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Pompeii will limit the number of visitors to 20,000 a day. Fortunately, that number is only exceeded when entry is free on the first Sunday of every month, as well as three or four fee-paying days yearly. In October 2024, there were more than 480,000 visitors, putting the average about 15,500 a day. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdl1njj1peo

I asked a professor of Classics. He said the translation is good. "No problem on the translation. What your friend has is accurate in vocabulary, grammar and word order. Ready for a tattoo or motto! Signifer Sancte Michael, illumina viam meam" guy

Two bodies discovered in Pompeii a century ago were found in an embrace, leading to their designation as “The Two Maidens.” For a long time, it was believed that they were either sisters or a mother and daughter. However, DNA testing revealed that the individuals were not related by blood, and at least one of them was male. This has led to the suggestion that they may have been a gay couple. https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/11/08/were-the-two-maidens-of-pompeii-actually-gay-lovers-its-certainly-possible/

The DNA studies on the victims found at Pompeii have shown some surprising results: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1063333? https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03576-y

New LiDAR research in Uzbekistan suggest that the Silk Road was surrounded by a sprawling urban development. The Silk Road derived its name from the lucrative silk trade, primarily produced in China. The Silk Road existed approximately from 114 BCE to AD 1450. https://search.app/kEbUMmfHDNtNigEs6

The Sicilian Wars, also known as the Greco-Punic Wars, were the longest-lasting conflict of the ancient world. This series of battles took place between 580 and 265 BCE and involved Carthage and the Greek city-states, primarily led by Syracuse, competing for control of Sicily and the Mediterranean region. Below is an excellent article about this conflict, including a discussion on the pivotal Battle of Alalia that occurred during this period. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/10/the-sicilian-wars-that-pitted-carthage-against-magna-graecia-were-the-longest-lasting-conflict-in-antiquity/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Wars

Two Roman-era rock-cut catacombs have been found 300 km (160 miles) west of Alexandria, Egypt. A total of 29 burial niches with funerary items have been discovered. https://the-past.com/news/roman-catacomb-discovery/

This McDonald’s located near Rome offers you a Roman road and three skeletons with those fries and burgers.

More than 100 artifacts depicting Roman gods and mythological scenes have been found at the Roman museum complex in Hechingen-Stein, Germany. https://arkeonews.net/a-roman-votive-monument-discovered-during-excavations-at-the-roman-open-air-museum-hechingen-stein/ https://www.denkmalpflege-bw.de/publikationen-und-service/service/presseoeffentlichkeitsarbeit/pressemitteilungen-datails/goetterdenkmal-bei-grabungen-im-roemischen-freilichtmuseum-hechingen-stein-entdeckt-zollernalbkreis

Here is an interesting article on the artillery of ancient battlefields. (Above is a scene from a battle in Germania in the movie “Gladiator.”) https://antigonejournal.com/2024/10/ancient-artillery/

Despite its small size, the newly unearthed House of Phaedra in Pompeii features beautiful mythological frescoes. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-breathtaking-wall-paintings-frozen-in-time-inside-a-modest-home-in-ancient-pompeii-180985337/

A gold votive offering to Jupiter Dolichenus was discovered in the Roman fortress of Apsaros (Gonio) in southwestern Georgia, which dates back to the first century AD. The thin plate above featured Greek inscriptions as a votive offering to Jupiter of Dolichenus. Jupiter Dolichenus was a mystery cult, distinct from Jupiter Capitoline. Also discovered was a kiln for amphorae production, thought to be for wine storage. https://arkeonews.net/a-mysterious-deitys-ancient-gold-gift-was-discovered-at-georgias-gonio-apsaros-roman-fort/ Numismatic evidence suggests that Legio X Fretensis may have stopped at the fortress of Gonio while campaigning with Trajan against Parthia. Note that the Gonio Fortress is close to the Black Sea:

A followup on this interesting find: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14005481/Roman-carved-head-gem-god-countryside-Hadrians-Wall.html

Here is a more in-depth article about the find: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-newly-discovered-octagonal-building-armenia-one-worlds-oldest-christian-churches-180985294/

A hoard of nearly 3,000 Roman coins has been discovered in Koblenz, Germany, located north of the ancient Roman Empire's border (Limes Germanicus) along the Rhine River. The coins date back to the third century AD, with the most recent coin being from the reign of Victorinus of the Gallic Empire (AD 269-271). The significance of this hoard beyond Rome’s borders is unclear. The ceramic pot which contained the hoard: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/rare-hoard-of-roman-era-coins-discovered-in-german-mountains-miles-from-the-empires-frontlines

A larger-than-life Roman statue, dating from the 2nd and 3rd century AD, has been found in Varna, Bulgaria. Varna, a port city on the shores of the Black Sea, began as the Greek colony of Odessos in 570 BCE and later became an important Roman city. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/10/roman-statue-discovered-during-construction-works-in-varna/153684 https://www.ancientbulgaria.bg/listings/odessos

A rare Roman brass arm guard, discovered at the Roman fort of Trimontium in 1906, will now be permanently displayed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. It was found in over 100 pieces at Trimontium and has only recently been reassembled. This artifact dates back to the mid-2nd century AD. https://www.thenational.scot/news/24656366.rare-special-roman-armour-found-scotland-goes-display/

Armenia was the first nation state to adopt Christianity as a state religion in AD 301. Archaeologists have uncovered a previously-unknown structure believed to be the earliest Christian church known in Armenia, dating through radiocarbon studies to the 4th century AD. https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-discover-oldest-known-christian-church-in-armenia/

There have been previous posts about the disastrous Battle of Abritus (see below). Here is a good video about the defeat.

In May 1953, Edmund Hillary became the first person to climb Mount Everest. A boot with a foot inside was found on the mountain, dating back to 1933. This belonged to 22-year-old Andrew C. Irvine, who made an attempt to climb the mountain. Irvine's family hopes that a future discovery of the camera he was carrying may prove that he reached the summit before Hillary, around two decades earlier. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0g2p47xd5o

(Scene from the movie “The Eagle”) Caldrail, point well taken. That reminds me of a discussion from just last year (below). Ultimately, it becomes a matter of costs v benefits. Unlike modern Wales, which was rich in minerals (such as gold, copper, and lead), modern Scotland apparently wasn’t worth Rome’s limited manpower and resources for conquest and exploitation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_in_Roman_Britain#:~:text=Mining was one of the,unequaled until the Middle Ages.

Here's a great video from Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook on their podcast "The Rest is History." It is titled "Why Rome Couldn't Conquer Scotland." They discuss the famous quote by Calgacus, the Caledonian chieftain who battled Rome at the Battle of Mons Graupius in Northern Scotland in AD 83-84. Below is a thread that delves into the impact of that quote throughout history.

Josephus describes the terrible fate that awaited many Jews during the capture of Jerusalem. Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book VI, Whiston chapter 9, Whiston section 2 (tufts.edu) *Gaius Aeterius Fronto was a Roman eques, a member of the equestrian order, who played a significant role during Emperor Vespasian's reign. According to Josephus's writings, Fronto was present with Roman troops during the capture of Jerusalem in AD 70. He was specifically mentioned as being with the legions stationed in Egypt, including Legio XXII Deiotariana and Legio III Cyrenaica. After the capture of Jerusalem, Titus delegated Fronto the responsibility of passing judgment over the Jewish survivors. This indicates his importance and trustworthiness in the eyes of the Roman leadership at the time.

Possible evidence may been found in Pompeii of a Jewish gladiator. The eruption of Vesuvius occurred in AD 79, nine years after the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus under his father the Emperor Vespasian. The palm tree became the symbol for the Romans of Judaea.(The coin below of Vespasian has the inscription IVDEA CAPTA or Judaea conquered.) The helmet has the symbolic palm, suggesting the gladiator was of Jewish origin. https://m.jpost.com/archaeology/article-823947