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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

Here is another article about the research on the indigenous dwellings of the peoples beyond Hadrian’s Wall: “The new study initially focused specifically on Burnswark – home to the greatest concentration of Roman projectiles ever found in Britain, and a testament to the firepower of Rome’s legions. The research team went on to scour an area of 580 square miles beyond the hillfort, using the latest laser-scanning technology.” Although much of the area had been studied before, researchers found 134 previously unrecorded Iron Age settlements — bringing the total number known in the region to more than 700.” https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2022/study-sheds-light-on-life-beyond-rome-s-frontier Here a few interesting video about the Burnswark Hillfort:

It is refreshing to see that the focus of some of the modern research on Ancient Rome has delved into the lives of non-elite Romans, including small farmers, slaves, and peasants. University of Pennsylvania Professor Kimberly Bowes has dedicated much of her research investigating the lives of the rural and non-elite in the Empire. Her new book does look interesting: Her research has uncovered some interesting insights: I would caution her against being too doctrinaire in her approach, however: This is the kind of politically correct gibberish that detracts from potentially useful research and insights. I am willing to wager that we know far more about the lives of Julius Caesar’s wives and lovers than we do about the lives of any of the millions of men, women, and children from Gaul killed or enslaved by Caesar. Nevertheless, we can hope to learn more about the non-elite (the vast majority of individuals) in Ancient Rome. https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/regular-folks-roman-empire-kimberly-bowes-archaeology-economics

Here’s an informative article on some historically significant medallions from the Roman Empire. Similar to common coins, these rare medallions were issued to spread Imperial propaganda to their recipients: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/10142/

We have discussed before Maximinus Thrax and the recently reassessed Battle of Harzhorn. (See thread below.) Below are two good videos on this forgotten Emperor:

Bowl-like depression of the amphitheater An amphitheater was found near the excavation of the military base of the Roman Legion Legio VI Ferrata that was stationed near Megiddo, Israel from the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD. There are over 230 Roman civilian amphitheaters that have been found throughout the Roman Empire. Amphitheaters associated with military bases are unusual, especially outside of the western regions of the Empire. Gold coin of Diocletian found at site. Location of Megiddo https://m.jpost.com/archaeology/article-708197

An interesting geometric mosaic has been discovered on the floor of a suspected religious area in Pergamon, Turkey. It is thought to date from the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/1800-year-old-geometric-patterned-mosaic-found-in-turkeys-pergamon

Video on the find:

The Saqqara necropolis in Egypt is one of the most popular tourist sites. It will be unveiling new archaeological finds, including sarcophagi, small bronze statues, and other antiquities. Small statue of the “Protector Goddess” Bastet: A papyrus scroll thought to measure nine meters. https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2022/05/30/egypt-unveils-major-find-of-250-sarcophagi-and-150-statues-in-saqqara/ https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-Bastet

A young female buried in Colchester with a hair pin to keep her hairstyle in place at the time of burial. We have gained greater appreciation in recent years for styles and culture of the Ancient Roman through archaeological studies. The ornitrices, many times enslaved, were essential for creating and maintaining the elaborate hairstyles in Ancient Rome. Here's an interesting article on the "Ornatrices of Londinium" excerpted from the book "Mudlark'd: The Hidden Histories from the River Thames" by Malcolm Russell. It delves into the discoveries of items recovered from the banks of the Thames and the people who owned them. Carved bone hairpin, head in the form of a female bust with elaborate hairstyle in the British Museum The Ornatrices of Londinium | Lapham’s Quarterly (laphamsquarterly.org) Here is an excellent lecture by the professional hairstylist Janet Stephens on evolving female hairstyles in Ancient Rome:

A really wonderful find. There is so much of pre-Colombian culture in the Americas that we don’t know. Hopefully, the use of of new technologies (such as LiDAR scanning) can uncover these ancient settlements before environmental degradation and human impact destroy them forever.

A good video summary on the use of the LiDAR technology used in this discovery and it’s new insights into the Casarabe people:

Another picture of this ancient insult to give proportion to the find.

Above is a photo of the House of the Craftsman of the two skeletons used for study discovered in 1933. An interesting paragraph from the scientific article linked above:  https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61557424

Scientists have been able to more closely assess the remains of two victims who died in Pompeii in 79 AD. Through DNA sequencing, they were able to gain new insights into the lives of those who lived in the ancient city. Radiographic evidence of tuberculosis infection of the lumbar spine of the male victim confirmed by genomic studies. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/05/roman-pompeiian-genome-sequenced/143716?amp https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10899-1/figures/4

Human nature hasn’t changed much after these many years. Bored legionaries found time to express their creative abilities. https://www.ladbible.com/news/latest-archeologists-roman-soldier-graffitied-a-dk-hadrians-wall-20220527

Using LiDAR technology, a previously unknown civilization has been found in the Amazon jungle: Screenshot from 3D animation of the Cotoca site. https://www.livescience.com/lidar-reveals-pre-hispanic-amazon-settlements https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04780-4?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_PRODUCT&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100052172&CJEVENT=e2f3587fdc5411ec81e701100a1c0e10

The archaeologists have been expanding beyond Burnswark, studying LiDAR data (pictured) from the surrounding 579 square miles (1,500 km2) with the support of the British Academy Using LiDAR technology, archaeologists are better understanding the framework of indigenous peoples at the time of the Roman occupation north of Hadrian’s Wall. More than 130 new indigenous settlements have been discovered north of Hadrian's Wall from the time of Rome's occupation. Although part of the area had been extensively studied in the past, the team discovered 134 previously unrecorded Iron Age settlements in the region, bringing the total to over 700 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10849845/Over-130-new-indigenous-settlements-discovered-north-Hadrians-Wall.html

Herod’s calcite-alabaster bathtub found in Kypros fortress. Herod “The Great” made the news with the closer chemical analysis of the two bathtubs attributed him. The quarry and royal bathtubs Here is the Te’omim cave where the calcite-alabaster quarry was found. This was close to the two sites where the bathtubs were discovered: Kypros and Herodium. Te’omim cave. The quarry is located in the right part of the photograph. Signs of quarrying-scars and cessation of quarrying are visible on the quarry’s walls and floor https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11651-5 A nice readable summary of the scientific article is found at “Ancient Origens”: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/herods-bathtubs-0016804

A mass grave of around 50 headless Vikings from a site in Dorset, UK. Some of these remains were used for DNA analysis. Credit: Dorset County Council/Oxford Archaeology Reassessing 400 Viking skeletons found in Europe and Greenland by DNA analysis have uncovered interesting findings: I guess I was surprised to find six percent of the UK population has Viking blood compared to only ten percent in Sweden. World’s largest-ever DNA sequencing of Viking skeletons reveals they weren’t all Scandinavian | University of Cambridge

The song “Embryonic Journey” was written by Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane. He is really a friendly guy and a great guitar teacher. I first met me him in the early 90s at a guitar seminar. I was actually hesitant to meet him, however, remembering the adage “Never meet the people you admire, you’ll be disappointed.” I was not disappointed and I’ve met Jorma several times since. Wonderful person. Below is Jefferson Airplane playing a live concert on a rooftop in New York … one year before The Beatles.

There have been several threads before on parasitic infestation discovered in ancient societies. This finding at Durrington Walls near Stonehenge is possibly the oldest finding of parasitic infection found in the UK. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/05/faeces-found-near-stonehenge-contains-prehistoric-parasites/143652?amp Intestinal parasites in the Neolithic population who built Stonehenge (Durrington Walls, 2500 BCE) | Parasitology | Cambridge Core I had to look up capillariasis up from the CDC information site: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/capillaria/index.html

Below is an interesting short on the Sassanid horsemen:

An ancient Greek ring with a beautiful design of two sphinxes has been returned to its museum in Rhodes after being removed during WW II. [Interestingly, the Island of Rhodes is 225 miles (360 Km) from the southeast coast of Greek mainland but only 11 miles (18 km) from the southern shore of Turkey.] https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/05/21/an-ancient-gold-ring-adorned-with-two-sphinxes-returned-to-greece-after-world-war-ii-theft/

A strange collection of coins have been found by an amateur detectorist: At this point, the details are somewhat limited. It seems, however, that this is a diverse haul. I am uncertain whether this came from a single hoard or was a collection of separate hoards and isolated finds in one area. Finding a coin from distant Numidia is interesting, however. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10826573/Detectorist-30-inspired-Indiana-Jones-finds-65-000-Roman-hoard.html