guy

This is a slightly older discovery, but it is in the news. An Egyptian mummy, originally thought to be a male, was examined by CT scan in 2021. It came as a surprise that the mummy was a pregnant female with the fetus still intact, instead. This is the first fetus found in a mummy. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56926005.amp

The glass jug with inner jug, probably made in a factory in Cologne in the early 4th century, is a masterpiece of glassblowing art. Canton Archeology Schaffhausen / Rolf Wessendorf This is a wonderful Roman glass I first saw on a thread by Nina WillBurger @DrNWillburger. These objects were found many years ago, but are frequently overlooked by modern scholars. Here’s some background on the find: “In September 1969, when laying heating pipes in the greenhouse of a market garden situated next to the railway line from Stein am Rhein to Kreuzlingen, a workman came across two skeletons and a fragment of a glass bowl decorated with a motif of figures in relief. He had discovered the necropolis of the Late Roman fortress of Auf Burg, which lay about 250 metres to the north. Since then, several excavations have uncovered a total of 83 graves. The quality and the number of grave goods made of glass, as well as the comparatively intact context of castle and associated burial ground, are what make the site so special.” Here is another glass piece found at the site: https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/2020/07/roemisches-glas/

Nice follow-up on the find: “The ancient hotspot — known as Blackgrounds for its black soil — has an abundance of ancient artifacts and structures spanning different time periods, including depictions of deities and Roman game pieces, according to about 80 archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) Headland Infrastructure, who spent the past year excavating the site ahead of the construction of HS2, a new high speed railway. Archaeologists have uncovered the exceptionally well-preserved remains of an Iron Age village that grew into a bustling ancient Roman trading town — an archaeological gem with more than 300 Roman coins, glass vessels and water wells — in what is now the district of South Northamptonshire, England in the United Kingdom.“ https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-market-town-excavated-uk

Not surprisingly, Rome had a great presence in Switzerland. I am, however, surprised that this is the eighth Roman amphitheater found in that country. “The Kaiseraugst amphitheater is the second amphitheater in the canton of Aargau after the one in Vindonissa (Windisch). It is the third such monument in the Roman town of Augusta Raurica. Eight such buildings are now known throughout Switzerland. In addition to Vindonissa and Augusta Raurica, there is an amphitheater in Avenches (Aventicum), Martigny (Forum Claudii Vallensium), Nyon (Colonia Iulia Equestris) and on the Enge peninsula in Bern (Brenodurum). In Roman times, games such as gladiator fights and animal hunts were presented in the arenas, which were very popular at the time.” “Augusta Raurica, or Colonia Augusta Rauracorum, was founded by Lucius Munatius Plancus around 44 BC in the vicinity of a local Gallic tribe, the Rauraci. During the 2nd century AD, the town emerged as a prosperous commercial trading centre with an estimated population of around 20,000 inhabitants. The amphitheatre was uncovered during the construction of a new boathouse for the Basel Rowing Club on the Rhine in Kaiseraugst, revealing an oval ring of walls that measure around 50 metres long and 40 metres wide, west of the Kaiseraugst fort, the Castrum Rauracense.” https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/01/roman-amphitheatre-unearthed-in-switzerland/142560?amp https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/swiss-archeologists-dig-up-youngest-roman-amphitheatre-in-kaiseraugst?format=amp

That has happened to me in the past. Ask Peter if he can fix the situation. As you can imagine, I have posted quite a few pictures over the years

Interesting point. I found this quote: https://ancientimes.blogspot.com/2020/08/roman-mithraism.html?m=1 https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1805-0703-270

I think for any guitar player, this solo by Jimmy Page (from Led Zeppelin) is both unpretentious and powerful. “Dynamics…light and shade…whisper to the thunder. It invites you in. It is intoxicating.” J Page

A small but interesting find while during excavation for a new hotel in Zadar, Croatia. “A statue of the Roman goddess Venus was found on the construction site of a future hotel in the center of Zadar, about a meter high, preserved from the knees to below the chest, made of marble, and about 1800 years old.” ”"Academician Nenad Cambi, our greatest expert on antiquity, believes that it is most likely a statue of the goddess Venus. Its full height was about two meters, and it was probably on a pedestal in the atrium of this ancient urban villa where we are now," said Smiljan Gluščević.” https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/59345-venus-statue-in-zadar

This was a great find, indeed. I needed to put this hoard in context for me. The coin hoard was found in Asturias, located in northwest Spain. The article suggests it was a coin hoard hidden from the invading Suebian migration: The Suevi (along with the Vandals and Alans) crossed a frozen Rhine on a night in December 406 AD and migrated into Roman Gaul. Taking advantage of Roman internecine turmoil, these tribes later migrated into Hispania around 409. The article suggested that these coins were hidden by refugees. Maybe, but I doubt low valued Nummi (such as the one pictured above of Constantine I) would have been hidden for safekeeping. Possibly they were an offering (to God for protection) or, even more likely, they were merely misplaced and forgotten. This article is thought-provoking, nevertheless.

Here’s a nice video summary of the most important archaeological findings of 2021.

A mythical gorgon, who could turn people to stone, oversees one of the tombs Here’s an interesting article on the Greek archaeological findings in Naples, Italy. These findings predate the Roman presence by centuries. Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas of the world, once a prominent city in Magna Graecia. “Forty feet below the garden of a 19th-century palazzo, in what's now the Sanità area of the city, a steep staircase burrowing underground leads to four tombs. Each with their own grand entrance -- one even has Ionic columns sculpted on its façade -- they open on to what is thought to have been the original pathway that mourners would have taken. Ancient Greeks built twin-chambered tombs -- one upper chamber, where prayers were said, and a lower one, where the bodies were laid to rest -- by digging out the soft tuff rock, rather like making a cave. But these are no mere caves. The chambers have been sculpted to resemble real rooms, with fake ceiling beams, benches, staircases and even high-mattress "beds" -- sarcophagi, inside which multiple bodies were laid to rest. And these weren't sculpted outside and then brought in. Every single detail -- right down to the perfectly plumped "pillows" on those beds -- has been carved from the original rock face.“ The mouth of the gorgon watching over the dead looks mid-breath. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/naples-greek-tombs-cristallini/index.html

Cornwall, in southwest England, has proven to have a greater Roman presence than previously thought. This wonderful intaglio ring dating from the First or Second Century AD was found by a metal detectorist in his own front yard. “For now, the theory is that the ring that came out of Mike’s front garden flower bed is a Roman intaglio ring, made of gold and weighing 12.8 grams, with Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, justice, peace and motherhood, engraved into a chalcedony gemstone.” https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-01-16/the-cornwall-man-who-discovered-ancient-gold-in-his-front-garden This style of ring is similar to the “Good Shepherd” ring found recently in Caesarea:

The is an usual find, for sure. A silver capsule with Christian markings, apparently swallowed, was found in Hampshire, England. It is dated to the time of Constantine. “‘It’s made of silver, about three-quarters of an inch long and is shaped like a paracetamol [acetaminophen] tablet. ‘We found it at a site which we suspect to be a Roman temple, and the coins coming out of there date back to Constantine, who brought Christianity to the Roman empire.’ Mr Beasley described the ‘extraordinary’ and ‘mind-boggling’ artefact as priceless. After cleaning and recording the artefact, which was found five weeks ago, the treasure hunters found the symbol of the Chi-Rho.“ https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/01/16/treasure-hunters-discover-greco-roman-artefact-they-call-the-paranormal-paracetamol/?amp

Here is an excellent video about the Roman military sandal (something I have never thought about before). Below is a nice review of the Roman caligae and calcei: https://www.romanobritain.org/8-military/mil_roman_soldier_footwear.php

Max Miller, the ever-entertaining culinary historian, presents another delightful video. This one covers cabbage and it’s role in the history and culture of Ancient Rome: Cato the Elder extolled the medicinal value of cabbage in his “De Agricultura”: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cato/De_Agricultura/K*.html

Marc Antony denarii were known to circulate throughout the Roman Empire more than a century after Antony’s defeat at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE) and his suicide a year later. Possibly coins from this “enemy of Rome” were allowed to circulate because Antony was never subjected to damnatio memoriae by Augustus. Here’s an interesting paper on possible reasons for Augustus’ “clemency”: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&context=discentesjournal Interestingly, the famous Antony denarii were found among a Roman coin hoard discovered in Wales in 2015. This hoard also had a coin from Marcus Aurelius, minted more than a century after Antony’s death. It is doubtful that a coin of an individual who suffered damnatio memoriae and was an “enemy of Rome” would have circulated freely in the Empire. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3334908/amp/Significant-hoard-Roman-coins-discovered-Wales-Silver-money-issued-Marc-Antony-2-000-years-ago.html

Error: Double post

Another good article on this possible transfer of ancient technology: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/fish-like-scale-armor-found-in-2500-year-old-tomb-in-china/

Replica of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the original in the Capitoline museum. We discussed the size of horses in ancient history before. (The UNRV link below is partially broken and deleted.) The theory is that horses in ancient times were smaller than imagined. This article suggests that horses in medieval times were smaller; thus, horses in Ancient Rome were probably smaller, too. http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/medieval-warhorses-10449.html

A worker trnasports traditionally-made clay bricks during a German-Iraqi archaeological expedition to restore the white temple of Anu in the Warka (ancient Uruk) site in Iraq’s Muthanna prvoince, on November 27, 2021. (Qassem al-Kaabi/AFP) It is good to see that archaeological research has resumed in Iraq: “They brushed off bricks and removed earth to clear what appeared to be the pier of a bridge spanning an urban canal of Larsa, which was the capital of Mesopotamia just before Babylon, at the start of the second millennium BCE. The team of 20 people have made “major discoveries,” he said, including the residence of a ruler identified by about 60 cuneiform tablets that have been transferred to the national museum in Baghdad.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-years-of-war-european-archaeologists-return-to-iraq-for-rare-finds/ https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/unearthing-ancients-archaeologists-finally-return-to-war-torn-iraq/news

“Hundreds of Roman coins, jewelry, pottery and a pair of shackles were among the artifacts to be discovered at the site near a village in Northamptonshire, according to a press release from High Speed 2 (HS2) Tuesday. HS2 is a large-scale project intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in central and northern England.” https://www.cnn.com/style/amp/roman-town-iron-age-archaeology-scli-scn-intl/index.html https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-59943179.amp

Dura-Europos was a Roman fortress city in Mesopotamia till its capture and destruction by the Sassanians after a brutal siege in 256-257 AD. Although poorly documented, the battle Involved Sassanian tunnels to enter behind the Roman fortifications. The Romans made their own tunnels to counter this threat. The Roman tunnels were met with failure. “The Sasanian Persians had effective siege techniques to storm Dura-Europos by applying a series of tunnels to bring down the city walls, with mining likely starting within Dura’s underground necropolis. The Romans then dug a series of countermines to stop the incursions, but in the ensuing struggle the Persians won the battle. As the Roman diggers reached the Sasanian lines, the chemicals were pumped into the Roman tunnel, causing suffocation and death from the gas. The use of smoke generators in siege-mines is mentioned in classical text, with the archaeological evidence at Dura suggesting that the Sasanian Persians were well aware of the use of chemical substances and its application in chemical warfare.” Sadly, this archaeological site was mostly destroyed and looted recently by the Islamic State during the Syrian conflict. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/01/the-first-known-case-of-chemical-warfare/142483?fbclid=IwAR3wmgisAqgkz8-7rcmgo2r3199wRfp5H9VlBtogclxqK83JX3cFg9QyoHQ&amp https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dura-Europos

A Roman coin hoard of 209 coins was unearthed by a badger in Northern Spain, apparently in search of food. https://www.cnn.com/style/amp/badger-roman-coins-spain-scli-intl-scn/index.html https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/09/hungry-badger-may-have-uncovered-roman-coins-in-spanish-cave

This is another fascinating incidental find, this time during work in Mendip Hills, England. https://hinkleyconnection.co.uk/discovering-the-remains-of-a-roman-roadside-settlement/ https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/19836219.hinkley-projects-roman-find-features-digging-britain/

One of my biggest regrets in life (and I have quite a few) was missing the opportunity to see Stevie Ray Vaughn (SRV) in 1986. While I was in graduate school, SRV was playing two blocks away from my apartment in a small venue in Pittsburgh of about 3,700 people. I was "too busy," I guess. I promised myself I would see SRV the next time he came around. Unfortunately, there was never a "next time" as he died soon after in a tragic helicopter crash. I recommend you see the performers you like before it's too late. I was lucky to see Neal Peart (Rush) and Chris Squire (Yes) within months of their passing. (I'm afraid to see Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones for fear that he, too, would pass soon afterwards. I suspect, however, that Keith Richards will be around long after the rest of us have crossed the River Styx.) Below is a soundcheck (the preshow check on sound quality and equipment) for a SRV show. SRV was a great talent, for sure.