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Roman Archaeology (Miscellaneous)

A clatter of coins and gems found at Claterna.

Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed more than 3,000 coins and 50 gems, many of which were emblazoned with the images of ancient Roman deities.

The massive finding was made during ongoing excavations at Claterna (also spelled Claternae), a Roman town located near modern-day Bologna, according to a translated statement from the Italian Ministry of Culture.

"We are facing the largest non-stratified archaeological area in Northern Italy," Lucia Borgonzoni, the Italian undersecretary of state to the Ministry of Culture, said in the statement. "Given the importance and quantity of finds brought to light so far, we can probably speak of a Pompeii of the north."

Previously, archaeologists at Claterna had found a forum, streets, a dwelling with multicolored mosaics and Roman baths. The latest excavations at this "magical place" unearthed thousands of coins, which were mainly cast of silver and bronze, according to the statement. While sifting through the currency, the researchers found one that was particularly notable: a quinarius, a rare silver coin minted in 97 B.C. by the Roman Republic. Archaeologists spotted it hidden in the remains of a corridor in a former theater.



Two gems engraved with deities.



Two of the gems discovered at the ancient Roman site. (Image credit: Roberto Macri/Soprintendenza Bologna)

The coin not only helped them confirm that the structure was built sometime near the end of the first century B.C. but also that Claterna was likely a "center of commerce" for ancient Romans and not simply a pilgrimage site, according to the statement.

"It was a trading center with direct contacts with Rome," Borgonzoni said.

Archaeologists also unearthed dozens of colored gems engraved with the likenesses of various deities and important structures, including the same theater.

https://www.livescience.com/archaeo...-unearthed-at-magical-place-in-northern-italy
 
The gems resemble those lost in Roman baths, having fallen from rings.
 
One of the rabbit holes I fell down recently on the internet was 'How long did Roman coins stay in circulation ?'. One of the Thermopoliums (hot food outlet) discovered at Pompeii had a bowl containing thousands of bronze coins on the front counter, representing several days of trading. It is known when the last payment was made (79 AD) so it was just a matter of looking for the oldest coins in the hoard. Unsurprisingly the bulk was made up of Flavian era coins (1-10 years), but there were a significant number of Julian-Claudian coins (11-106 years old), 2% were Republican coins (~150 years old) and one outlier Greek coin of Ptolemy II (~350 years old).
The longevity of silver and gold Roman coins was different to the everyday base metal coins for several reasons (different rabbit holes). The uniqueness of Pompeii is we know the exact date it was buried and lost, unlike Roman treasure hoards and the odd coin I dig up.
There is a Youtube video for those interested in numismatism, Pompeii bit is around 4 mins in.

 
Not so steep decline and fall of Interamna Lirenas.

A rare roofed theater, markets, warehouses, a river port and other startling discoveries made by a Cambridge-led team of archaeologists challenge major assumptions about the decline of Roman Italy.

New findings from Interamna Lirenas, traditionally written off as a failed backwater in Central Italy, change our understanding of Roman history, its excavators believe.

Their thirteen-year study—published today in the edited volume "Roman Urbanism in Italy"—shows that the town in Southern Lazio continued to thrive well into the 3rd century A.D., bucking what is normally considered Italy's general state of decline in this period.

The team's pottery analysis indicates that the town's decline began around 300 years later than previously assumed, while a systematic geophysical survey has produced an astonishingly detailed image of the entire town's layout, highlighting a wide range of impressive urban features.

"We started with a site so unpromising that no one had ever tried to excavate it—that's very rare in Italy," said Dr. Alessandro Launaro, the study's author and Interamna Lirenas Project lead at the University of Cambridge's Classics Faculty.

"There was nothing on the surface, no visible evidence of buildings, just bits of broken pottery. But what we discovered wasn't a backwater, far from it. We found a thriving town adapting to every challenge thrown at it for 900 years. We're not saying that this town was special, it's far more exciting than that. We think many other average Roman towns in Italy were just as resilient. It's just that archaeologists have only recently begun to apply the right techniques and approaches to see this." ...

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-roman-backwater-bucked-empire-decline.html
 
One thing I noticed when reading otherwise excellent histories is how Rome-centric the historians often are. Frequently, places with intriguing histories are dismissed as being 'only known for its cheap pots and pans' & the like. It's as if ancient Rome is considered so replete with drama and achievement that other places are treated as (very) poor relations.
 

Chester: The city which still celebrates Saturnalia​





Saturnalia celebrations in Chester



December brings festivities to many of England's cities, but for one, it is a chance to rejoice in more than one set of 2,000-year-old celebrations.

Every year, a week or so before Christmas, Chester's streets are filled with the same sights, sounds and smells that have marked Saturnalia in the city since its days as the Roman city of Deva Victrix.

The festival, which English Heritage (EH) said honoured Saturn, the Roman god of farming and harvest, was one of the ancient empire's most popular celebrations.

EH said it was originally a single-day event on 17 December, but its popularity saw the festivities stretch over time and eventually last until 23 December.

The organisation said Romans usually adhered to "very strict societal rules, and everyone knew their place", but during Saturnalia, the rules were "set aside, and even slaves, who had hard lives with little time off, could relax and have fun".

It saw gift-giving and excessive eating and drinking, traditions that continued when it was replaced by Christmas after the fall of the Roman Empire, but in Chester, which was once Rome's largest fortress in Britain, more of it has survived into modern times.

Roman festival in Chester


But one moment does link it intrinsically to Rome, as the parade always begins with an actor voicing the words of Domitian, who was emperor when Deva Victrix was founded.

"Let none of you be mistaken, the Romans are still here, at certain times of the year you will see us marching once more through our fortress," he tells the crowd.

"Remember who and what I am.
"I am a sword that sings in the dark. I am the sound of a legion marching to war.
"I am the axe that thuds into your skull. I am accuser, judge and executioner.
"I am Imperator. I am a living god. I am Caesar. I am Rome."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-67680824
 

2300-year-old mosaic made of shells and coral found buried under Rome​

A five-year dig into the side of Rome's Palatine Hill yielded treasure last week when archaeologists discovered a deluxe banquet room dating from around the first or second century BC, featuring a sizeable, intact, and brightly colored wall mosaic.

Estimated to be around 2300 years old, the work is part of a larger aristocratic mansion, located near the Roman Forum, that has been under excavation since 2018.

Almost five meters long (16.4 ft) and featuring depictions of vines, lotus leaves, tridents, trumpets, helmets and mythological marine creatures, the mosaic scene was painstakingly created using mother of pearl, shells, corals, shards of precious glass and flecks of marble.

The piece is framed by polychrome crystals, spongy travertine, and exotic, ancient Egyptian blue tiles.
What makes this discovery “unmatched,” said archaeologist Alfonsina Russo, head of the Colosseum Archaeological Park in charge of the site, is not only the incredible conservation of the mosaic, but its decoration which also features celebratory scenes of naval and land battles likely funded — and won — by an extremely wealthy aristocratic patron who commemorated the victories on their walls.

The intricacy of the mosaic’s depictions of victory have surprised the team working on the project. They show a coastal walled town with lookout towers and loggias — which Russo said could be an ideal or a real-life location — sitting atop a cliff designed with pieces of travertine rock. Scenes of sailing ships with raised sails also feature, alongside depictions of mythical sea monsters swallowing enemy fleets.

Archaeologists are trying to ascertain whether the delicate — and expensive, for the time — coral branches used in the display came from the Mediterranean or the Red Sea (the nearest and most common oceans used by Romans to extract materials). A rare bluish glass paste also featured in the design likely came from the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria, the team believe.

The chamber, deemed a “jewel” by Russo, was an outdoor banquet hall overlooking a garden, likely used during summer to entertain guests.

“Mosaics are usually found on floors, but this runs across the entire front wall and has been incredibly well-preserved,” said Rossi of the piece. “It’s not been ruined by the weight of debris — as can happen to some mosaics on the ground — and despite being delicate, it hasn’t so much as chipped across the centuries.”

The discovery of an entire wall mosaic is extremely rare, Rossi added, not least because these pieces are more delicate than those for the floor which were designed to be walked upon and withstand pressure.
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I was hoping there'd be a clue as to the place's owner, due to the date and the location; but if it's on the Palatine, it could be one of any number of Roman big-wigs (sorry for the technical term).
 
Nativity-style statuettes found at Pompeii said to suggest pagan ritual
Thirteen sculptures, which include human forms, appear to pay tribute to cult goddess Cybele and her tragic love, Attis

'The terracotta sculptures were found in an upright position on what was probably a shelf in the hallway of a home during recent excavations at the archaeological park in southern Italy.

Pompeii archaeologists said in a statement that Christmas mangers were obviously not part of the tradition in the pagan city, which was wiped out by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79, but they believe the relics were used as part of a pagan ritual given the way in which they were arranged.

Other sculptures depict the head of a cockerel, an almond, a walnut and a pine cone.'

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...d-at-pompeii-suggest-pagan-ritual-experts-say
 
An Awesome Aqueduct.

Archaeologists in Greece have unearthed part of one of the largest hydraulic projects from the ancient world: an aqueduct that the Roman emperor Hadrian built to supply water to the city of Corinth.

The remnants of the aqueduct were discovered in October during excavations at the archaeological site of Tenea, an ancient Greek town a few miles south of Corinth, according to a translated statement from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Hadrian, who ruled the Roman Empire from A.D. 117 to 138, ordered the aqueduct built to carry water for more than 50 miles (80 kilometers), from Lake Stymphalia in the hills to the west of the city.

Aqueducts were already known in Greece, and Hadrian also had one built to supply water to Athens. But his aqueduct to Corinth is mentioned as a monumental work by ancient writers.

The rediscovered section is just over 100 feet (30 meters) long and runs from north to south alongside a river. It consists of a channel covered by a semicircular roof, both made of stone and mortar. The exterior walls are more than 10 feet (3.2 m) high, and the interior space where the water flowed is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) high. ...

https://www.livescience.com/archaeo...t-and-rare-greek-coins-unearthed-near-corinth
 
Cold, dry seasons accompany plagues.

For those who enjoy pondering the Roman Empire’s rise and fall — you know who you are — consider the close link between ancient climate change and infectious disease outbreaks.

Periods of increasingly cooler temperatures and rainfall declines coincided with three pandemics that struck the Roman Empire, historian Kyle Harper and colleagues report January 26 in Science Advances. Reasons for strong associations between cold, dry phases and those disease outbreaks are poorly understood. But the findings, based on climate reconstructions from around 200 B.C. to A.D. 600, help “us see that climate stress probably contributed to the spread and severity of [disease] mortality,” says Harper, of the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Harper has previously argued that the First Plague Pandemic (also known as the Justinianic Plague), combined with declining global temperatures to weaken the Roman Empire (SN: 5/18/20).

The new findings reinforce an idea that climate shifts can influence the origin and spread of infectious diseases, says Princeton University historian John Haldon. But it’s unclear whether a range of factors in the ancient Roman realm, including long-distance trade networks and densely populated settlements, heightened people’s vulnerability to disease outbreaks, says Haldon, who did not participate in the new study.

To reconstruct the ancient climate, marine palynologist Karin Zonneveld and colleagues turned to an extensive sample of fossilized dinoflagellates. These single-celled algae had been preserved in radiocarbon-dated slices from a sediment core previously extracted in southern Italy’s Gulf of Taranto.

Dinoflagellates live in the sunlit upper part of the sea. Different species of this organism assume signature shapes in the late summer and autumn before settling on the ocean floor. Some species live only in cold waters, others only in warm waters. ...

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/roman-empire-cold-climate-plague-archaeology
 
Floyd1 said:

Chester: The city which still celebrates Saturnalia​





Saturnalia celebrations in Chester



December brings festivities to many of England's cities, but for one, it is a chance to rejoice in more than one set of 2,000-year-old celebrations.

Every year, a week or so before Christmas, Chester's streets are filled with the same sights, sounds and smells that have marked Saturnalia in the city since its days as the Roman city of Deva Victrix.

The festival, which English Heritage (EH) said honoured Saturn, the Roman god of farming and harvest, was one of the ancient empire's most popular celebrations.

EH said it was originally a single-day event on 17 December, but its popularity saw the festivities stretch over time and eventually last until 23 December.

The organisation said Romans usually adhered to "very strict societal rules, and everyone knew their place", but during Saturnalia, the rules were "set aside, and even slaves, who had hard lives with little time off, could relax and have fun".

It saw gift-giving and excessive eating and drinking, traditions that continued when it was replaced by Christmas after the fall of the Roman Empire, but in Chester, which was once Rome's largest fortress in Britain, more of it has survived into modern times.

Roman festival in Chester


But one moment does link it intrinsically to Rome, as the parade always begins with an actor voicing the words of Domitian, who was emperor when Deva Victrix was founded.

"Let none of you be mistaken, the Romans are still here, at certain times of the year you will see us marching once more through our fortress," he tells the crowd.

"Remember who and what I am.
"I am a sword that sings in the dark. I am the sound of a legion marching to war.
"I am the axe that thuds into your skull. I am accuser, judge and executioner.
"I am Imperator. I am a living god. I am Caesar. I am Rome."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-67680824
Click to expand...
I used to regularly visit an office in Pepper Street in Chester. When they had school visits to the amphitheatre at the end of the road the children used to march behind a centurion. We knew they were passing because you could hear the centurion shout "Sin, Sin, Sin, Dex, Sin". :hahazebs:
 
First Century Villa Near Mount Vesuvius May Belong to Pliny the Elder


The ruins of a seafront villa, believed to be where Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, were uncovered near Naples, Italy. The site was found during an excavation to build a playground.

Screen-Shot-2024-02-02-at-4.19.25-PM.png


When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, Pliny the Elder sailed from his home toward the volcano in an effort to rescue people. His nephew and adopted son Pliny the Younger wrote about having witnessed Pliny’s death from toxic gas not long after.

Pliny the Elder was a wealthy commander of the Misenum fleet, which protected the coast from pirates, and a prolific writer, primarily known for his compendium on natural history.

The ruins of Punta Sarparella were recently excavated after a swimming pool from the site was removed to make way for a playground. Located in Bacoli, a commune of Naples that was known as Misenum during ancient Roman times, when it was a major port city, the town matches Pliny’s written descriptions.

The villa also has a view of Mount Vesuvius at only 20 miles away, making it a likely candidate.

Excavations, which could provide additional information on the villa and nearby naval base, are expected to continue for several months.

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/ne...lla-may-belong-to-pliny-the-elder-1234694923/

maximus otter
 
Steven said:
‘They had no idea it was Caligula’: bronze bust of Roman emperor found after 200 years
A tiny Roman rarity cast near Vesuvius and once owned by the writer and politician Horace Walpole has been discovered by an eagle-eyed curator
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But but... it doesn't look at all like John Hurt!
 
I still to this day find myself thinking about Siân Phillips' fantastic portrayal of Livia. And so much else besides, regarding I, Claudius.
 
Steven said:
I still to this day find myself thinking about Siân Phillips' fantastic portrayal of Livia. And so much else besides, regarding I, Claudius.
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It's interesting to me how popular culture (and out culture in general) is the lens through which we see things. I know this is true. I know it's a known bias.

However, my inner world also knows that after his tour de force in I Claudius The Divine Augustus went on to star in many theatrical and filmic works including Flash Gordon. Who is alive.

It's one thing knowing you have a bias but internalising it and trying to see beyond it is difficult. Hence the many tricks, games and instances of legerdemain employed by academics! Always revealed and part of the dialogue, of course.
 
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:D

1) Re: I, Claudius ~ That was the most subtle acting I've ever seen Brian do! :D
2) I had to look-up 'leger...thingy'.
 
Steven said:
:D

1) Re: I, Claudius ~ That was the most subtle acting I've ever seen Brian do!
Click to expand...

The death scene is magnificent. No movement and yet you watch the life pass from him. Contrast that with the earlier fury of Varus, give me back my legions!

Steven said:
:D
2) I had to look-up 'leger...thingy'.
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There was a Sunday serial decades ago which included a peddlar. Part of his patter was promising to amaze people with necromancy, prestidigitation and legerdemain. The peddlar was named Puddock and the series was The Haggared Falcon. I believe it may have starred Ian Ogilvie. My current phone number? No, I can't remember that!

OOOOH! found it on IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427325/

On the subject of cultural lenses, Rosemary Sutcliffe's books shaped my pre-teen romano-british landscape.
 
Yeah, you're right about that scene especially. Brian's range is severely underrated and/or obscured by his bombastic reputation.

Clearly, Mr Puddock specialised in confusing me with unpronounceable words. :D
 
Steven said:
Clearly, Mr Puddock specialised in confusing me with unpronounceable words. :D
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Hurrah! that was the design of the patter - he wanted to confuse, bamboozle and generally mistyfy his audience. So whoever the scriptwriter was got it spot on. I had to look all of them up, aged 13, and was rather disappointed that necromancy was otherwise a no-show in the series :(
 

Wall Built To Contain Spartacus Discovered​


Dr. Paolo Visona has unveiled an exciting discovery in the Dossone della Melia forest in south-central Calabria. Visona led a small team that identified a stone wall and earthwork extending over 2.7 km. The wall, originally accompanied by a deep ditch characteristic of a Roman fossa and agger defensive system, has now been conclusively identified as part of the structures built by the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus to contain the slave revolt leader Spartacus and his forces.

Wall-purported-to-be-used-to-contain-Spartacus-in-Calabria.jpg


Visona believes that Spartacus attacked the wall in his bid to break free of the trap that Crassus had constructed for him. The discovery of numerous broken iron weapons, including sword handles, large curved blades, javelin points, a spearhead, and other metal debris, indicate a battle took place at the site.

According to Dr. Visona, the discovery was made possible by a tip from a local group of environmentalists who knew of the wall’s existence but were puzzled as to what it could be. The team investigated the wall and ditch using Ground-Penetrating Radar, LIDAR, magnetometry, and soil core sampling.

https://www.archaeological.org/wall-built-to-contain-spartacus-discovered/

- No Python quotes -

maximus otter
 
Did he let his horse graze in the garden?

Roman emperor Caligula's 2,000-year-old garden unearthed near the Vatican​

The gardens overlooking the Tiber river in Italy once belonged to an infamous Roman emperor.

A Roman-era lead pipe with an inscription

Researchers determined that the engraving referred to Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula. (Image credit: Italian Ministry of Culture)

Construction workers in Italy have discovered a 2,000-year-old garden that once belonged to a Roman emperor.

The travertine walls of the garden overlook the banks of the Tiber, a river that cuts through Rome and sits east of Vatican City. The ruins were unearthed as workers constructed a new overpass at Piazza Pia, according to a translated statement from the Italian Ministry of Culture.

As archaeologists removed debris, they found a lead water pipe with the following inscription: "C(ai) Cæsaris Aug(usti) Germanici." Researchers determined that the engraving referred to Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula (aka "little boot," a childhood nickname given to him by his father's soldiers). ...

https://www.livescience.com/archaeo...00-year-old-garden-unearthed-near-the-vatican
 
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