Melvadius

Adnkronos report the possible discovery of Vespasians birthplace. Reading the article (AND judging by their title the newspaper also isn't totally convinced) as it seems that the archaeologists haven't provided any conclusive proof of a connection with Vespasian so far but they HAVE found a large villa in the valley which has long been associated with his birth possibly the elusive 'proof' will be found in the upcoming excavations in July August.

This looks like the main research site at UCL is one to keep an eye on in future. Especially once they get around to adding detailed pages on the Fragmenta Londiniensia Anteiustiniana.

Once you are past the 'atmospheric; opening the Times has reported on what is potentially a very interesting new discovery which indicates that our Neolithic ancestors were in some ways more advanced, than previously realised, when it came to medicine.

Nothing like this story in the Telegraph of selfless research by film makers leading to the possible discovery of the source of the Aqua Traiana to make you think that there is hope for a less commercially driven world....although I do note the comment at the end of the article about trying to raise funding to professionally excavate the site. Could this be a subtle request to also raise funds to film the project....?

I'm not sure if another attempt was made to recreate them but as the Times reported last April a small herd of 'Heck Aurochs' recreated in the 1920's in Germany has been imported to Britain within the last few years. Superficially the main diference is that they only stand about 1.6 metres tall at the shoulder rather than the 2metres of a full size auroch.

As you are referring to being a freshman I presume that you are talking about the American College system. If so does it not to some extent, like the UK system, depend upon which college/ university you are at what combination of subjects you can take?

If the story had broken around 1 April I would have been tempted to wonder if it was a joke and they were trying to pull the 'udder' one.... As to how they would taste with a side order of fries unless you were careful I suspect it would be more of a case of them having any prospective dinners without the side order

I'm not sure that I fancy the idea of 'aurochs' with the temprament of the Chillingham Herd being brought back into existence. The report hardly touches the surface of how dangerous that could be when it talks of possibly needing to dart them to carry out any vetinary work. There was a (possibly apocrophil) story from several years ago about two rustlers who apparently tried to steal calves from the Chillingham herd to sell their meat. The estate wardens found the rustlers abandoned van outside the walls of the estate and eventually came across the remains of one of the rustlers...but not the other one. These are not animals to mess with and they are counted as quite small as cattle breed go today. Expanding such independent/ mean animals up to the size of an aurochs (standing around 2 metres/ 6' 6" at the shoulder) could in some eyes only be asking for trouble but that is zoologists for you never happy when something has become extinct.

The classification of items as either archaeological or zoological can sometimes bring different academic groups into conflict and that is precisely what has happened as a recent recataloguing process of paper records held by the Hunterian Musuem in Glasgow has shown as reported by the 'Glasgow' Herald .

This video from the Illustrated History of the Roman Empire site of one of the Birdoswald events showing re-enactors demonstrating both cavalry and (a possible anti-cavalry) infantry tactic may be of interest to this debate.

Agreed that to be fair the articles under the headline used by both Reuters and the BBC in retrospect are probably not as bad as a quick skim initially led me to believe. Although the sign off used by the BBC probably mitigates against that initial impression slightty better than the basic Reuters script as it emphasises why the article could be deemed 'newsworthy'.

The Independent reports an interesting recent discovery of three pharonic statues in Sudan including the 25th dynasty Nubian pharoh Taharqa and 2 of his successors who controlled Sudan but not Egypt.

Unless anyone has been living as a hermit for the last few years or not seen any of the more recent TV programmes about Egypt and the building of the pyramids I don't think that this Reuters news item will come as any great suprise:

Although the Nazi party later on made extensive use of the imagery in Leni's film I'm not sure if they can really claim to have came up with the idea as the first modern use of the Olympic flame was at the 1928 Amsterdam games.

I have found another part of the site which I referred to in my previous postings which may be of interest as it also discusses the contentious issue of 'chald sacrifice'. It may be of particular interest as it mentions findings by Piero Bartoloni, Head of the Department of Phoenician-Punic Archaeology at Universita' di Sassari, Italy (reported in 2007) from excavations at Zama. Bartolioni noted that this child cemetery contained a large number of foetus burials (he believes that around 7 in 10 children died within their first year with only one in ten reached adulthood), He argues that the number of infant bodies found in this cemetery reflect the high infant mortality rate rather than supporting the myth of 'child sacrifice'.

Science Daily reports the dsicovery of a major iron working complex (the earliest known in Norway dated to between 0-500AD.

BBC news has just announced under the title 'Roman coins join museum display' that the [url="http://

I get the feeling that on the whole the article has gone for quickly researched Western options in choosing the 'five vanished armies'. The inclusion of the Norfolk Regiment is suprising as I would not really have considered it an 'army' in the same sense as the others listed. Even if not 'complete' (most of the other 'armies' listed weren't total losses either) the loss of the majority of Kublai Khan's invasion fleets in 1274 and 1281 (destroyed by typhoons of off Japan) would have been better 'armies' to include. I do also have reservations about the suggestion that members of Crassus's army ended up in China (or at least in any number). There are several much nearer possible places of origins for 'fair' haired people who may have moved into that part of China in pre-history. Although I may be proved wrong, currently the fact that the results of DNA testing of the 'fair' haired' people in question, apparently carried out 2 years ago, have never been released makes me even more doubtful that any 'Roman' connection will be 'proved'.

I would amend that statement to the fact that 'while Rome may have lost individual battles during the late Republican into Principate period she tended to win her wars.' N.B. I have concerns that some major campaigns notably on the Eastern frontier ended in stalemate with minimal long term changes to the borders while others only effectively ended with Rome's decision not to advance further - e.g. Varus campaign in Germany.

I get the impression that some of the discussion on this thread has been at cross-purposes which may have obfuscated a few fundamental aspects of Roman military policies. As has previously been said; in the early Principate the Romans continued the late Republican period policy of mainly relying on auxiliary troops to provide both cavalry and

<SNIP> There is no question on that point The Daily Mail has a well illustrated article on the questionable authenticity of the Turin shroud which may also be worth a look. As far as twill and 'weave analysis' is concerned this is a well trodden route c/f any work by Dr John Peter Wild (such as 'Textiles in Archaeology') or for other types of possible analysis try ancient textiles. The issue of weave analysis however basically boils down to how large a weaving frame would have been used in the period and area being studied (including whether it was floor or wall mounted and how long a length of cloth could be woven with a particular technology). From analysis of scraps of cloth, which can be found in both arid areas or in aenorobic conditions such as those which also preserved the tablets at Vindolanda near Hadrian's Wall, it is possible under microscope imagery to deconstruct not just how large (width off of the loom) original pieces of cloth may have been or how they were sewn together but also whether the original threads were spun left or right handed. The problem as I understand it with the Turin shroud is both the width of cloth which has been woven as well as the type of weave which was used, neither of which fit with what is currently known of how cloth was woven in Palestine in the period - the 'recent' Palestinian shroud discovery does however fit with the suspected 'local' weaving methodology.

BBC reports (with photographs) that 4,000-year-old flowers have been found at a Bronze Age dig. This is something which has long been discussed as suspected may have happened but so far the only evidence has been from pollen samples which, as the article notes, have usually been assumed to either be the residue of honey or mead or in some cases even to have blown into graves during the burial process. This on the other hand seems to have been a deliberately picked and placed bunch of flowers so providing the earliest evidence in Britain for the longevity of this particular practice