzPFx8S1wpkeS7RONcn2UXz1MMFq1I8X9/s320/Roman%20latrines%20located%20in%20Bet%20Shean,%20Israel.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeological excavations have revealed large Roman latrines located in Bet Shean, Israel. These latrines are the largest in the country, with 60 wooden seats available to the public. Being built in an open communal area, many people obviously used the latrines.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">“In each of the four Roman and Byzantine-period public latrines that we excavated on the site, about 60 wooden seats were installed in one open communal area!” Dr. Walid Atrash, Israel Antiquities Authority excavator of ancient Bet Shean and author of a new book, Back to Bet Shean: Nysa-Scythopolis said in an interview.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Roman latrine, partially preserved at the site, was a well-built structure, featuring wall paintings and ornate stairs with a railing. In the middle of the public building, there was a courtyard paved with mosaics and adorned with columns bearing capitals, and three rows of wooden seats with natural asphalt intervening blocks were arranged around three walls.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">“The structure was partially roofed, and the central courtyard was left uncovered,” says Atrash.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.ancientpages.com/2023/09/25/large-roman-latrine-60-wooden-seats/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-77916503085310659962023-09-27T17:07:00.001+02:002023-09-27T17:07:47.154+02:00Intact 1,800-Year-Old Roman Sarcophagus With Unexpected Treasures Found In France<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rKOizqJKjm03VM66ltw_pLM7TC81TPAA4t8OEdDpmGaxF-h1UcLM6Nu8xx6GyehpZvcAaiHLwynzahN6IHr-E2J7SI7ZPGEXwvdbhMmUaetj8fy9vLoS4DLb7wP52fkweK2xFJYGMgWChguj8lF1nRfwheIh0EKiE564LRG2_zX-r9CVM8lg/s700/Roman%20sarcophagus%20in%20Reims.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="700" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rKOizqJKjm03VM66ltw_pLM7TC81TPAA4t8OEdDpmGaxF-h1UcLM6Nu8xx6GyehpZvcAaiHLwynzahN6IHr-E2J7SI7ZPGEXwvdbhMmUaetj8fy9vLoS4DLb7wP52fkweK2xFJYGMgWChguj8lF1nRfwheIh0EKiE564LRG2_zX-r9CVM8lg/s320/Roman%20sarcophagus%20in%20Reims.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It does not happen often archaeologists find an ancient unlooted Roman sarcophagus. When it happens, like it just did in France, it is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the past.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">"It's quite exceptional, it's the first time that we have found a tomb intact and which has not been looted. It was sealed by eight iron staples, and we were the first to explore it," Agnès Balmelle, deputy scientific and technical director at Inrap Grand Est, told local news Le Parisien.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The 1,800-year-old sarcophagus was unearthed by a team of archaeologists from INRAP (France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeology) excavating in the vast ancient necropolis at Rue Soussillon. The ancient Durocortorum (Reims) was the capital of the province of Gaul Belgium, and one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Scientists have excavated 1,200 m² on Rue Soussillon, which represents only a portion of a vast ancient necropolis. The high density of tombs is particularly interesting in this part of the city since it has long been considered a swampy area unsuitable for any settlement.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.ancientpages.com/2023/09/26/intact-roman-sarcophagus-unexpected-treasures-france/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2416876555601896310.post-14236839549396908382023-09-27T17:00:00.002+02:002023-09-27T17:00:55.559+02:00British Museum asks public and experts to help recover stolen artefacts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/087D/production/_130837120_8fe9ce88e0a44d7cd05c9af9510c20d0a1f0ff22.jpg.webp" width="400" /></span></div><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The British Museum has asked the public to help identify and recover ancient artefacts that have gone missing from its collection.</span></b></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last month a member of staff was sacked and police launched an investigation after around 2,000 treasures were reported "missing, stolen or damaged" over a "significant" period of time.</span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The museum has now said most are Greek and Roman gems and jewellery, and shared pictures of similar items.</span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sixty objects have been returned.</span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a statement, the museum added that 300 more had been "identified and [are] due to be returned imminently".</span></p></div></div><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66921621" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Read the rest of this article...</span></a>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com0