ancient Rome

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Emperor Constantine Towers Over Rome Once More

Replica of an ancient statue, recreated from original fragments, is unveiled

(Newser) - An imposing statue of the 4th-century Roman Emperor Constantine, which had broken apart in the 1,700 years since its creation, has been resurrected. A replica of the original statue, standing some 43 feet tall, was publicly unveiled Tuesday in the gardens of Rome's Capitoline Museums, "just around...

New Find in Pompeii: a Bakery-Prison for Slaves
New Find in Pompeii:
a Bakery-Prison for Slaves
NEW STUDY
Dec 8, 2023 12:49 PM CST

New Find in Pompeii: a Bakery-Prison for Slaves

Enslaved people ground grain in cramped room with barred windows, say experts

(Newser) - The discovery of a cramped room with barred windows in Pompeii has revealed what one expert describes as a "most shocking side of ancient slavery." Archaeologists, who found the room in the working quarters of a large house whose living quarters were lavishly decorated with frescoes and marble...

Museum: Roman Emperor Was Transgender

Texts suggest Elagabalus identified as a woman, though historians argue they aren't creditable

(Newser) - A museum in the UK has made the decision to refer to an ancient Roman emperor as "she" and "her," saying evidence shows Elagabalus, who reigned for four years from AD 218-222, was a transgender woman. The council-run North Hertfordshire Museum in Hitchin, which has a silver...

After 50 Years, a Roman 'Power Palace' Reopens

2K-year-old Domus Tiberiana, overlooking the Forum, has been undergoing restoration in Italy

(Newser) - An ancient Roman imperial palazzo atop the city's Palatine Hill was reopened to tourists on Thursday, almost 50 years after its closure for restoration. The nearly 2,000-year-old Domus Tiberiana, a sprawling palace that was home to rulers in the ancient city's imperial period, allows for sweeping views...

1.9K-Year-Old Roman Swords Have a Story to Tell

Remarkably well-preserved weapons are discovered in an Israeli cave

(Newser) - Four Roman-era swords, their wooden and leather hilts and scabbards and steel blades exquisitely preserved after 1,900 years in a desert cave, surfaced in a recent excavation by Israeli archaeologists near the Dead Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday. The cache of exceptionally intact artifacts was found about...

It's an 'Archaeological Sensation' in Switzerland

2K-year-old Roman walls found alongside gold fragments, other evidence of wealth

(Newser) - Some 2,000-year-old walls, thought to have once protected a Roman building complex with an epic view, have emerged in the foothills of the Swiss Alps. "The discovery is an archaeological sensation for the canton (state) of Zug and will provide important insights into the Romans in the pre-Alpine...

Ancient Romans Smelled of Patchouli
Ancient Romans
Smelled of Patchouli
new study
Jun 10, 2023 8:30 AM CDT

Ancient Romans Smelled of Patchouli

Archaeologists identify a perfume of the empire in what may be a first

(Newser) - A first-century Roman tomb discovered in Carmona, Spain, has pulled researchers nose-deep into the history of human scents, reports Smithsonian Magazine . Scientists from the University of Cordoba and Carmona's city museum detailed how they detected the distinct aroma of a bygone era—thanks to a vial of patchouli perfume...

Struck by Lightning, Ancient Hercules Is Reborn

Vatican experts are restoring this statue to its former glory

(Newser) - Scaffolding in a niche of the Vatican Museums' Round Hall conceals from view the work of restorers who are removing centuries of grime from the largest known bronze statue of the ancient world: the gilded Hercules Mastai Righetti. For more than 150 years, the 13-foot-tall figure of the half-human Roman...

This Pompeii Home Stands Out From the Rest

House of the Vettii fully reopens to public after 20 years of restoration work

(Newser) - Two men freed from enslavement came to live a life of luxury in ancient Pompeii. Now their ornate home, dubbed "Pompeii's Sistine Chapel," has fully opened to the public for the first time in 20 years. The House of the Vettii—built in the second century BC,...

She Had a Hunch on Her $34.99 Goodwill Find. She Was Right
She Had a Hunch
on Her $34.99
Goodwill Find.
She Was Right
in case you missed it
May 8, 2022 4:00 PM CDT

She Had a Hunch on Her $34.99 Goodwill Find. She Was Right

Art collector confirms she bought a stone bust straight out of ancient Rome

(Newser) - Four years ago, an art collector picked up an old stone bust at a Texas thrift shop for less than $40. It was money well spent: The sculpture has been confirmed to be an artifact straight out of ancient Rome. KHOU reports that Laura Young stumbled upon the bust, nestled...

Badger Unearths Stash of Ancient Roman Coins

Archaeologists in Spain are grateful

(Newser) - Archaeologists in northern Spain have discovered the largest stash of ancient Roman coins ever found in the region. And they're giving all the credit to a hungry badger, reports the Guardian . Researchers found more than 200 coins, dating back to between the third and fifth century AD, in the...

Ancient Roman Boundary Marker Found at Dig

This pomerial stone marked the city limits and dates from 49 AD

(Newser) - Archaeologists have discovered a rare stone delineating the city limits of ancient Rome that dates from the age of Emperor Claudius in 49 A.D. and was found during excavations for a new sewage system. Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi was on hand for the unveiling Friday of the pomerial stone,...

Tourists Can Visit Gladiators' Underground Chambers

The amphitheater's 'backstage' is restored and open

(Newser) - You can get backstage passes to the Colosseum in Rome, now. The giant landmark, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, has been undergoing renovations for years now with the help of an Italian fashion brand, and the latest project has been to make the hypogeum more accessible to the public....

Jawbone Found in Roman Catacombs Came From Beyond Empire

Person was born in what is now Sudan

(Newser) - It's not clear whether a jawbone found in a Roman catacomb belonged to a free man or slave, but testing has revealed that the individual traveled a very long way. Scientists say tests on bone, teeth, and DNA show the jawbone from the mass grave in catacombs of Saints...

Pompeii Gives Up a 'Sorcerer's Treasure Trove'

So much for good-luck charms

(Newser) - There was perhaps no better place for good-luck charms than Pompeii circa AD79. Too bad they didn't quite work. Archaeologists combing the ancient Roman city discovered dozens of charms within a "sorcerer's treasure trove," encased in hardened volcanic material from Mount Vesuvius' eruption that year, per...

Ancient Rome's Concrete Had Super Ingredient: Seawater

Seawalls are actually stronger today than when they were built

(Newser) - What's so special about ancient Rome's concrete? Well, it just might be "the most durable building material in human history," as one engineer puts it, per the Washington Post . A new study in American Mineralogist sheds further light onto why: Romans mixed a specific volcanic ash...

This Stone May Be Key to Mysterious Yet Influential Ancient Culture

Little survives of the Etruscans, who helped shape ancient Rome and Greece

(Newser) - The Etruscans, a massively influential culture admired by both ancient Greeks and Romans, are largely a mystery to us today because much of their writing has perished, Ars Technica reports. That may change with a 500-pound slab of sandstone containing 70 letters and punctuation marks from the Etruscan language discovered...

Surprise Find: Pompeii Residents Had 'Perfect Teeth'

Also, study suggests many died from head injuries, not suffocation

(Newser) - High-tech scans of Pompeii residents killed in the long-ago eruption of Mount Vesuvius have provided two revelations: They had amazing teeth, and many were killed by falling masonry and other objects—as opposed to the widely held theory that they were suffocated by ash. As for the first: Thank a...

'Exceptional' Find May Change How We Think About Ancient Rome

6th-century BC home may prove city was bigger than thought: archaeologists

(Newser) - Archaeologists have discovered a sixth-century BC residence under a palazzo in central Rome, saying that it proves the ancient city was much bigger than previously thought. Officials said yesterday that the area on the Quirinal Hill had long been thought to have only been used as a necropolis, with ancient...

'Killing Machine' Rebuilt After 1.5K Years

Ancient elevator raised animals into the Colosseum

(Newser) - Imagine seeing wild animals roar onto the field of your favorite stadium to maul prisoners or battle gladiators. Well, that was considered entertainment in ancient Rome—and now experts have reconstructed a wooden machine like ones that once raised leopards, bears, lions, and elephants into Rome's Colosseum, the Telegraph...

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