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The excavation of the large Roman temple building in Britain at Caistor St Edmund, near Norwich, continues to reveal fascinating discoveries. Even after the defeat of Boudica and her Iceni tribe in AD 60-61, the native Iceni people continued to engage with the Roman culture around them. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-62677813 Here is a previous post on other recent excavations in the area.

After visiting the Getty Villa Museum garden, Max Miller has been inspired to create his own Roman Garden. (The Getty Villa, located in the Los Angeles area, was inspired by the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum.) Here’s another great video by Max:

We have already discussed the irregular dice found at Roman sites. (See post below.) Here’s an interesting video on Roman gaming:

Recent droughts have resulted in many fortuitous discoveries. (See posts below.) A severe drought in Texas has revealed dinosaur tracks 113 million yeas old: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/drought-reveals-new-dinosaur-tracks-texas-rcna44533

Europe’s drought and heatwave revealed an ancient Roman military camp complex, Aquis Querquennis, as water levels in the Lima River in Galicia, Spain, dropped. GALIDRONE Screengrab from Farodevigo's Twitter Recent droughts have impacted the regional landscapes throughout the world. This drought in northwestern Spain has revealed new findings at the military site at Aquis Querquennis when reservoir levels fell around 50%. Aquis Querquennis is a Roman fort in Ourense Province, Galicia. It was constructed circa 69-79 AD to house soldiers building the Via XVIII and was occupied by the Legio VII Gemina until that unit was posted to Dacia in 120 AD and the fort abandoned. Wikipedia https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article264947409.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquis_Querquennis

More information: https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-08-25/archaeologists-discover-one-of-the-largest-phallic-sculptures-of-ancient-rome.html?outputType=amp

David: Welcome. I try to post up-to-date news about Britain archaeology in the sub forum “Archaeology News: Britain and Roman-Britain.” Please also consider posting.

Another day, another phallus discovered. This time it is in Córdoba, Spain. Findings of these depictions were common in Ancient Rome. Many phallic imagines have been discovered at Hadrian’s Wall, for example. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/08/giant-phallic-carving-from-roman-period-found-during-excavations-in-cordoba/144522?amp

An aqueduct may have been discovered at Caistor Saint Edmund in the UK, the site of the ancient Roman town Venta Icenorum. It is believed that the pipeline was located underground. The Roman town of Venta Icenorum https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/roman-aqueduct-found-at-caistor-st-edmund-9231042

The town of Cupra Marittima in the Italian region of Marche on the Adriatic coast once was an important Roman city involved in Adriatic Sea commerce. Archaeologists have recovered remnants of a first century AD temple with the rare-finding of colored paint still intact. (Location of Cupra Marittima) https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/italy-cupra-temple-interior-discovery-scn/index.html

There have been numerous posts about the use of LiDAR to find numerous archaeological discoveries in recent years. Here is an article that explains the technology. https://ocnjdaily.com/marta-hall-david-hall-explain-lidar-technology/

Another article on the find: Archaeologists pose near the inscription found on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee Courtesy of the El Araj Excavation Project https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-archaeologists-find-st-peters-birthplace-180980607/

Those are good questions and that's a good explanation. It might be, however, that the sites in Germany have been more thoroughly excavated and preserved than some sites in the far reaches on the eastern Empire. This would give the false impression that the cult was more prominent in the more western Germany than the eastern borders of the Empire.

Novosedoff: Thanks for reading my posts. Here's another map of suspected Mithraic sites throughout the Empire. It's not surprising that most the sites were on the borders where the soldiers encamped since this cult was especially popular with the solders, most notably among the troops on the eastern borders. Mithras: Roman army god - blue networks (weebly.com) Some other maps:

I agree with you partially. Isis was an important part of the Hellenized Egypt. Serapis is a Greco Egyptian deity. Cybele was an important deity in rural Greece. I agree, however, that Mithra was never popular in the Greek world. I imagine Mithra was associated with the Greeks' enemy Persia; thus, his worship was never totally embraced in Greece. Nevertheless, the Roman god Mithras [note the added letter “s”] was worshiped throughout the Roman Empire, including Hadrian’s Wall. So, how did Mithras come to the Roman world? Plutarch gives us a hint: “ According to the historian Plutarch, who lived in the first century A.D., the Romans became acquainted with Mithras through pirates from Cilicia, a province of Asia Minor. These were the pirates who constituted such a threat to Rome until Pompey drove them from the seas. In his biography of this skilful general, Plutarch writes of the pirates: 'They brought to Olympus in Lycia strange offerings and performed some secret mysteries, which still in the cult of Mithras, first made known by them [the pirates]'. In the middle of the second century A.D. the historian Appian adds that the pirates came to know of the mysteries from the troops who were left behind by the defeated army of Mithridates Eupator. It is well established that all kinds of Eastern races were represented in that army.” Interestingly, there is no evidence of Mithras found in the ruins of Pompeii (AD 79). https://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Religions/iranian/Mithraism/m_m/pt2.htm

(Scene from HBO’s “Rome” of Atia partaking in a religious ceremony. A bull is sacrificed above her, drenching her in blood, while she seeks protection and return of her son Octavian who has gone missing.) Here is a good review of the gods that Rome adopted from the Greek world:

Thanks for the vicarious thrill:

Nice video. It is wonderful to see that studies on Ancient Rome have continued despite the craziness around us. I would love to see Trier someday. The Porta Nigra and other Roman ruins there look fascinating.

This is an interesting find that may settle the debate on Peter the Apostle’s birthplace. Archeologists excavating the ruins of a 1st-century church in northern Israel uncovered a mosaic with an inscription in ancient Greek The team translated the text to discover it is a prayer to Peter the Apostles, which suggests the church was built to commemorate his home in what was the city of Bethsaida The dedication is a prayer for intercession to ‘the chief and commander of the heavenly apostles’ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11120891/Birthplace-St-Peter-Mosaic-suggests-born-biblical-city-Bethsaida.html

Divination game pieces from the Hellenistic period were found in the Maresha-Bet Guvrin National Park, Israel. They were made from animal bone and had inscriptions of Greek gods and goddesses. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/08/archaeologists-find-ancient-game-made-from-bones/144441?amp

Here’s a nice short video about the City of Constantinople at its prime: Here’s a longer video on the subject:

This undated photo shows a marble bust that a Texas woman bought for about $35 from a Goodwill store that is temporarily on display at a San Antonio museum after experts determined it was a centuries-old sculpture missing from Germany since World War II. The bust, which art collector Laura Young found at Goodwill in 2018, once belonged in the collection of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, according to the San Antonio Museum of Art, which is temporarily displaying the piece until it is returned to Germany next year. (San Antonio Museum of Art via AP) (San Antonio Museum of Art) An early Roman bust, believed to be stolen, was bought for $34.99 at a Goodwill thrift shop in Austin. It is speculated to represent Drusus Germanicus or Sextus Pompey, the son of Pompey the Great. Bust on its way home after purchase at the Goodwill store, price tag on its cheek. Bust taking necessary COVID precautions while its origin was being investigated. The bust is on temporary loan at the San Antonio museum and will be returned to Germany next year. https://www.local10.com/news/weird-news/2022/05/06/goodwill-find-in-texas-turns-out-to-be-ancient-roman-bust/?outputType=amp

Here is another article on the find that includes other pictures of the votive offerings and gives insights into the healing properties and significance of the site. Womb-shaped votive offering Phallus-shaped votive offering San Casciano is a geothermal hub with forty hot springs, six connected to the thermal sanctuary. The Etruscan picked this location to utilize the therapeutic power of the water's chemical properties -- it is rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium, as well as chloride and sulfates. San Casciano's ancient thermal baths functioned like a hospital clinic, with visitors seeking respite from respiratory problems or aching bones. For many, a float in the waters reduced their pain, so after their bath they'd throw offerings to the gods into the bubbly pools giving thanks for being healed. These included tree branches, scented pine cones and fruits such as peaches -- which have been recovered in well-preserved states thanks to the layers of mud the site has since been covered by. Health rituals carried out at the thermal baths included those specifically linked to pregnancy and birth. A recovered statue of a naked baby led archaeologists to believe that ancient women would visit San Casciano both during their pregnancies and after giving birth in the hope of protecting their baby's health. Related practices have continued in the centuries since: "Up until 50 years ago, village women who had trouble conceiving a child would come to the thermal baths in the belief that the water would relax their womb," said Tabolli. http://us.cnn.com/style/article/san-casciano-dei-bagni-thermal-baths-relics-scn/index.html

Thanks for ready my post. It gets better. This piece from the Begram hoard is possibly the most interesting find but also somewhat controversial. It's a colorless goblet made with high-relief decoration that possibly depicts the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria with a statue of Zeus on top. It shows three ships on the other side. It is thought to have been made in the late 1st or early 2nd centuries AD. It could be a product of an Alexandrian workshop. It would be amazing if this really is Pharos, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The lighthouse was progressively destroyed by a series of earthquakes from 796-1300s AD. It would be incredible if a contemporary depiction of the famous Alexandrian lighthouse were to be found in distant Afghanistan, far from the borders of Rome. For comparison to the goblet, these are the reverses of the Roman coins depicting the Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria minted for Antoninus Pius and Commodus. 11 Striking Objects From the Begram Hoard | History Hit

. This beautiful glass painted with possibly a Roman gladiator date from the 2nd century AD. It is from the Begram hoard in Afghanistan. The Romans never reached Afghanistan, so there is a belief that this glass was on its way to China as part of a shipment along the Silk Road. This piece is currently in a museum in Paris. (Thank you RominTheEmpire @romIntheempire for bring this fascinating piece to my attention.) Apparently, Bagram, Afghanistan was an important trade city in the Kushan Empire. Interestingly, the Begram hoard is thought to be an intact ancient Silk Road merchant’s warehouse discovered in Begram in the 30s: https://www.nga.gov/audio-video/audio/afghan-treasures/afghant3.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_of_Begram