guy

The last attempt to build the Third Temple during the reign of Julian (361-363 AD) ended in failure. Emperor Julian, in an attempt to reverse the emergence of Christianity in the Empire, supported reviving Pagan rituals and temples. Possibly, this was also his motivation for building the Third Temple of Jerusalem. This effort, however, was soon aborted. Many reasons have been suggested: lack of local Jewish support, sabotage, accidental fire, or the earthquake of Galilee in 363 AD. Julian’s death in battle in 363 AD ended the project. https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/ammianus_23_book23.htm#C1

Professor Catharine Edwards explains why Antony and Cleopatra would not have necessarily saved the Roman Republic even if they had won the battle of Actium against Octavian's navy. I would add that they did not indicate that they wanted to restore the Republic, anyway. (BBC History Revealed: June 2021.) https://www.pressreader.com/uk/history-revealed/20210513/281599538355729

Bulgaria seems to be a place of many newly discovered finds. I also learned about the containers known as a balsamarium or unguentarium, many times used for oil. I’m not sure, however, why a strigil would also be in his grave. https://www.archaeology.org/issues/366-2001/trenches/8255-digs-bulgaria-roman-bath-buddy

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/grand-2000-year-old-public-building-unearthed-jerusalem-180978128/ Great video on find:

An interesting find using the modern technology of Lidar:“ https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2021-07-03/researchers-confirm-existence-of-ancient-roman-gold-mines-in-central-portugal/60839 Summary: So, what is this technology known as Lidar or LiDAR (Light, Detection, and Ranging also called Laser imaging, Detection, and Ranging)? It’s sort of a 3-D laser scanning:

Nice review of the Roman watermill of Barbegal near Arles, France. It consisted of sixteen water wheels made up of eight pairs. https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/reconstructing-roman-industrial-engineering/

It is great to see things are now opening. https://www.laprensalatina.com/roman-forums-house-of-the-vestals-opened-after-8-year-restoration/amp/?__twitter_impression=true Summary: Another interesting sight, for sure. Anyone for some mola salsa? (I had to look that one up. See below.) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mola_salsa

As the world opens up, many of us will be making travel plans. These images of the Pompeii granary site are enticing. (Thanks Nina Willburger @DrNWillburger for bringing these images to my attention.) http://pompeiisites.org/en/archaeological-site/forum-granary/

Better than expected dental health on skeletal remains in Pompeii has been attributed to both lower sugar intake as well as naturally-occurring high levels of fluorine. Not surprising, but bring me my tiramisu! https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/could-the-ancient-roman-diet-give-you-perfect-teeth/amp?__twitter_impression=true https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-romans-in-pompeii-had-nearly-perfect-teeth-180956859/

Who am I to judge? Salma Hayek as Mexican painter Frida Kahlo https://greekreporter.com/2021/06/24/ancient-greek-beauty-standards-beautiful-greece/

Smoked mushroom garum being prepared for the fermentation process. PHOTO: DITTE ISAGER https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.eater.com/platform/amp/2021/6/29/22556329/rene-redzepi-noma-to-release-at-home-garum-fermentation-line https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/noma-copenhagen-garums-sale-1234621959/amp/ https://nomaprojects.com/

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/07/londons-roman-fort/139617?amp

I understand the financial realities. I’m so sorry to hear this, however. That said, please realize your books have touched and influenced a whole generation of historians (both professional and amateur). Please continue to share your considerable scholarship with us, however, on sites like this.

Nice video on find.

Here’s a virtual tour of the exhibit:

Hey, I resemble that remark! 😎

Nice review of this effective military band of same-sex lovers: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/06/the-sacred-band-of-thebes-the-elite-military-unit-of-same-sex-lovers/139599?fbclid=IwAR3cxaHt7Bg4a9NzvBsehxWjxjHFLcOibyBC7zk-JxM41Tq4zIAW0zbFj3A&amp

Another great find: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-57640337

Here is my counter argument that many thousands more died than believed, if not most the inhabitants: First, a little background information: There was a large earthquake in the region 17 years earlier in AD 62, devastating both Pompeii and Herculaneum. The ever-growing population, however, seemed to have little concern about a potential disaster, actively enjoying a diversified and thriving economy. Several days before that fateful eruption in AD 79, there had even been several small earthquakes, increasing in frequency as the days went on. Romans in this region, however, had become accustomed to such seismic activity and probably took little heed of these warnings. Now, a few thoughts: Although only 1500 bodies have been found in Pompeii and Herculaneum, this is probably an underestimation of the number of deaths. (There were probably 15-20,000 residents in the two cities.) Many thousands more of residents could’ve been pulverized by the explosive force of the eruption or vaporized by the later pyroclastic flow, leaving little or no remains to be examined or accounted for. The bones and plaster cast remains of those who died may have been just a small fraction of the total number of people who died from the eruption. The extreme temperatures of rocks and gas inside pyroclastic flows is estimated to be between 200°C and 700°C (390-1300°F). These would be unfavorable conditions to find identifiable remains. A more recent, but less powerful eruption of Vesuvius in 1631 resulted in more than 3000 (maybe more than six thousand) deaths. Several days before the destructive eruption, there had been increased seismic activity similar to the eruption of AD 79. I assume by the 1600s the people were aware of the dangers of Vesuvius. It’s hard to believe that fewer people would have died during the more powerful eruption of AD 79. Even the modern eruption in Mount St. Helens, Washington in 1980 resulted in 57 deaths (of whom fourteen were never found). This modern eruption occurred in a more sparsely populated area. Also, there were two months of prior volcanic activity in the area, modern warning systems, and faster transportation to escape. Despite these advantages, the death toll was surprisingly high. The evidence that Professor Tuck presented in the above article, although interesting, is certainly not definitive. Noting, for example, that the inscription of the legionnaire Cornelius Fuscus was from Pompeii does not mean he survived the eruption of AD 79. He could have been on military campaign elsewhere or on vacation in Rome on that fateful day. Also, one would expect the inscription would have mentioned the fact that he survived one of the great cataclysms of the age. Herculaneum, although a couple miles closer to Vesuvius than Pompeii, had escaped the initial eruption’s ash and pumice fall because of prevailing winds. One would expect that all the inhabitants of Herculaneum would have had time to escape after witnessing and escaping this initial explosion. The archaeological evidence proves otherwise. Few historians take into account the probable tsunami that would typically be an aftermath of an eruption of this nature. (The eruption of Vesuvius in 1631 was followed by a Tsunami, for example.) This would further add to the deaths by drowning of escaping residents. Their bodies would be lost forever. Finally, only 3/4 of Pompeii and less than 1/3 of Herculaneum have been excavated so far. Who knows what future excavations in Pompeii and Herculaneum will reveal. I believe many thousands more died as a result of Vesuvius in AD 79 than the mere 1500 victims whose remains we have found almost two thousand years later. Professor Tuck is as knowledgeable on Roman archaeology (especially from Pompeii) as anyone else in academia. (He also has some great lectures on "GreatCourses.") That said, I will (perhaps foolishly) challenge his conclusions.

Another interesting article on this fascinating site: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210629-turkeys-mysterious-portal-to-the-underworld A previous post: Interesting video on the site:

Another interesting find: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-57636657 Summary: it’s good to see that excavations continued during this pandemic.

I never imagined Florida would have its own bog people. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windover_Archeological_Site

Steven Tuck, professor of Classics at Miami University, Ohio feels most people from Pompeii and Herculaneum survived that fateful eruption of Vesuvius AD 79. He presents convincing evidence that they settled elsewhere in the region. https://www.livescience.com/amp/64854-where-pompeii-refugees-fled.html Although only 1500 bones and plaster casts of victims have been found, I feel the death toll was many thousands more. I will present my rebuttal in a follow up post.

http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_864744_en.html Video on the discovery:

Here are two related articles on how the Romans differentiated between themselves and neighboring “barbarians” in art and sculpture. Statue of a conquered barbarian, likely a Dacian. He is wearing a Phrygian cap. The ‘Kneeling Barbarian’ sculpture from the Palatine Hill in Rome, dates to the first century CE, made of pavonazzo marble and nero antico. https://hyperallergic.com/440466/barbarians-and-sculptures-color-barrier-in-ancient-rome/ https://ancientimes.blogspot.com/2021/06/barbarians-in-roman-art.html?m=1 Summary: This is a delightful insight into the portrayal of “barbarians” in Ancient Rome. The need to tie Ancient Rome to “whiteness” is silly, however. Ancient Rome was a multi-ethnic and multicultural empire. I am sure that a Roman emperor from Northern Africa (Septimius Severus) would have had an immediate revulsion and disgust for a band of beer-guzzling, pants-wearing, blond and blue-eyed, non-Latin speaking visitors from Germania.