guy

These have been numerous posts on the medicinal value of ancient herbs, including Greek Mountain tea (see below). Here’s a good review of many of those herbs: https://greekreporter.com/2022/06/25/10-greek-herbs-that-will-improve-your-health/

Hadrian. 117-138 CE. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.25 g, 6h). “Travel series” issue. Rome mint. Struck circa 134-138. Laureate bust right, slight drapery / RESTITVTO RI GALLIAE Below are two interesting articles. The first one maps Hadrian’s extensive travels throughout the Empire. The second one delves into the coinage associated with these travels. Hadrian AR Denarius. Rome, 134-138 CE. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head right / GERMANIA, Germania standing facing, head right, holding spear and shield set on ground. https://brewminate.com/hadrians-travels-around-the-roman-empire/ https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/coinweek-ancient-coin-series-travels-with-hadrian/

The most complete mummified woolly mammoth in North America has been discovered in Canada. It is thought to be 30,000 years old. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61936818

“I love the vastness and diversity of Pompeii over the usual tourist favorite of tidy Herculaneum.” I haven’t been to either site, but this article sways me to visit Herculaneum over Pompeii (if I couldn’t visit both). After recently injuring my ankle, I would prefer the less crowded, shadier, and more compact Herculaneum: https://eternalarrival.com/pompeii-vs-herculaneum/

Here's the article by our author colleague Gordon on "The Dogs of War": The Roman Army and their use of Dogs in battle. - GORDON DOHERTY, AUTHOR

(Images from the Getty Villa Museum, California) We have had several previous posts on the dogs (both as pets and working animals) of Ancient Rome. (See below.) Here is a video on that subject:

Thanks for reading my post. Here’s some excellent photos of the ancient tortoise that was also discovered: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61931172.amp

Although most people are familiar with the famous volcano that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79, the earlier devastating earthquake in AD 62 has been forgotten. Below is an article about a villa that was demolished around that time to make way for new construction. Interestingly, a tortoise was also found in the ruins. https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2022/06/24/surprise-at-pompeii-tortoise-with-its-egg-emerge-from-digs_ace99cfe-be36-47ab-b891-1b286d69780d.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_62_Pompeii_earthquake#:~:text=On 5 February AD 62,and Herculaneum%2C severely damaging them.

The “Gate to Hell” in Hieropolis, Turkey will now be open to the public. It was only rediscovered in 1965 and its “mysteries” explained in 2013: The explanation for this mysterious religious site is fascinating. At the site, healthy animals were led down by priests to the entrance and they died quickly, but the priests who had accompanied them (miraculously) returned unharmed. These “miracles” had geological explanations: Here is a wonderful video on the site: https://greekreporter.com/2022/06/23/ancient-gate-hell-hierapolis/ Hieropolis, Turkey

A nine-foot statue of Hercules sank beneath the waves near the Greek island of Antikythera in the first century BC. The headless ancient Roman sculpture was found in 1900 near the Greek island of Antikythera. It was thought to be intended for a wealthy Roman and sank during the first century of BC. It is thought the head has now been found. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/lost-face-hercules-found-mystery-27298477

Here are good videos on the find:

Dr. Tom brought this article and this information to my attention: Magusanus is a German deity, related to the German word Macht, “power." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_Magusanus Dutch researchers uncover Roman temple complex | News | DW | 20.06.2022

There has been a discovery of a Roman sanctuary in the Netherlands, dating from the early third century AD, probably associated with a military outpost. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/06/archaeologists-uncover-an-exceptionally-well-preserved-roman-shrine/ https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/volunteer-archaeologists-discover-ancient-roman-temple-netherlands-2022-06-21/?rpc=401&

We have discussed the plagues that disrupted the Roman and Byzantine Empires before. (See threads below,) This video is a nice review of the three of the most devastating plagues: The Antonine Plague also known as the Plague of Galen (165-180 AD): Antonine Plague - Wikipedia The Plague of Cyprian (249-262 AD): Plague of Cyprian - Wikipedia The Plague of Justinian (541-549 AD): Plague of Justinian - Wikipedia

There have been previous threads (see below) discussing caltrops, the ancient version of police spikes, used to slow horses, chariots, and even elephants. Above is an ancient Roman caltrop found during a recent excavation in Roman Britain. Here is a good video discussing caltrops and other ancient booby traps.

Numantia was famous for its resistance against Rome (153-133 BCE) during the Celtiberian Wars. After 20 years of hostilities, the Roman Senate gave Scipio Aemilianus Africanus the command to capture the city, which he did after a several month siege. The destruction of the city ended all serious resistance to Rome in Celtiberia. The site is about two hours by car away from Madrid. Here is an interesting video on discovering the ancient Roman roads in the area.

This is an excellent review video on the Sassanian Empire (224-561 AD), perhaps Rome’s most lethal enemy:

Here’s the longer complete video:

Statue of Polybius (Vienna, outside the Parliament of Austria). Here is an excellent article on Polybius (200-118 BCE). Polybius was a Greek historian who described the rise of the Roman Republic to become the superpower of the Mediterranean. His work “The Histories” includes eyewitness accounts of the destruction of Carthage and the defeat of Corinth. https://antigonejournal.com/2022/06/polybius-history-victors/ Here is a nice review of Polybius and a link to his work: Polybius - Livius

Here is an interesting video on the Roman army basic training:

Thank you for reading this article. It seems to me that the author of the article is a well-meaning activist who feels that any action, no matter how ineffectual, is better than resignation to the unavoidable and unchangeable. This quote from the article is very telling:

Here is the first of a series of videos on Roman religions. This looks very interesting:

Stoicism - Stoticism is a school of Hellenistic Philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno Citium in the early 3rd century BCE. It’s a philosophy of life that maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps individuals to hone their virtues of character. This is an interesting (but unpersuasive) article about the stoics and their pernicious effects on the Empire. The article focuses on three of the great Roman stoics: Seneca, Epictetus, and Aurelius. https://psyche.co/ideas/dont-be-stoic-roman-stoicisms-origins-show-its-perniciousness

The ancestors of modern domesticated chickens were revered for their exotic looks and distinctive voices. Chickens were an exotic animal in the ancient world. In the Roman Republic and the early Empire, chickens were more likely to be used as oracles than they were to be eaten. Only after long domestication did the chicken become a staple of Ancient Roman cuisine. Here's a great video about chickens in Ancient Rome including the story of Claudius The Sacred Chickens of Ancient Rome | Root Simple Cultural references to chickens - Wikipedia

Although it is unlikely that ancient Romans and Chinese actually met, there is good evidence that there was at least some transfer of goods. (See threads below.) Here is an wonderful video describing the possible interactions between the two ancient cultures. This video was consulted by Dr Raoul McLaughlin who has done excellent work on potential ancient Roman trade with both China and India. The Roman focus begins at 36:00: