guy

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

Previously unknown Greek works possibly by Claudius Ptolemy, as well as by two others, have been discovered when investigating a palimpsest by multispectral imaging. Looking beneath the later Latin works of Isidore of Seville on three Greek scientific works, six of the fifteen leaves examined are attributed to Ptolemy. Background information: Palimpsest is a manuscript in which the original writing on the document has been erased or scraped clean in order to place new writings; nevertheless, the older original writings can still be seen, usually with specialized technological analysis. Claudius Ptolemy from Egypt (c. AD 100-170) was a Roman mathematician, astronomer, and geologist. Ptolemy explained the geocentric model in which the earth was the center of the universe and the planets, sun, and stars circled the earth. Isidore of Seville (c. AD 560-636) was a Spanish scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. It was the writings of Isidore over the previous work of possibly Claudius Ptolemy that created the palimpsest. https://www.sorbonne-universite.fr/en/presse/discovery-lost-astronomical-treatise-claudius-ptolemy The academic article describing the study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00407-022-00302-w (The “Meteoroscope” invented by Ptolemy to explain his geocentric theory on the universe.) Short video on the Armillary sphere, similar to the “Meteoroscope” described by Ptolemy.

Interesting article. Of course, the fertility god Priapus was the exception: https://www.dw.com/en/why-do-ancient-statues-have-such-small-penises/a-65151780

Previous excavations at the villa Civita Giuliana have uncovered both a chariot and a suspected slave quarters. (See thread below.) Most recent excavations in the same area has turned up pottery and suspected cookware. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/new-finds-in-pompeii-archaeology-2274344

An upside-down fig tree growing at Italy’s Terme di Baia archaeological park near Naples. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-11894719/Pictured-bizarre-fig-tree-thats-growing-upside-ruins-ancient-Roman-town.html (Thanks Roman Archaeology @RomanArchable for bringing this to our attention.)

Numismatists and other antiquarians are warned. This rare “EID MAR” coin, which sold at auction for $3.5 million dollars, was returned to the Greek government by the Manhattan DA’s office: Rare Coin, Minted by Brutus to Mark Caesar’s Death, Is Returned to Greece - The New York Times (nytimes.com) New York returns 'extraordinarily rare' gold coin to Greece — after it set auction record for $3.5 million - CNN Here is some background on another “EID MAR” coin:

A Colchester Roman mosaic has been uncovered after being discovered and then covered during excavations in the 1980s. It will now be permanently exhibited under glass. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-65027662

A small statuette of Venus was discovered in a Roman refuse pile in Rennes, France. It measures 10 cm (4 inches) and dates back to around the 2nd century AD. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/statuette-of-venus-uncovered-in-roman-rubbish-dump/146631

Nice article. There was a previous thread about the large statue of Decebalus (King of the Dacians) pictured along the Danube River.

Emperor Septimius Severus was emperor from AD 190-211. He traveled to Britain in 208 and died there at Eboracum (modern York) in 211. Here is a short video of his denarius celebrating his victories in Britain.

(Scene from the HBO series “Rome” that possibly incorrectly depicts Cleopatra using some mind-altering substance.) The use of drugs, whether recreational or medicinal, has been discussed before (see the post below).

[Scene from the movie “Gladiator” in which the former general Maximus (who has fallen out of favor of the Emperor Commodus) is captured and being sold in a slave market.] The article below made me delve into the controversy whether typical ancient Romans had tattoos, and if they did, how were they accepted by Roman society. https://antigonejournal.com/2023/03/stigma-ancient-tattoos Tattoos were, in fact, common among legionnaires. Modern scholars aren’t certain what the looked like, however, but they probably indicated the unit in which the soldier belonged. They were possibly used to identify those who left a unit without permission. Below is an old thread from UNRV that dealt with the legionnaires at Hadrian’s Wall who had tattoos. (Marc Antony shortly before his suicide after the Battle of Actium.) For the Romans, tattoos were mostly commonly associated with barbarians and the least respected elements of society. (Tattoo of the preserved arm of a Scythian chiffon from 500 BCE) This interesting article below discusses the fact that tattoos were using seen among criminals, slaves, and the military. Everyday Romans and the elites, however, didn’t have tattoos. https://worldhistoryfaq.com/did-the-romans-have-tattoos/