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A pair of stone sphinx statues that a couple bought for £300 and put in their garden for 15 years have sold at auction for £195,000. They were originally thought to be 19th Century ornaments. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-58883391.amp

https://www.livescience.com/rock-cut-chamber-tombs-turkey https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailysabah.com/arts/1800-year-old-rock-tombs-found-in-turkeys-ancient-city-blaundus/news/amp https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailysabah.com/life/travel/the-ancient-city-of-blaundus-anatolias-stonehenge/ampI’m

Although I agree with your statement, I would also caution students about the veracity of traditional sources (both modern and ancient). LOL I agree, for example, that the Persians in the movie “300” where caricatures. That said, the movie did spark renewed interest in an ancient conflict.

Video games have become increasingly historically accurate. It is not surprising that they are being used as a learning tool, especially for a generation more accustomed to these games. The game “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” has a historical plot set in ancient Greece (431-422 BC) during the Peloponnesian War. https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/15/ancient-greek-history-video-games-part-college-curricula/

Thank you for reading my post. Athletes (and presumably gladiators) need a diet high in protein—maybe 2-3x the normal diet. Protein would be essential to maintaining and repairing muscles, for example. Barley is a poor source of protein: ”Barley contains about 3.6 grams of protein per one-cup cooked serving. It provides less protein than some other whole grains. As a basis for comparison, brown rice provides about 4.5 grams of protein, quinoa provides about 8 grams per one-cup cooked serving, and Kamut provides 9.8 grams per one-cup serving.” https://www.verywellfit.com/barley-nutrition-facts-and-health-benefits-5114758 Although barley may have been a diet staple, the diet would require other dietary sources to sustain a gladiator’s health and fitness. Maybe bread from other grains could be a source: More likely, the protein requirements were derived from these food sources: I doubt that a barley-based diet could sustain the dietary needs of a gladiator. In fact, I am skeptical that either gladiators or legionnaires survived on an exclusively vegetarian (let alone a barley-based vegan) diet. More likely, their diets reflected the availability of local found sources: pork, fish, eggs, diary products, etc. Gladiators, despite their low status in society, represented an investment. Their health would be important to any owner (lanista).

An interesting find at a Roman military base near the modern city of Svishtov, Bulgaria on the Danube border. This is a map of some of the Roman fortresses in Bulgaria. The Roman fortress of Novae is on the Danube near the modern city of Svishtov. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/10/roman-cookware-discovered-in-the-centurion-house/141669?amp

The funerary stele of gladiator Palumbos, depicting him with a palm leaf symbolising victory. (Courtesy of: Martin Steskal) Assessment of the gladiator cemetery in Ephesus, Turkey had been the source of new insights and research into the daily life of gladiators. Although this is an older discovery, the scientific analysis has changed our current understanding about the life of gladiators. The research supporting a vegetarian diet: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289536254_Dying_in_the_Arena_the_Osseous_Evidence_from_Ephesian_Gladiators The background information: https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/turkey-s-gladiator-graves-tell-a-different-story-about-the-ancient-warriors-50717 Summary: I was always skeptical about the almost exclusive reliance of the Roman military and gladiators on a vegetarian diet. Interestingly, the gladiators were referred to as the “barley men” (hordearii). Presumably, this resulted from their eating barley to give them strength and stamina. This research supports the theory that gladiators, at least in Ephesus, were mostly vegetarians.

The marble head of a statue from the Roman period of Greece was found recently in the sea off the city of Preveza, along the Epirus Riviera in Greece. The head is thought to date back to the second or third century AD. Credit: Greek Ministry of the Interior “An exquisite sculpture of a head made of Pentelic marble was discovered in the sea off Preveza, in Epirus, western Greece, this week“ https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/12/roman-era-marble-head-found-in-sea-off-preveza-greece/ I had to look up Pentelic marble: “A white, fine-grain Marble that has been quarried at Mt. Pentelikon north of Athens since the 1st millennium BCE. Pentelic marble was used for sculpture as well as for buildings. Pentelic marbles often contain inclusions or veins of Quartz, iron oxide, Graphite, Mica, or Pyrite. Graphite inclusions in marble, called graphitic marble, show as gray or silver flakes when polished. The Parthenon, including the Elgin marbles, were made of Pentelic marble.” http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Pentelic_marble

Thank you for reading my post. I guess I’d never seen lids, either. Here are pictures from the last article: See the video below:

Excavation continues on an ancient winery in Yavneh, Israel. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/archaeologists-discover-worlds-largest-ancient-winery-in-israel https://hamodia.com/2021/10/11/massive-ancient-wine-factory-unearthed-in-yavneh/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2021/10/11/israeli-archaeologists-discover-ancient-winemaking-complex Great pictures in the article below: https://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/print.php?ARTICLE_ID=148611

The mystery of the strength of Roman concrete is being unraveled. Investigators looked at the unusual strength of the concrete used for the tomb of the noblewoman Caecilia Metella. This is a scientific article that is written for those of us with no engineering background: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211008134107.htm Here is a recent post on the unusual strength of Roman concrete:

For us non-numismatists, this is an excellent review video of the coinage system during the time of Augustus:

New aerial archaeology mapping tool allows history buffs to 'fly' across England and explore its rich history The interactive laser map, created by Historic England, brings ancient hidden settlements back to the surface It takes all the discoveries of past 30 years and superimposes them on 500,000 high-resolution photographs Lidar technology reveals Iron Age hillforts, neolithic burial sites and Second World War anti-invasion defences The Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer, which covers over half of England so far, can be accessed here https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10072039/Stunning-aerial-archaeology-mapping-tool-lets-fly-England-explore-rich-history.html

“This image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on September 30, 2021, shows the flow of lava from the volcano erupting on the Spanish island of La Palma. The cascade of lava can be seen spilling into the Atlantic Ocean, extending the size of the coastline.“ https://www.google.com/amp/s/scitechdaily.com/stunning-satellite-image-shows-lava-burning-a-path-to-the-sea-from-la-palma-volcano/amp/

These are exciting times for archaeology. Through the use of DNA analysis and stable isotope studies, for example, we are getting insights into the daily life of the ancient individual. Through the use of LiDAR and other methods of aerial study, we might rediscover ancient communities. Potentially, many ancient sites will be uncovered. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/10/120-archaeological-sites-identified-through-aerial-lidar-mapping/141612?amp https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-58817448 Here’s a previous thread on the use of LiDar in studies of ancient Roman communities in Portugal:

Hopefully, further DNA analysis on the “remains” will shed some light on ancient diets. Here’s another article with some added information: The ancient palace where the toilet was found would have had an impressive view of the Temple Mount. Yoli Schwartz / Israel Antiquities Authority https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2700-year-old-toilet-found-in-jerusalem-180978813/ Excellent video on the find:

Here is an article touting the Spartan courage and resilience. Interestingly, much of Sparta’s success has been attributed to the Spartan females: https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/07/spartans-ancient-war-machine/

“Sources from antiquity state that ancient Queen Cleopatra used to bathe in donkey milk to keep her skin soft and glowing. It is said that the milk of 700 donkeys was used to fill her tub. Ancient Roman poet Ovid also suggested women use donkey milk on their faces to improve the health an appearance of their skin.“ https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/06/donkey-milk-a-secret-from-the-antiquity-that-became-a-prosperous-business/ I never thought about the benefits of donkey milk. It is hard to get and expensive, however. Here is an interesting video:

https://m.dw.com/en/israeli-archaeologists-unearth-2700-year-old-toilet/a-59411188

Nice article (and photos) from the Gloucestershire find: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/roman-statuette-of-venus-discovered-at-english-construction-site-180978816/

Here is a short (16 minutes) film on the Goths. It was well done.

I have little understanding of the late Roman Empire; less of the Byzantine Empire. And I have no understanding of the development of the Byzantine military. The Byzantine army was able to absorb foreign influences to become a formidable force. After the Hunnish Empire defeat of the Fifth century, many barbarian horsemen from the Steppes joined the Byzantine Empire. The Heruli, for example, were among those who joined the Byzantines. Here’s a great video on the early Byzantine military development. It stresses the ability of the Byzantine army to adapt to invaders by adopting foreign weapons, tactics, and troops: As the Byzantine Empire began to falter, it became increasingly reliant on foreign mercenary troops. It became, nevertheless, a very formidable multi-ethnic force. Here’s an interesting article on the development and diversity of the Byzantine army: https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/03/byzantine-army/ The Byzantine emperors were also a diverse group: https://balkaniumblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/the-ethnic-backgrounds-of-byzantine-emperors/

I needed to put Colchester in historical perspective. The ancient Roman city (Camulodunum) was the first legionary fortress established after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD. It was attacked and destroyed by Boudicca in 61 AD. It was later rebuilt. It has the only Roman Circus (chariot racetrack) in Britain. It also has two of Britain’s five Roman theaters, including Britain’s largest with 5000 seats. By the Second and Third centuries AD it may have had 30,000 inhabitants. Two great videos on Roman Colchester: This next video is more in-depth, but fascinating: Colchester might have the oldest surviving Roman Christian church on display in Britain (16:30). Many Roman graves were excavated in Colchester. Here is a young female buried with copper pins to keep her hair in place. (21:21) The excavation of the Roman Circus track (33:49). It is estimated to have been a quarter mile long with up to 15,000 spectators. Medical tools found in a pre-Christian grave. (28:28)

I don’t know the accuracy of this claim, but it is unfortunate, if true: Discovery - a section of Roman road was uncovered at the former Essex County Hospital site, off Lexden Road https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-58752445 https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19613644.ancient-roman-ruins-discovered-ex-hospital-site/