guy

Narmer Palette (c. 3200-3000 BCE) Early Egyptian art that celebrated the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt under King Narmer (c. 3150 BCE). Somewhere art began to depict more life-like images of humans. It is quite a jump from stick figures and hand prints. Hand stencil, Cosquer Cave, France c. 27,000 years ago. Gwion Gwion rock paintings from Australia 12,000 years ago

Interesting observation. These human depictions in the Magura Cave in Bulgaria were made 8-10,000 years ago: This depiction from the New York Times proves your point: Interestingly, some of the older cave paintings (> 45,000 years ago) may have been done by Neanderthals (and not early modern humans). Studies of the red ochre (a mixture of soil and water) used on paintings in Spain date to 65,000 years ago, 20,000 years before the arrival of modern humans. https://wamu.org/story/18/02/22/cave-art-may-have-been-handiwork-of-neanderthals/

Other articles on this spectacular find: Painted ceramic perfume burner Cupboard with intact dishes https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/62478010 https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/pompeii-middle-class-house-0017114

Excavation of a middle-class home in Pompeii has recently shed some interesting insights into middle-class life on that fateful day: Lower levels of the house being examined https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/08/excavation-reveals-lifestyle-of-roman-middle-class-in-pompeii/144367?amp https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/pompeii-archaelogy-discovery-house-of-the-lararium-1234635963/#:~:text=Pompeii's archaeological park announced,middle-class citizens in Pompeii. http://pompeiisites.org/en/comunicati/the-discovery-of-furnishings-from-the-house-of-the-lararium-in-regio-v-a-snapshot-of-middle-class-pompeii/

Another nice article on the research: “Using computerised ballistic calculations based on finds found adjacent to the Jerusalem Municipality building, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist, Kfir Arbiv, has been able to identify the locations of the Roman siege engines used during the attack. This was done by considering the local topography and the location of the Second Temple period city walls, in combination with ballistic calculations and the launching angle for the ballista stones found today within the ancient city. As for the location of the Roman siege weapons, it appears that a significant number were placed in Cat Square, located around the centre of modern Jerusalem.“ https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/08/archaeologist-identifies-position-of-roman-siege-engines-used-during-attack-on-jerusalem/144375?amp

Click the link, wait out the commercials, turn on the volume, and enjoy. https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/shorts-murmurs-ed-steed-7-short-films

I wrote the following in the past about the smells of Ancient Rome: I could only imagine the wide range of smells in ancient Rome. The pungent odor from factories producing the fermented fish sauce garum would be bracing, for example. (Fortunately, the end product was much milder in smell, even enticing.) The pungent odor of garlic, onions, and fish would fill the air. The odor of dead animals and excrement in the streets would have been sickly. Needless to say, body and oral hygiene would have been poor. Fortunately, masking odors of flowers and spices would waft through the air. Burning incense from temples would give a pleasant break to the stench in the air. Incense would also be used to cover the pervasive reek of public cremations, as well as the smell of death from animals or prisoners in the amphitheater. Here is an excellent video that further explores the smells of Ancient Rome:

Excavation of Roman ballista stones Using archaeological evidence, historians now have a better appreciation of Roman tactics during Titus’ siege and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. More ballista stones Iron tips of Roman catapult projectiles https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-08-07/ty-article-magazine/archaeologists-pinpoint-a-source-of-roman-artillery-attack-on-ancient-jerusalem/00000182-789c-d428-a1e6-fcdfaf340000?_amp=true

Alters in water A great Roman find in the Tuscan hill town of San Casciano dei Bagni, famous even today for its hot springs. Some excavated coins from Augustus, Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius A marble statue of Hygeia, deity of health and daughter of Asclepius, the healing god, discovered at the site. Ears, probable votive offerings The altar of Fortuna Primigenia [Credit: Municipality of San Casciano dei Bagni] https://arkeonews.net/an-extraordinary-votive-treasure-was-unearthed-in-the-ancient-roman-bath-sanctuary-of-san-casciano-dei-bagni-in-italy/ https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/san-casciano-dei-bagni-0015195 https://www.tgtourism.tv/2022/08/san-casciano-dei-bagni-presentate-le-nuove-scoperte-archeologiche-2-114946 https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-roman-sanctuary-re-emerges-at-san.html?m=1

A recent study from the Netherlands showed that Roman dice were irregularly shaped and numbered. This could reflect their belief in “fate” than “probability.” The above is the unforgettable scene from the HBO series “Rome” where Titus Pullo tests his fate with dice in a gambling house. The 28 die studied were found throughout modern-Netherlands and 24 were found to be irregularly shaped. https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/why-ancient-romans-used-sketchy-lopsided-dice-to-gamble-and-play-board-games/ https://phys.org/news/2022-08-early-romans-lopsided-dice.html

After doing a Las Vegas run, I think of this song: For the guitarists among us, the verse has some unusual chords:

Here’s a nice review video of the coins and history of the Valerian dynasty (AD 253-268).

The following news report seems like bureaucratic spin. They will rebury a Roman villa recently unearthed in Scarborough. (See post below). There are plans, however, to create a “interpretive depiction,” instead. This sounds foolish to me. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-62406644

The finding of a “pregnant mummy” was incorrect (see below). These initial conclusions were based on X-ray and CT scan analysis. Further studies, however, suggest otherwise. The “fetus” in the mummy was, in reality, merely bundles (possibly with body parts) to maintain the shape of the body after the mummification process. According to the authors of the new article, the alleged discovery of the mummy's pregnancy resulted from an illusion caused by the phenomenon of pareidolia, a natural human desire to see familiar objects in random shapes.Warsaw mummy project Studies suggesting that this mummy died from cancer have not been refuted, so far. https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/ancient-egyptian-mummy-was-not-pregnant-says-new-research-32166

Roman mosaics are famous for their beauty and vibrant colors and detail. Tesserae were the small pieces of stone, glass, ceramic, or other hard material cut to fit into the mosaic. Because glass tesserae were more more fragile, they were used more sparingly in floor mosaics. The did, however, provide mosaics the blues, reds, and greens that aren’t usually found in more natural stones. They were more common in wall mosaics. Tessarae from late antiquity floor mosaics in Halikarnassos (in Anatolia, Turkey) were analyzed. Samples of tessarae examined The re-use of materials (in this glass) would be indicative of an Empire in decay. The economic supply chain was disrupted in late antiquity, forcing craftsman to use recycled glass as opposed to either locally produced or distant sources. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220725105611.htm https://www.britannica.com/art/tessera-mosaic https://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40494-022-00697-3

Here is a well-produced video on the Carthaginian navy: https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/01/11/navy-of-carthage/

Nice smooth sound.

The Samnites were one of the competing tribes with the Roman Republic on the Italian Peninsula. Here are some nice reviews: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/07/the-ancient-samnites/144229?amp A nice review of the Samnite Wars:

Wow. Is that you? Strong work. Is that a Fender Strat you're playing?

I was lucky enough to see Steve Vai before the pandemic came. He is a true guitar master. Here is one of my favorite songs by him:

This is a rather insignificant find of 27 Roman-era skeletons at an illegal dig in Turkey. The associated findings, however, were interesting. There were three intact spindle whorls were found in the graves. Most interesting was also the finding of lachrymatory bottles. A lachrymatory (from the Latin lacrima meaning tear) is a small vessel found in Roman tombs. These were supposedly the bottles in which mourners dropped their tears. More likely, these vessels contained perfumes, fragrances, or unguents for the corpse. (Suspected lachrymatory vessels from other previous excavations in Turkey.) https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/illegal-dig-reveals-rare-ancient-mass-grave-in-turkey/news https://www.dailysabah.com/life/2020/02/14/history-of-love-hidden-in-lachrymatory-bottles https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacrymatory

Interesting picture from Pompeii. It looks like the individual on top is a woman with a Roman bra. I’m not certain that these are laurel wreaths they are wearing, however. My understanding is that laurel wreaths were given to winners of competitions, such as sports events or music and poetry performances. They were also awarded to generals after military victories. They were not worn daily, however. If these are, in fact, laurel wreaths on the frescos in a brothel in Pompeii, maybe they signify something else. Maybe the male “conquering” the prostitute. These are not, nevertheless, the typical Roman laurel wreaths associated with competitions or military success. These could be merely the wreaths popular among Greeks during celebrations and sometimes associated with Bacchus (Dionysus) and bacchanalias. (See the painting of Bacchus by Caravaggio below or the scene of John Belushi from “Animal House” above.)

Here is an excellent video that carefully reviews and reevaluates the ancient literary sources that mentions Varus and his disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9.

Here’s another article on the find: https://arkeonews.net/in-the-ancient-city-of-syedra-a-unique-mosaic-with-the-12-labors-of-heracles-depicted-on-a-single-panel-found/

Turkey continues to be the source of beautiful discoveries. This mosaic was found in a Roman bath complex in southern Turkey, in the ancient city of Syedra. It is thought to be from the 2nd century AD and spreads over an area of 164 square meters (1765 square feet). The mosaic depicts the Greek mythological hero Heracles (or Hercules in Roman mythology). https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/164-square-meter-heracles-mosaic-found-in-turkeys-alanya