Viggen

hi maximus, yup the last one was on 08.December 2004, ...to be honest, we only want to send out a newsletter if we have something important to say, there are some interesting developements on unrv.com that might justify a newsletter in the near future, so bear with us! in the meantime you can read our newsletter archive (in case you havent yet) http://www.unrv.com/newsletter/newsletter-edition1.php btw, if you (or anyone else) have suggestions what you would like to see in upcoming newsletters, feel free to post your ideas here... regards viggen

another opinion, this time from the Detroit News.... It ain't "The Sopranos," but HBO's new epic series "Rome" packs the same punch as the network's Mafioso melodrama. "Rome" is co-produced and presumably cast by the BBC, because of its plethora of British acting prowess. Like Titus, fortune once again smiles on HBO helping the cable giant deliver this captivating and undeniable classic. full article at DetNews

A priceless set of ancient jewellery, probably from Egypt, is the latest archaeological jackpot experts have struck on this southern Italian island . Excavations at the 16th-century BC settlement of Mursia, on the north-western part of the isle, have uncovered a beautiful oriental style ring, necklace and pair of ear-rings . full article at Mirabilis

After a while we updated the book blog... A new book from Bryan Ward-Perkins about the end of the roman empire... if anyone has read the book and want to make a review please let us know more info about the book http://www.unrv.com/roman-books/index.php regards viggen

Sturdy shoes first came into widespread use between 40,000 and 26,000 years ago, according to a US scientist. Humans' small toes became weaker during this time, says physical anthropologist Erik Trinkaus, who has studied scores of early human foot bones. full article at the BBC

One of ancient Rome's most popular and important landmarks is "close to collapse", covered in graffiti, with valuable frescos peeling away. Castel Sant'Angelo, whose parlous state was revealed yesterday by Corriere della Sera, one of Italy's most authoritative newspapers, was built by the Emperor Hadrian as his own mausoleum on the banks of the Tiber. Its proximity to the Vatican persuaded popes in the Middle Ages to add ramparts and battlements to the marble structure and use it as a shelter when the city was under attack. A passage between the castle and the Vatican, once used by popes in time of crisis, still exists. full article at the Independent

A nine-metre-long Roman mosaic dating from the 2nd Century has been unearthed by an Egyptian-Polish archaeological team in northern Sinai, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said on Wednesday. The mosaic was found while the archaeologists were restoring a Pelusium Roman theatre in an area 25km east of the Suez Canal. full article at IOL

Archaeologists in the former Soviet republic of Georgia have unearthed a skull they say is 1.8 million years old, representing part of a find that holds the oldest traces of humanity's closest ancestors ever found in Europe. The Homo erectus skull was found this month in Dmanisi, an area about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Tbilisi, said Georgian National Museum director David Lortkipanidze, who took part in the dig. full article at MSNBC

MARAUDING rabbits are threatening to destroy important Roman fortifications constructed by the invading legions as they advanced into northern Britain more 2,000 years ago, a leading archaeologist has claimed. Dr David Woolliscroft, an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool, has identified four important Roman sites in Scotland and the north of England which he says are under imminent threat from "undermining" caused by rabbits. As well as sections of Hadrian's Wall, other endangered sites include Ardoch, an ancient Roman fortress constructed around 80AD near Braco in Perthshire, and Gask Ridge, also in Perthshire, which has been identified as Britain's earliest Roman frontier. full article at The Scotsman

Congratulation Skarr! cheers viggen

Space images taken by NASA reveal a mysterious ancient bridge in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. The bridge currently named as Adam

The remains of an ancient Byzantine church have been unearthed near Jordan's central-western town of Karak, the head of a team of Jordanian archaeologists announced. Yunis Shudafat said on Sunday that Muta University archaeology students in Karak located the 5th or 6th century AD church, which has some of its walls still intact, some 73 miles south of Jordan's capital, Amman, on Thursday. full article at Hindustan Times

argh, war movie list without "Das Boot" is not complete, other then comedy is missing (Along came Polly is my favourite) it is a pretty nice list hehe regards viggen

hi, in case you havent, i would check for ad/spyware that could cause memory leak, there are several programms that can clean them, one that i use (it is free) is adaware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ at the end of the day i would invest a couple of bucks and get your computer an extra 256 megs at least, that will improve your daily routine on the computer dramatically... regards viggen

RUINS on Peru

The early European explorers went gaga over the abundance of the Americas. Primeval forests covered the land, deer and elk were plentiful, and herds of bison thundered across the plains, they reported back to Spain, Portugal and England. Fish filled the rivers, and mussels and clams grew big and juicy along the shores. From South America came tales of unimaginable riches buried in secret gold mines in pristine jungle. And save for a few powerful but isolated societies, such as the Inca in Peru and the Maya in Mexico, and nomadic bands of primitives up north, almost no one lived in this fantastic paradise. These lush lands -- a gift from God! -- were wild and free. That's the textbook version of the New World at the time of Columbus, the one you probably learned in school. But in a provocative new book, "1491," science writer Charles C. Mann proposes a revision. full article at Sfgate

The theme is now available as download on the HBO site http://www.hbo.com/rome/downloads/index.html

A 2,000-year-old pan which was a souvenir of Hadrian's Wall in Roman times is to go on display at three British museums. The Staffordshire Moorlands Pan, which was discovered by a metal detector in Staffordshire in 2003, was made as both a functional vessel and as a souvenir. An engraved inscription lists four forts on Hadrian's Wall. full article at icBirmingham

Startling evidence of ancient Romans' most exclusive way of dining has been uncovered in a villa in southern Italy, local archaeologists announced. Excavation at the residence of an aristocratic family in Faragola, in Puglia, has brought to light a rare example of a stibadium, a semicircular couch on which selected guests sat at the most fashionable dinner parties. full article at Discovery

A submerged island that could be the source of the Atlantis myth was hit by a large earthquake and tsunami 12,000 years ago, a geologist has discovered. full article at the BBC

Italian archaeologists believe they are on the verge of finding the ancient ships downed in the battle of the Aegates Islands more than 2,000 years ago thanks to modern technology and a police tip-off. full article at Reuters

Online advertisers have found a new home for promotions--the popular Mozilla Firefox Web browser. Television cable channel HBO, via its interactive agency, has designed a downloadable "skin" for the Firefox Web browser in the custom theme of its upcoming series "Rome"--an 11-episode drama that charts the rise of an Italian empire. The skin, or "theme," as they are known in Firefox tools, transforms the buttons and external design of the browser into the feel of antiquity. Representatives for Mozilla and HBO's agency, Deep Focus, said it is the first commercial theme developed for Firefox. more at Zdnet

With more then 5000 pages no one is expected to know all of them on UNRV.com, so i thought i open a thread where people can write which pages they like most and why... i start with our detailed maps of Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia, i believe those are one of the best available for free online.. http://www.unrv.com/provinces/sicilia-large.php http://www.unrv.com/provinces/corsica-large.php http://www.unrv.com/provinces/sardinia-large.php regards viggen

Scientists have for the first time constructed a fully articulated, or jointed, Neandertal skeleton using castings from real Neandertal bones. The reconstruction, which has been part of several exhibitions, presents a striking visual image of what the Neandertal (often spelled Neanderthal) looked like, experts say. full article at National Geographic

Archaeologists said Saturday they have unearthed a large Roman-era burial ground in the western Austrian city of Wels that contained at least 50 skeletons, numerous urns and coins. full article at Jerusalem Post