guy

Here's an interesting article by Lapham's Quarterly on Plutarch's (misogynistic) advice to a bride and groom from his Moralia: Forever Hold Your Peace | Lapham’s Quarterly (laphamsquarterly.org) Here are the 48 pieces of advice in their entirety: Reading (markbwilson.com)

A small counterbalance from the 1st century AD with the image of the Greek god Silenus has been found in Cockermouth, Northern England. (Silenus was rhe Greek god of wine and drunkenness.) (Cockermouth is about 300 miles or 500 km north of London)

An artist's impression of a Roman fortlet at a different location along the Antonine Wall A suspected Roman fortlet has been discovered along the Antonine Wall in Scotland: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-65309762 Clydebank, Scotland, site of recent discovery along Antonine Wall

Aerial orthophotograph of the Villa of the Quintilii winery building, indicating the treading area (A), press beds (B1 and B2), proposed press mechanism rooms (C1 and C2), collection vat (D), cella vinaria (E), and dining rooms (F1 and F2) (image by M.C.M s.r.l, modified from Frontoni et al. ) A winery thought to be build during the chaos of the third century has been excavated near Rome. This building complex suggests despite this period of societal disruption, the elites were able to continue their lavish lifestyles. https://theconversation.com/a-newly-uncovered-ancient-roman-winery-featured-marble-tiling-fountains-of-grape-juice-and-an-extreme-sense-of-luxury-199670 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/spectacle-of-production-a-roman-imperial-winery-at-the-villa-of-the-quintilii-rome/C3BFAFED7E6C5F14DBAFEB443EDB6CC2

(Like the dog remains examined, the French bulldog is brachycephalic. The dog remains were of a smaller dog, much like the French bulldog pictured.) Recent archaeological studies suggest that the Romans were among the first to breed brachycephalic (or flat-faced) dogs. Studies of dog remains in Turkey help confirm the theory. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-early-romans-flat-faced-dogs.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X2300144X Here is a previous thread about dogs in Ancient Rome:

Archaeological digs at Paestrum, located near the archaeological site of Pompeii, have resumed. A figurine of Eros, the Greek god of love, riding on a dolphin has been unearthed. https://news.sky.com/story/greek-god-of-love-and-sex-riding-a-dolphin-among-artefacts-unearthed-at-ancient-city-of-paestum-12858623 https://arkeonews.net/new-discoveries-at-ancient-greek-city-of-paestums-little-doric-temple-in-italy/

Investigation of a 6th century manuscript fragment revealed an earlier 3rd century Syriac translation of the Gospel. This is one of the earliest translations known. There have been other discussions of investigating palimpsests, finding interesting works (see below). [Palimpsest: a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.] https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/news/new-testament-fragment-of-1750-year-old-translation-discovered https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/uv-light-reveals-hidden-never-before-seen-version-of-the-gospel-of-matthew-on-ancient-parchment

Roman roof tiles have been found at the excavation site at Micklegate, York. One can see the where nails were placed to secure the tiles. Below is a reconstructed house using Roman tiles. https://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk/newsblog/2023/elland-area-to-york-roman-roof-tiles-found-on-site

The silver ring's carved gemstone is a dark orange-red colour and "is probably a carnelian", experts said in their report to the Essex Coroner A Roman Apollo ring has been unearthed in Chelmsford. It maybe related to a nearby hoard known as the “Jeweler’s Hoard” found in 1985 (see below). The seal would leave an impression of Apollo holding a laurel wreath when pressed into wax (above) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-65202077 Information about the earlier "Jeweler's Hoard": https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF1517-Snettisham-Roman-jeweller's-hoard-Roman-settlement-and-multi-period-finds&Index=1339&RecordCount=61672&SessionID=2d1bb9af-b092-4515-b65b-94a2f1dea22e https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-51400817

Here’s a funny commercial from the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. It’s Monty Pythonesque and deals with the Trojan horse story.

Coin of Septimius Severus (reign AD193- 211) found in the hoard. Coin of Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus An unspectacular coin hoard of 1056 coins was found in Northern England in 2018 and was purchased by a local museum. The most recent coin was that of Septimius Severus (reign AD 193 - 211). Interestingly, there is a coin of Marc Antony from around 32 BCE in the hoard. Severus was in Britain from AD 208 till he died near York in 211. So it seems that someone in remote Britian carried around both contemporary coins of Septimius Severus and a coin of Marc Antony from two centuries prior. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-65244111 Location of York, United Kingdom, not far from the location of the coin hoard, as well as the place of Septimius Severus’s death

Egypt used to be the primary source of wheat for the Roman Empire. When this supply of food was disrupted, it had significant effects on the Empire's stability. Rebellions, barbarian invasions, epidemics, and droughts all contributed to this instability. Currently, researchers are studying the impact of climate change on the wheat supply by analyzing wood samples from mummies buried during the Roman era. Mummy labels of different quality from the BNU collection in Strasbourg were used to acquire dendrochronological measurements. Top left: Growth rings on mummy label HO87 cannot be measured easily due to tool marks and surface coating. Top right: Mummy label HO66 has a clean surface and perfectly readable rings. Bottom left: growth rings on label HO59 are only partly visible as a result of the cutting method applied and tool marks, the central part is illegible. Bottom right: Growth rings on the transverse plane of mummy label HO43 as seen on a X-ray tomography image with perfectly legible rings https://www.archaeology.org/news https://www.snf.ch/en/XlYUJjBFhCvE38RC/news/mummies-provide-the-key-to-reconstruct-the-climate-of-the-ancient-mediterranean The scholarly article: https://brill.com/view/journals/ijwc/aop/article-10.1163-27723194-bja10017/article-10.1163-27723194-bja10017.xml Distribution of the 599 labels for which the location of finds is known, as well as the distribution by label type: Type I, Stela shape rectangular; Type II, Stela shape trapezoidal; Type III, Stela shape close to square; Type IV, Stela shape with handle; Type V, Tabula Ansata

Here’s a wonderful video by Max Miller about dining at Hadrian’s Wall “Feeding the Army of Roman Britain.”

Below is a nice review of Parthia and its coinage: Doug Smith has a nice writeup for beginners on Parthian coins: Parthian Coins (forumancientcoins.com) The Dr. Robert Gonnella collection of Parthian coins is extensive and amazing: Gonnella Collection (parthia.com) Links to other Parthian coin sites: Collections of Parthian Coins

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/04/etruscan-tomb-discovered-in-ruins-of-ancient-vulci/146815 http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66946

I was going to cite Caesar’s decimation of a legion during the war with Pompeii as one of his "horrific acts," but I was incorrect. He only threatened to decimate the 9th legion to instill greater discipline. (The sociopath Antony, on the other hand, had no qualms about decimating a Roman legion during his foolish war against Parthia.)

https://arkeonews.net/roman-numerals-discovered-on-stone-of-destiny-ahead-of-king-charles-iii-coronation/

Hair found at a Bronze Age burial site in Menorca (Balearic Islands) has been analyzed, and evidence of psychoactive compounds has been found. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/04/direct-evidence-of-ancient-bronze-age-drug-use-found-in-menorca/146802 https://nypost.com/2023/04/07/hallucinogenic-drugs-found-in-3000-year-old-human-shaman-hair/ The scientific source article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-31064-2

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-65139769

Here is a beautiful example of a “ribbon glass” cup thought to date from 25 BCE - AD 50, now at the Corning Museum of Glass. (Thank you Dr Crom @DocCrom for bringing this to my attention.) https://www.cmog.org/artwork/ribbon-glass-cup

A new and direct high-speed train from Rome to Pompeii is expected to open in 2024. The current route was a true adventure: https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/04/05/visiting-pompeii-will-be-easier-thanks-to-a-new-high-speed-train-line-from-rome The trip from Rome can be a challenge as documented by these two goofballs:

(Numidian cavalryman) The story of Jugurtha, King of the Numidians, and Rome’s Jugurthine Wars are complicated and confusing. Below is the best introductory video on the subject: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0126%3Achapter%3D35 (coin of Jugurtha) A previous post on Numidian cavalry:

There have been threads about the Roman circuses in the past. (Below is an older thread about the investigation of the Roman circus in Britain.) Below is one of the best description on the city of Rome’s Circus Maximus:

Too funny. For a moment, I thought you might be correct, but here is a great video discussing Baiae (the "Las Vegas of Rome") and the upside-down fig tree (see 9:20 of video).

Exeter in Southwest England was the site of archaeological studies since the early 70s, uncovering a Roman military bathhouse and later a Roman fortress. The city continues to be the site of Roman discoveries: (Excavation of the Roman military bathhouse, first discovered in the 70s.) (Roof tile found at the Roman bathhouse of Exeter.) https://www.devonlive.com/news/history/exeters-amazing-roman-baths-hidden-6625049 http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/em/_buildings/bathhouse.php Recent excavations at the cloister garden at the Exeter Cathedral have discovered other Roman finds. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/roman-remains-uncovered-at-exeter-cathedral/146699