guy

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/hagia-sophia-roman-constantinople-istanbul-archaeology-b1782059.html Summary: The sculpture found in Ancient Rome were brilliantly painted. The cathedral's glistening white marble would have been a spectacular contrast. Hopefully, further research will continue.

I asked for an assessment of the monument from Dr. Tom Scanlon, Professor Emeritus of Classics (posted with his permission): Thanks, again, Dr. Tom.

During these crazy COVID times, we all need some positivity: Summary: We can find benevolence and the better part of our humanity even during difficult times, both past and present. guy also known as gaius

I can only depend on the article:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9111159/Marble-slab-dug-bungalow-garden-revealed-rare-Roman-relic-worth-15-000.html https://www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk/news/news/grand-tour-relic-found-in-rockery/ Summary: This article shows the importance of documenting a place's origin before its removal.

This is an excellent video at the find in Italian. To get the English translation: Click Settings (lower right) -----> Subtitles ----> Italian (auto-generated) ----> Italian (auto-generated) ----> Auto-translate ---> English

I love these responses:

Sounds like a a crazy story: Rome’s Colosseum to get $12M high-tech retractable floor. https://nypost.com/2020/12/23/romes-colosseum-to-get-12m-high-tech-retractable-floor/ Summary: I'm not sure the reason for a retractable floor other than to use the Colosseum as a modern concert venue. guy also known as gaius

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/hidden-part-roman-road-uncovered-19532420 Corbridge Roman town remains that were excavated during the 20th Century Summary: Another unspectacular, but important find that is easily overlooked. guy also known as gaius

Here's a list of the "coolest ancient weapons discovered in 2020": https://www.livescience.com/ancient-weapons-swords-found-in-2020.html This Roman Dagger was actually discovered in Germany in 2019. It was restored earlier this year. https://www.archaeology.org/news/8493-200302-germany-roman-dagger https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/02/unique-roman-dagger-found-in-germany.html Summary: I had always wondered why there weren't more discoveries of ancient Roman weaponry. Below is a very interesting video on the find.

Thanks for reading. Other articles add these details: https://mashable.com/article/pompeii-snack-stand-thermopolium-discovery-photos/ http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/pompeii-thermopolium-09193.html

https://mysticsciences.com/2018/04/29/an-exceptional-discovery-unearthed-child-at-pompei-ruins/ The pictures from the cited article are absolutely breathtaking. Thank you. guy also known as gaius

Another stunning find from the recently excavated Regio V in Pompeii: A street food stand from the recently excavated site in Pompeii: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55454717 Summary: This shop seems to have offered a wide diversity of food: chicken and duck (depicted on the frescoes), as well as pork, fish, snails, and beef (bone and other remnants). It will be interesting to see what other foods will be discovered after the site undergoes more thorough DNA analysis. guy also known as gaius

(Reverse is probably a Celtic horse facing right.) https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9084609/Birdwatcher-stumbles-800-000-hoard-2-000-year-old-Celtic-gold-coins.html Summary: Not sure whose gold this was, but these Celtic gold coins are beautiful.

That actually made my wife and I laugh out load during this COVID-19 craziness. Thank you.

Had to look up airborne LiDAR: Airborne LiDAR is installed on a helicopter or drone for collecting data. As soon as it's activated, Airborne LiDAR emits light towards the ground surface, which returns to the sensor immediately after hitting the object, giving an exact measurement of its distance. I had to look up the geography: (Source: Wikipedia) Archaeology news: New Roman army sites aerial scans have revealed the empire’s bloodiest battles (Image: www.romanarmy.eu) http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/roman-military-camps-spain-09180.html https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1375743/archaeology-news-roman-army-sites-aerial-scans-river-duero-battles-evg Aerial photographs of the camp of Tortolondro (black) (A), the Roman road (white) and the camp (black) https://phys.org/news/2020-12-discovery-roman-army-sites-clues.html \ Summary: Use of modern technology (from satellite imagery to DNA studies) will continue to enhance our understanding of ancient Rome. guy also known as gaius Here's a good video about the Roman Conquest in Spain from Ancient Warfare podcast:

This is an article from last year with a video from earlier this year: Two rooms in a vibrantly painted house were recently discovered by archaeologists in Regio V, a previously unexcavated part of ancient Pompeii. https://www.archaeology.org/issues/344-1907/features/7714-pompeii-new-investigations Below is an interesting video of the new finds in Pompeii. Although the video is narrated in Italian, there are English subtitles: Summary: If the article is correct that almost a third of Pompeii has not been excavated, there are sure to be more interesting finds in the years to come. guy also known as guy

Being religiously ignorant, I had to look this one up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gethsemane A 2000-year-old bath discovered alongside remains of a 1500-years-old Byzantine Church https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/ritual-bath-from-time-of-jesus-found-at-gethsemane-in-jerusalem-652826 An Interesting video on the find: Summary: Although I am a religious skeptic, I recognize that some of the best research and archaeological scholarship is motivated by an interest in religion. guy also known as gaius

Thank you for reading my post and commenting. You bring up a good point. I agree that the Tacitus quote is a comment on Boudica's alleged atrocities. I doubt Tacitus, who is respected both for the accuracy of his historical accounts and for his sympathy toward defeated enemies, would have fabricated that account of Boudica's savage behavior. He was even willing to comment on Roman atrocities that occurred more than two decades later at a different battle: "They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal: this they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace." (Tacitus puts this quote in the mouth of a possibly mythical chieftain of the Caledonian Confederacy named Calgacus. Agricola, his father-in-law, defeated this possibly mythical chieftain at the battle of Mons Graupius in northern Scotland in AD 83 or 84.) I, therefore, agree that it might be surprising that he did not also elaborate on the alleged Roman reprisals around the time of Boudica's defeat in 60 AD. He wrote his account of Boudica several decades after Boudica's defeat, however. As a good historian, maybe he did not want to depend on poorly documented events that occurred many years previously in a place located in the far reaches of the Empire.

The dig continued throughout lockdown with archaeologists observing social distancing https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-55337814 Summary: It would have been surprising if the Romans (not much known for giving amnesty to undefeated enemies) didn't take reprisals after the Boudica revolt. Reportedly, Boudica had killed tens of thousands of Romans and allies (possibly 70,000, according to Tacitus) before she was finally defeated. guy also known as gaius

An interesting article, but this statement came to my attention: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/archaeology-london-spitalfields-woman-mola-b1774473.html Summary: If this garment was truly made from silk from China, this is a fascinating find. Not only does this confirm the trade between China and Rome (possibly through many intermediaries), it is surprising to find that this trade between China and Britain persisted even in the last throes of The Roman Empire during the fourth century.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/amman-roman-baths-crematorium-jordan-b1774179.html Summary: Admittedly, I am not great at geography. I am surprised to read that Amman is not only the largest city and capital of Jordan, it is the largest city in the Levant region and the sixth largest city in the Arab world. It has a population of more than four million people. guy also known as gaius

I don't know anything about ancient oil lamps, but I found this article interesting: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/ancient-oil-lamp-workshop-sheds-light-on-roman-era-jews-and-christians-652056 Summary: These new discoveries of ancient artifacts help me to better understand the ancient world better. Honestly, I had never appreciated the importance of oil lamps on the ancient world. Here's a nice review video on some ancient oil lamps: guy also known as gaius

These are interesting "before and after" photos: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9043235/Made-Chelsea-19th-century-photos-fashionable-London-district-changed.html Summary: This is fascinating photographic evidence of the changes since the 1870s of Chelsea, London. Be sure to swipe across the pictures to see the "before and after" images.. guy also known as gaius

The Roman Villa at Chedwoth was discovered in 1864 by a gamekeeper and his dog in search of a prey. The mosaics were well preserved and have been examined for years. Recent radiocarbon testing has surprised investigators, however: It was created in the mid-400s or later. This is at least a generation or two after the Romans had officially left Britain.: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/mosaic-chedworth-gloucestershire-roman-britain-national-trust-b1768780.html https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-55256415 Summary: Evidence continues to mount that the "fall of Rome" was a long process, not a singular event. Despite the lack of official presence in Britain after 410 AD, Roman influence continued to impact local British culture for generations. It will be interesting to see how radiocarbon testing, DNA analysis, and other more modern scientific tools continue to reshape our view of ancient Roman history.