guy

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-52911797 Here's an interesting older video describing the laser technique that makes 3D terrain maps that can examine the underlying terrain beneath the vegetation. This information was put on an open data website, allowing students of ancient Roman history to discover long-forgotten Roman roads and encampments in Wales and the rest of Britain.

I think some of the features of the emperors may be totally imaginary. For many, if not most of the emperors, there is only numismatic evidence and a few sculptures to recreate these images. Carus and his heirs (Carinus and Numerian) may have been from either Gaul, Illyricum , or Africa. These diverse backgrounds would give very different physical features (eyes, hair, and skin) from those proposed. g.

The Severan Tondo is contemporary with Septimius Severus, depicting Septimius, his wife and two children. The defaced face is supposedly Geta who suffered damnatio memoriae. I always found it interesting that Septimius Severus spoke with a Punic accent. (Historia Augusta, XIX.9) H His sister could scarcely speak Latin at all, XV.7: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Septimius_Severus*.html g.

Thank you. These are very powerful portraits, if they are even just close to being accurate. I would also like to see a similar images of their wives. 😎 The portraits of Septimius Severus and his children (Caracalla and Geta) certainly reflect their Carthaginian (North African) origins: Nero looks the part of the scoundrel: Here's another depiction of Nero from a different source: https://www.sciencealert.com/this-spanish-artist-made-a-life-like-sculpture-of-nero-and-it-s-just-how-you-d-imagine Thank you, again, guy also known as gaius

Zoroastrianism was one of the competing religious faiths from the East during the history of ancient Rome. In fact, Zoroastrianism was the state religion of Rome's great rival the Sassanid Empire. In fact, Sassanian coins frequently showed a fire temple, important in the religion of Zoroastriansim. (Source: Sassanian Coinage Wikipedia) Here's a good video reviewing Zoroastrianism: If nothing else, I learned that Freddy Mercury from the rock group "Queen" was Zoroastrian. guy also known as gaius

The Lycurgus cup (probably from the 4th century) has long fascinated students of ancient history and scientists alike. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycurgus_Cup First, it is a cage or reticulated cup, with "an outer cage or shell of decoration that stands out from the body of the cup." "It has mostly been accepted that the cage cups were made by cutting and grinding a blank vessel of solid thick glass, a laborious technique at which the Greeks and Romans were very experienced." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cage_cup Second, it is made of dichroic glass, meaning it changes color depending on the lighting conditions. Whether the dichronic glass was planned or just the result of an incidental contaminant with nanoparticles such as silver and gold which cause this effect is unknown. Also, we don't know whether this was really a cup after all since the rim and feet of the cup were more modern additions. It could have been an oil lamp, instead.

This is an interesting exhibit now at the Uffizi in Florence, Italy "Worn by the Gods." https://www.uffizi.it/en/events/worn-by-the-gods Replica of alleged prostitute's shoe with the message (in Greek) "Follow me" on the sole of the shoe. (Seen at 1:50 of embedded video in above link.) guy also known as gaius

Honestly, for me, this has been the least productive five months of my life. I was supposed to be in Italy this fall, visiting relatives and "working" on the farm. Obviously, it's not gonna happen. Oh, well, I must be grateful that I'm still alive to witness this insanity unfold. I hope everyone is maintaining their health and spirits during these challenging times. guy also known as gaius

Here are some interesting links to the study suggesting that the colorless glass known in ancient Rome as Alexandrian glass really was made in Egypt after all (and not the nearby Levant region): So, the studies seem to support the ancient report that "Alexandrian" glass truly came from Egypt and not from the Levant (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and parts of Turkey). https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2020/07/10/hafnium-isotopes-clinch-origin-of-high-quality-roman-glass/ https://www.realclearscience.com/quick_and_clear_science/2020/07/13/where_did_romes_famous_alexandrian_glass_come_from.html https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/romes-finest-glass-was-made-egypt-180975482/ guy also known as gaius (Thank you Al Kowsky from cointalk.com for bringing this study to my attention.)

In an excellent National Geographic article "What History Has Taught Us: Stopping Pandemics" by Richard Conniff (August 2020), there is a reference to cocolitzli epidemics that devastated Mexico in the 16th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoliztli_epidemics#:~:text=The cocoliztli epidemic or the,by high fevers and bleeding. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730237/#:~:text=The 1545 and 1576 cocoliztli,of Mexico (Figure 1). Conniff writes: Cocolitzli 1 (1545-48, Mexico) The little-understood disease killed up to 80% of the native population. Symptoms included high fever, headaches, and bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth. (15 million deaths) Cocolitzli 2 (1576-78, Mexico) The disease killed up to 2.5 million people, half of population remaining after the 1540s pandemic. It caused hemorrhagic fevers and possibly was carried by rodents. (2.5 million deaths) This devastating epidemic in Mexico makes me reconsider the long-accepted belief that it was smallpox that devastated the Roman Empire. Other possibilities include the hemorrhagic fevers (possibly now extinct) that devastated Mexico in the more recent past. Here are a list of known viral hemorrhagic fevers: Source: Great Courses: "An Introduction to Infectious Disease" by Dr. Barry C. Fox If nothing else, COVID-19 has taught us that we have a lot to learn about infectious diseases. Addendum: As discussed in a previous post, parathyphoid fever seems like a possible culprit. This interesting blog suggests a "mixed infection," with both parathyphoid and a hemorrhagic fever being the culprits :http://www.historicalblindness.com/blogandpodcast//cocoliztli-the-mystery-pestilence

Nice review of garum history and use in the Roman world. Below is a video by Max Miller on his initial attempt to make garum: There may have even been a kosher Garum (although this is controversial) found in Pompeii: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garum An opposing view, however: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/biblical-archaeology-topics/the-garum-debate/ Here's an interesting post about the modern version of garum made in Italy today made from anchovies (Colatura Di Alici). http://www.sheridanrogers.com.au/everything-old-is-new-again/

What is it? Laguncula (canteen) Culture Roman Date End of 1st to end of 3rd century A.D. Material Iron and copper alloy Found Seynod, France Dimensions 6.5 inches high, 4.4 inches wide, weight 1 pound https://www.archaeology.org/issues/391-2007/artifact/8785-artifact-france-roman-soldier-canteen

Spanish authorities find 13 ancient Roman artifacts in seafood store during routine inspection You never know what you can find in a Spanish store: https://news.yahoo.com/spanish-authorities-13-ancient-roman-164000511.html

In an article by Kevin Williamson in “National Review” magazine, he gives a link to two articles dealing with the great salt myths in Roman history. https://www.nationalreview.com/the-tuesday/modern-american-wedding-is-spectacle-worth-the-price/ First, there is the powerful myth that after Rome defeated Carthage in 146 BCE, the Roman General Scipio Aemilianus ploughed the city over and salted the surrounding earth to make a once fertile region into an uninhabitable desert. Peter Gainsford, a classicist based in New Zealand and known as the Kiwi Hellenist, easily exposes the myth. http://kiwihellenist.blogspot.com/2016/12/salting-earth.html First, it never made sense to me to utterly destroy an area (by plowing it over) and make it barren (by salting the ground), only to develop the area later into a thriving agricultural and trading region in the Roman Empire. Second, salt would have been considered a valuable commodity in ancient Rome and wasting it on the ground made little sense, even though the salt may have been readily available. Then, there is the problem of logistics with salting over a large area: That is a lot of effort and expense to make a point. There is no ancient source for Carthage to be plowed and salted over. So where did this myth begin? Gainsford explains it was a creation of late 18th century and 19th century historians and widely accepted till the 1980s. But the myth may have gotten its true genesis earlier from the 13th century: So, the plowing over of Carthage and later salting the region may have been only a myth after all.

It was a difficult test: 3 out of 7 correct.

Gladius: Living, Fighting and Dying in the Roman Army by Guy de la Bédoyère Looks like an interesting book by someone whose work ( including scholarship on Roman numismatics) I greatly respect: guy also known as gaius

Did climate change play a role with the collapse of the Roman Republic? https://theconversation.com/did-a-volcanic-eruption-in-alaska-end-the-roman-republic-141196 guy also known as gaius

The Getty Institute has an interesting virtual exhibit on the legacy of Palmyra: http://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/palmyra/index.html Although somewhat challenging to navigate, the exhibit does have some interesting information.

Here is an excellent article of the poetry of Augustan Rome by Professor Wiseman from "Lapham's Quarterly" (July 31, 2019). https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/literary-arena/?ca_key_code=F98LQA1

It is staggering to think about the impact of disease, even on more modern armies. https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/they-too-gave-all-american-war-deaths-from-disease/ One can only imagine the devastation on ancient populations and armies at a time before there was any understanding of disease and its prevention .

Great question and I have no idea. I guess the choice of flowers used would depend on the season and availability. Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and the season of spring. According to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_(mythology) Obviously, roses played a central role in the festival of Rose (Rosalia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalia_(festival) Roman poet and satirist Persius (AD 34-62) stated that during the festival of Floralia: (Both vetches and lupins are flowering plants.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floralia Lavender was frequently used in ancient Rome as soap and perfumes. I would be surprised if it weren't used in religious ceremonies. Although marigolds were common in ancient Roman gardens and were used medicinally (for wounds and cramping). It was even thought to possess magical qualities, but I am uncertain about its use in religion. Not being a botanist, I don't understand the terminology of the marigold. If my understanding is correct, however, the marigold is from the genus Calendura. If the marigold is included, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendula https://www.permaculturenews.org/2018/03/30/calendula/ guy also known as gaius

I found this interesting and entertaining video on the importance of Egypt on ancient Rome, especially as a conduit for trade (thus, a source of revenue), as well as a rich supply of Egyptian grains and other local products. Not mentioned in this fascinating video was that the Egyptian economy was a closed one (coins did not circulate into or out of Egypt. Its coins, therefore, did not compete with circulating gold and silver coins from the rest of the Empire. According to Kenneth Harl, in his book Coinage in the Roman Economy, Egypt could create the world's first successful fiduciary currency. (Fiduciary currency cannot be redeemed for a monetary reserve of a precious metal such as gold or silver. This is similar to paper currency or modern coinage.) This allowed for a stable economic system not nearly as devastated by the frequent devaluations of the coinage elsewhere in the empire. guy also known as gaius