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Here is an excellent video by Darius Arya of the finds on display:

Here are videos on the find:

We have had several previous posts on the Teutoburg disaster. Here is an excellent article by Professor Jo Ball that reassesses Publius Quinctilius Varus who commanded the doomed Romans in AD 9. He was possibly not the incompetent general as previously believed. Dr Ball contends that Varus, in fact, “was an experienced commander and governor who had served irregular wars and managed complex diplomatic situations, responding effectively to rebellions when called upon.” https://antigonejournal.com/2023/11/varus-teutoburg-disaster/

Here is an interesting (mostly balanced) view about the return of the Elgin marbles: https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/01/the-parthenon-marbles-row-is-about-nationalist-politics-the-sculptures-are-just-a-facade

There have been many posts in the past about the controversial Elgin marbles and their return to Greece (see below). Once again, they are in the news. Earlier this week British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak abruptly cancelled his scheduled meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after Mitsotakis appeared on British TV and demanded the repatriation of the statues and frieze panels that once decorated the Parthenon. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-67549044.amp

Here is an interesting article by the classical historian Charles Freeman reviewing the contributions of the Greeks to Roman society. Although a nice summary, I might have a few (mostly) minor quibbles with the article. In his section about Galen, for example, he writes, “His distasteful party piece was severing the squealing nerves of a pig and the restoring them in front of a public audience.” If by “severing the nerves” Freeman meant ligating (tying off) the nerve to temporarily paralyzing it, I would agree. Usually sever means to cut, however. I doubt Galen could cut a nerve and then perform microsurgery to repair the nerve to a functional state. Then, Freeman describes the events of Hypatia’s death in very simplistic terms: “Hypatia’s death is often seen as marking the end of a pagan learning that welcomed students of whatever beliefs.” I’m not sure of the meaning of “whatever beliefs,” but it wasn’t a tolerant and accepting view, for sure. His final statement is absolutely ridiculous: “These free-traveling Greek intellectuals were replaced by monks whose world was inevitably narrower.” I would remind Mr. Freeman that these same monks he disparages also preserved much of classical thinking after the fall of the Roman Empire. Alan Cameron in his book “The Last Pagans of Rome” wrote: “[T]he main focus of much modern scholarship has been on [the last Pagans'] supposedly stubborn resistance to Christianity. Rather surprisingly, they have been transformed from the arrogant, philistine land-grabbers most of them were into fearless champions of senatorial privilege, literature lovers, and aficionados of classical (especially Greek) culture as well as the traditional cults. The dismantling of this romantic myth is one of the main goals of this book." Overall, this is a good article and his book looks interesting. Some of his historical examples are either wrong or distorted, however. https://antigonejournal.com/2023/11/greek-intellectuals-roman-empire/

The Roman spa at San Casciano dei Bagni in Tuscany has been the source of many new discoveries (see below). Archaeologists have found a marble statue of Apollo Sauroctonos, also known as the “Lizard Killer.” https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/statue-of-apollo-lizard-killer-found-at-etruscan-and-roman-spa/149706 More information about Apollo Sauroctonos: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Sauroctonos

A large number of animal sacrifices, including horses, have been found at the Iron Age site of Casas del Turuñuelo at Badajoz, Spain, in the western Iberian Peninsula. These sacrifices were found in a building site from the late 5th century BCE. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/analysis-reveals-rituals-of-mass-sacrifice-of-horses-and-other-animals/149677 Badajoz, Spain

There have been many previous posts on Garum (see below), the famous fermented fish sauce of the ancient world. Max Miller has attempted to recreate (again) this unusual dish:

Here’s another good article on the “Five facts about the newly-opened Vatican necropolis.” https://news.artnet.com/news/5-facts-about-newly-opened-vatican-necropolis-2397775

Archaeologists have unearthed two temples and a sacrificial pit at a Roman military camp at Halteran in Northwestern Germany: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/cult-temples-and-sacrificial-pit-unearthed-at-ancient-roman-camp-in-germany

Here is very informative video discussing the means Romans counted years (with the aid of coins) by Classical Numismatics:

A Roman necropolis at Vatican City has been opened to the public. The site is thought to hold the remains of many working class Romans, including slaves and servants: https://www.npr.org/2023/11/18/1214000293/vatican-ancient-rome-necropolis

An interesting find in Claterna, an ancient Roman town near modern Bologna: More than 3000 Roman coins and gems have been discovered. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/over-3000-roman-coins-found-at-claternae/149226 https://arkeonews.net/unique-gems-found-in-claterna-known-as-the-pompeii-of-the-north/

About 2000 municipal seals have been found in Southern Turkey. These stamped clay pieces were used to secure and verify documents. Many of the well-preserved seal images were of Jupiter Dolichenus, an important mystery cult popular in the Roman military in the second and third centuries AD. Below are a few threads on Jupiter Dolichenus: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/archaeologists-uncover-over-2000-seal-impressions-in-ancient-doliche/149262 In the mystery cult, Jupiter Dolichenus was recognized as a god of the heavens and determined military success and safety. Jupiter Dolichenus was usually represented standing on a bull and carrying his double ax and thunderbolt. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Dolichenus#:~:text=Jupiter Dolichenus was a Roman,to mid-3rd centuries AD.

I had to do some research on Nola. Seems it only suffered relatively minor earthquake damage during the eruption of Vesuvius AD 77: https://www.archaeology.org/issues/526-2309/letter-from/11661-vesuvius-dark-side#art_page3 http://www.archeolog-home.com/pages/content/nola-neapolis-italie-digging-on-the-dark-side-of-vesuvius.html Here’s a good video on some of the Roman archaeology at Nola:

A tintinnabulum is a type of Roman wind chime, frequently designed to resemble a phallus. Archaeologists have excavated such a wind chime at the ancient site of Viminacium, located roughly 100 kilometers (70 miles) east of Belgrade. https://arkeonews.net/magical-roman-phallus-wind-chime-unearthed-in-serbia/ https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/11/phallus-wind-chime-found-at-roman-viminacium/149237 An example of a phallus tintinnabulum found in Pompeii: These may have been used to ward off evil and bring good luck.

Here is another article on the discovery: https://the-past.com/shorts/objects/inscribed-amphora-fragment/

Darius Arya has put together an excellent modern recreation of Ancient Rome. I have problems, however, with the fact that the marble structures depicted are mostly unpainted white. We know that Rome was, in fact, a colorful (and filthy) place: Similar recreations of Ancient Greece failed to show the vibrant colors of the city:

During excavations for a new railway, archaeologists have found a 1000-year-old statue of a Maya warrior wearing a serpent on his head. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/maya-warrior-statue-with-serpent-helmet-discovered-at-chichen-itza Here is a nice summary article that lists the contrasts between Mayans and Aztecs: https://www.diffen.com/difference/Aztecs_vs_Mayans#:~:text=The Aztecs were Nahuatl-speaking,as early as 2600 BC.

After its original discovery in 2021 in the Turkish province of Kayseri, a giant 4th-century AD mosaic has been shown to be 600 square meters in size, larger than the original estimates of 300 square meters. https://arkeonews.net/the-largest-floor-mosaic-in-cappadocia-and-central-anatolia-region-uncovered-600-square-meters/ Article about original study in 2021: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/largest-floor-mosaic-in-central-anatolia-found-in-kayseri-168958

Thanks for reading my post. Here’s an old post (from 2008) describing the dating methods and their use:

Dendrochronology, the dating of wood rings, has been discussed in a previous thread (see below). Traditional dendrochronology has used tree rings for dating. Today wood structures can be dated with oxygen isotope or stable isotope dendrochronology. A 15th Century ship wine-trading vessel was discovered in Newport’s River Usk in 2002. Now researchers have found timbers from the hull were made from oak trees felled in the winter of 1457-1458. After many years of drying, the pieces of the ship are being reassembled to be put on display. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-67302907

Roberto Trizio has done another great video, this time on the discovery of this segment of road in Scotland. (Be sure to turn on the English subtitles.)

Here’s are some videos of the discovery: