guy

“Around 200 artworks were recovered in December after having been illegally traded to private collectors or museums in the U.S. over the last decade. The Roman statues and Etruscan vases were stolen or illegally dug by traffickers in various archaeological sites across Italy. The objects are worth about €10 million and date from the 8th century B.C. to the 1st century A.D.” https://www.euronews.com/culture/2021/12/31/italy-recovers-10-million-worth-of-stolen-artworks-from-around-the-world

Good health and happiness. Stay safe, all. Let's have a wonderful new year. I had a visitor: Death twitches my ear. “Live,” he says. “I am coming.” (Virgil)

Just a follow-up on the original post with some further insights: This discovery is rather indicative of an empire in decline: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59668728

There was a recent thread about a military diploma found in the Roman province of Pannonia (see below). Here is an article about a military diploma recently found in Turkey. https://bulletinobserver.com/2021/12/29/1898-year-old-bronze-military-diploma-found-in-turkeys-perre/ https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/1898-year-old-bronze-military-diploma-found-in-turkeys-perre/news/amp There were probably many thousands of military diplomas issued. Fewer than a thousand (many in just fragments) have been recovered. These diplomas would certify a soldier’s military honorable service and would entitle him to various rights and privileges. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_military_diploma

https://worldakkam.com/rain-reveals-a-roman-statue-of-a-woman-in-epidabros/602702/amp/

Our knowledge of ancient Egyptian medicine is enriched by archaeological finds and three ancient Egyptian manuscripts: The Ebers papyrus https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebers_Papyrus The EdwIn Smith papyrus https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989268/ The Brooklyn papyrus (It was named after the museum in New York holding the manuscript. The manuscript Is a handbook on snakes and treatment of snakebites.) https://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/26760 Interestingly, recent archaeological studies of the Amenhotep I mummy showed that he was circumcised. https://www.grunge.com/719206/medical-procedures-that-existed-in-ancient-egypt/ I will need to do further research on this article. I find it hard to believe, however, that ancient Egyptians lacked even rudimentary surgical skills as suggested by the article. Herophilus (335-280 BCE) and his younger student Erasistratus (305-250 BCE) were famous for their human dissections (and possible vivisections) in Alexandria, Egypt. https://www.bibalex.org/SCIplanet/en/Article/Details.aspx?id=10296

A Roman era statue from the second or third century AD was found in Veria, Northern Greece. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/archaeologists-excavate-roman-era-statue-in-centre-of-ancient-veria/142364?amp

The use of modern technology, in this case a CT scan, yields new insights into the ancient world: This is an amazing look at someone who lived more than fourteen centuries before Cleopatra met Marc Antony. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-59808883 https://scitechdaily.com/mummy-of-pharaoh-amenhotep-i-unwrapped-for-the-first-time-in-3000-years-heres-what-scientists-found/ Here is a previous thread on the use of scanners to see the contents of wrapped or covered animal remains in a non-invasive and non-destructive fashion:

Gerulata was a Roman military camp near Bratislava, Slovakia, which was found in the Roman province of Pannonia. It was part of the Roman frontier defense system of the 2nd century but was abandoned two centuries later when the Romans withdrew from Pannonia. (Roman military outpost of Gerulata) https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22807426/ancient-diploma-found-by-archaeologists-in-bratislava.html A previous thread on the legions of Pannonia:

This is a recent article about the interesting coin hoard from Huntingdon, England found in 2018. All the coins were from the Gallic Roman Empire (260-274 AD). One can only wonder the reasons for burying this hoard. Most likely, the coins were hastily buried in wake of the confusion related to the breakaway Gallic Roman Empire. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-59665406

Excellent video about a soldier’s life on watchtower duty on the Rhine

The use of the modern technology offers a fascinating way to visualize the contents of animal mummies without unwrapping (and destroying) the item. https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/113957/egyptian_mummies_come_to_life_with_maltese_ai_scanner#.YcdBvBaIaaM

(Scene from HBO’s “Rome” when Cleopatra VII confronts her brother and husband Ptolemy XIII) This article clarifies the complicated politics of Egypt that existed when Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt in pursuit of Pompey Magnus. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/the-early-life-of-cleopatra/142343?amp

This is an excellent video recreation of the Augustan Palatine Hill which focuses on the Domus of Augustus and the adjacent Temple of Apollo. The Temple of Apollo Palatinus was a temple on the Palatine Hill of ancient Rome, which was first dedicated by Augustus to his patron god Apollo. It was only the second temple in Rome dedicated to the god, after the Temple of Apollo Sosianus. I appreciate the efforts to show more color marble that I feel has been understated in most depictions: Here is an earlier thread about the use of colored marble in Ancient Rome:

Long-standing philhellene and sometimes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has named his daughter Iris. Iris, in Greek mythology, was the personification of the rainbow. When Greek gods needed to send messages to other gods or to humans, they would ask Iris to transmit their Words. https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/17/boris-johnson-iris/ https://greekreporter.com/2021/09/17/iris-the-greek-goddess-of-the-rainbow/

The government of Jersey has purchased a hoard of Celtic coins and jewelry found on the island in 2012 known as the Le Catillon II or Grouville hoard. The hoard is thought to have belonged to a Curiosolitae tribe fleeing Julius Caesar’s armies around 50 to 60 BCE (Source:Wikipedia). A wonderful video showing the extraction of the coins from the clay slab: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-59767850 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grouville_Hoard

What a wonderful picture. I always wondered how many pieces of older Roman buildings were incorporated into more modern structures. Of course, your example is a spectacular example of this. I guess innumerable times a few ancient bricks or tiles have been inconspicuously inserted into a later building's wall.

Recent excavations off the coast of Caesarea have yielded fascinating finds spanning 1000 years. Underwater archaeology continues to produce wonderful discoveries. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/319062

As excavations continue at Blaundus, Turkey, new finds are being revealed. Here is the alter site of the goddess Demeter. https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/altar-site-for-greek-goddess-demeter-found-in-turkeys-blaundus/news

Elisa: I like King Crimson from the 70's. The song you picked was written in 1984 and it sounds vaguely similar to this song written by Fleetwood Mac in 1968: This is a song by King Crimson released in 1969 when they were truly fresh and innovative. (This performance was recorded recently):

Many of us enjoyed the HBO series “Rome” and the centurion Lucius Vorenus (see above). Here’s an excellent video about the Roman centurion:

This was an exciting find of Steppe mammoth remains. The Steppe mammoth was an ancestor of the later Woolly mammoth. The most intriguing aspect of the find: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-59702237

Pontius Pilate, governor of Judaea under Tiberius 26/27-36/37 AD, is best known for his role in the trial of Jesus. He may have also been an effective infrastructure planner. The Biyar water system was believed to be initiated by the Hasmoneans and expanded by Herod the Great (37-4 BCE). New evidence suggests that Pontius Pilate may have at least played some role in its development. This finding would be consistent with the writings of Josephus: http://amitay.haifa.ac.il/index.php/Josephus,_Antiquities_18.60-62 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-notorious-pontius-pilate-is-the-one-who-built-jerusalem-aqueduct-study-finds-1.10478621 https://mizrachi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/HaMizrachi_RHYK-Israel_53.pdf An interesting video about the Biyar Aqueduct:

I, too, have tried to maintain both my physical and mental health during this dystopian reality known as COVID-19. My wife and I are are trying to make important dietary and lifestyle changes. We have added medicinal mushrooms to our diet. I really like Reishi mushrooms for better sleep and mental clarity, for example: