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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:

It is estimated that the average European has more than 2% Neanderthal genes. One specific “Neanderthal gene” has been shown to have twice the mortality from COVID-19 infection. (The red represents the percentage of the population that has the “Neanderthal gene” that doubles the risk of death from COVID—19.) Here is a fascinating video about the increased risk of death from COVID-19 from having this Neanderthal gene.. This might partially explain the lower mortality rate for COVID-19 among Africans and some Asian populations (Japanese, for example). https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-news/957019/neanderthal-gene-caused-up-to-a-million-covid-deaths?amp Here is a previous thread about the surprising prevalence of the Neanderthal gene, especially among Europeans.

Wonderful find, indeed. One can only imagine how many ancient sites have been either covered or completely destroyed by modern development. This is one case, ironically, where climate change has helped to preserve or recover ancient archaeology. (Thanks for attaching the photos. Let us know when you need more data storage to post pictures.)

A rare EID MAR aureus went on sale last month for more than two million US dollars.(See thread below.) Below is an interesting video created just before the auction discussing the value of this and other rare ancient coins.

Here’s a very nice video on coins dealing with health and medicine:

Well, the market has spoken. The coin went for 2.2 million CHD ($2.3 million USD) plus fees. Bidding starts at 2:30: (Thank you red spork from cointalk..com for video link) https://www.cointalk.com/threads/eid-mar-aureus-at-nac-132.396998/

I haven’t thought about this aspect of Roman history in years, so I’m probably the last person to knowledgeably comment on Sulla’s reforms. It seems to me, however, that Sulla’s numerous extraconstitutional activities (including his ruthless proscriptions) undermined any hope of legitimacy and broad acceptance of his reforms. His actions, if anything, helped to undermine and eventually end the Republic. Future military strongmen (such as Pompey and Julius Caesar) would soon challenge these reforms after his death. One problem with the reforms was Sulla’s destroying the Republic’s long-held balance of power between the Senate and the non-senatorial ranks of the tribune of the plebs. By increasing the number and power of the Senate, as well as giving the Senate control of juries, he insured discontentment of the tribunes and the masses. The reforms also greatly diminished the power of the tribunes, which left the plebs with no opportunity to legally act on their dissatisfaction. It wouldn’t take long for a populist like Caesar to later topple the whole Republican edifice. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1481/sullas-reforms-as-dictator/

A discovered Roman road in Preseli Hills, in western Wales suggests a more extensive Roman presence than previously thought. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/05/romans-ventured-deeper-into-wales-than-thought-road-discovery-shows?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter The Preseli Hills look like a beautiful (although desolate) part of Britain The bluestones of Stonehenge may have originated from the Preseli Hills, Wales.

A key scientific breakthrough came with the discovery of this tiny bone. It belonged to a 13-year-old girl whose mother was Denisovan and whose father was a Neanderthal. This has strongly shown that different human species mated with each other and produced offspring when they had the opportunity. Credit: University of Vienna This article is a nice follow-up on this topic: https://phys.org/news/2022-06-molecular-archaeology-ancient-genes.html

The “Thermae boxer” resting after a match, 2-3 century B.C.E.Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen Here's an interesting article dealing with the difference between Greek and Roman masculinity The Rules of Attraction | Lapham’s Quarterly (laphamsquarterly.org) There have been previous threads dealing with male masculinity. (See thread below.)

(Scene from the HBO series "Rome" shows Brutus's mother Servilia cursing Julius Caesar and Atia through a curse tablet.) Curse tablets were an unusual aspect of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds: Thirty curse tablets have recently been discovered in an ancient Greek well, including a particularly vindictive one shown below. Love and Hate: This curse tablet was created against a newlywed woman named Glykera. The curse, which focuses on her vagina, was made by someone who envied the woman’s marriage. Photo credit: Dr. Jutta Stroszeck – German Archaeological Institute The rocky, muddy opening to the ancient well in Kerameikos, Athens where the curse tablets were found. Photo credit: Dr. Jutta Stroszeck – German Archaeological Institute The Ancient Curse Tablets Found in Athens Well (greekreporter.com) Curse tablet - Wikipedia

The ancient Celts were notorious beer drinkers. The Romans, on the other hand, preferred their wine. There were parts of the Empire, however, where beer was enjoyed and even preferred, including Gaul, Egypt, and Britain. (See links below.) This is a wonderful video discussing this beer-wine dichotomy that existed in the Empire: Here is an interesting article on beer drinking in the Roman Empire in Britain: https://www.romanobritain.org/2-arl_food/arl_roman_recipe_8_drinks_main.php