601 CE and Earlier

Vindolanda site receives funds for museum upgrade

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008-10-28 16:28
The Roman fort of Vindolanda in northern England will receive UK£4M from the Heritage Lottery. The money will be used to upgrade the museum allowing them space to display many of the Roman site's spectacular discoveries.

"Gateway to the Roman invasion" found

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2008-10-25 16:46
New excavations in Kent, England have uncovered the hard surface of the country's coastline during the first Roman invasion (43 C.E.). The coast would have been two miles from the current coast. Also found: a Roman wall and a medieval dock.

Garum helps date Pompeii volcanic eruption

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2008-10-20 17:55
Garum, a pungent, fish-based seasoning, used in Roman cooking is being used to help precisely date the volcanic eruption that buried the city of Pompeii.

Leeks brought to Wales to flavor Roman stew

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2008-10-20 11:10
Andrew Dixey, Estate Manager for National Museum Wales, has created a Roman garden designed to help visitors understand the life of Romans in Wales. Among the plants brought to the country by the Romans was the garden leek, the unofficial symbol of Wales.

Study of Latin regains popularity

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008-10-19 16:00
Latin, the language once considered dead and buried, is finding new life in New York's suburbs where middle school students hope to increase test scores, or read Harry Potter's Latin spells by studying the language.

Roman villa found in Budapest

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008-10-19 12:15
Several months of excavation have unearthed the remains of a second century Roman villa in Budapest, Hungary, thought to be one of the earliest in the country.

Stonehenge dating controversy continues

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2008-10-18 11:45
New research on Stonehenge finds that it is actually older than previously believed. A recent excavation headed by Mike Parker-Pearson, professor of archaeology at Sheffield University, finds the monument to date to 3000 BCE and to have connections to cremation of the dead.

Beer brewed with ancient yeast

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2008-10-09 10:21
Raul Cano, a scientist at the California Polytechnic State University, has brewed beer using the 45 million year old yeast from a Lebanese weevil trapped in amber.

Dead Sea Scrolls come to the ROM in 2009

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2008-10-08 14:35
The Royal Ontario Museum has announced that it will bring sixteen of the Dead Sea Scrolls to Toronto for an exhibit which will run June 27, 2009, until Jan. 3, 2010.

Roman surgical instruments - Ouch!

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008-10-07 11:14
The Claude Moore Health Service Library of the University of Virginia has a website with photos of reproductions of surgical instruments excavated from the House of the Surgeon at Pompeii. The reproductions were acquired by the University in 1947.

Archaeologist re-creates ancient booze

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2008-10-06 14:05
Patrick McGovern, a molecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, does not hesitate to chat about the history of alcoholic beverages, and has even re-created a "9,000-year-old Chinese drink we call Jiahu."

York skeleton shows signs of tuberculosis

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2008-10-04 10:19
The remains of a 4th century Roman discovered recently at York University may be "one of the earliest British victims of tuberculosis." Experts believe that cases of TB were rare in the north of England, and the discovery may help researchers learn more about the disease's spread across the country.

Roman bones found near Fosse Way

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2008-10-03 17:07
Several ancient graves were found recently near Leicestershire, England containing the remains of several humans believed to have been Roman. The graves were found near the Roman Fosse Way.

Community aids in discovery of Roman road

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008-09-30 08:02
Over 40 members of the community recently helped to uncover a previously unknown section of Roman road near Minshull Vernon, England. The road would have connected Whitchurch to Middlewich.

Lifestyles of the rich and Roman

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2008-09-26 11:40
A new exhibit on life in a Roman villa is now open at the Complesso di San Nicolo in Ravenna, Italy. Titled Otium: The Art of Living in the Roman House of the Imperial Age, the exhibit includes frescos, mosaics and over 100 household items.

Cleveland dig reveals Roman jewelry factory

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2008-09-15 18:03
Archaeologists worked on a site that was previously believed to yield Anglo-Saxon graves have now discovered what appears to be a Roman settlement. The site is near the eastern city of Cleveland, England.

"Unrivaled" Roman villa revealed on Isle of Wight

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2008-09-10 11:14
Archaeologists are marveling over the scope of a 2nd century Roman villa revealed recently on the Isle of Wight in England. The Brading Roman Villa is as "big as an Olympic swimming pool," and includes ornate decorations. (photo)

British metal detector finds 5th century pendant

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008-09-09 08:23
Metal detector enthusiast Andy Sales, from Deal, England, was fortunate recently to uncover a 5th century "gold tremissis bearing the image of the Byzantine emperor, Anastasius the First." (photo)

Female remains found in Newcastle Roman sarcophagus

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2008-09-06 16:03
Archaeologists working on a burial site near Newcastle, England, have opened a pair of sarcophagi, one containing the remains of a child, and the other the remains of a woman. The site is believed to have been a former chapel near Hadrian's wall dating to the 4th century C.E. (video)

A genetic map of Europe

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2008-09-05 19:13
A genetic map of Europe constructed by Dr. Kayser, Dr. Oscar Lao and others from Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, shows where 23 populations live in Europe and the genetic relationships between them. (graphics)

Roman regional capital discovered in Romania

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2008-09-05 11:53
Mihai Fifor, director of Oltenia Muzeum in Romania, believes that archaeologists have discovered a fort which may turn out to be the long sought-after Dacia Malvensis, a Roman regional capital in southern Romania.

3rd century Finnish burial site found

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2008-08-29 13:30
Archaeologists in Opolye, Suzdal, Finland have uncovered an ancient burial ground dating to the 3rd-4th centuries. Thus far, they have discovered 11 tombs shedding light on early burial customs.

Codex Sinaiticus to be available online

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2008-08-28 21:03
The Codex Sinaiticus, a 1,600-year-old version of Bible, has been digitized and is being made available online. The manuscript is one of the oldest versions of the Bible.

"Caesar" donated to charity shop

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2008-08-27 19:39
The 2,000-year-old skeleton of a Roman greyhound has been donated to a Lincolnshire, England charity shop. The bones were first discovered at the Lawn in Lincoln in 1986, and are believed to date to the Roman era.

Malta center of new study on ancient wine

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2008-08-25 17:45
New research by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage in Malta may show that the island was a center of the wine trade in the 3rd-4th century BCE. The archaeologists are currently mapping wine production sites and will present their findings in Rome this fall.

Touring Roman Brittain on the web

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008-08-24 09:05
Damian Noonan of the Telegraph recently published the "Top 10 links for Romans in Britain," an annotated list of online resources for students of Roman Brittain.

Roman spa discovered in Serbia

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008-08-17 12:13
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a Roman spa in Prokuplje in southern Serbia during reconstruction work at a local church. The spa is believed to be of "monumental proportions."

Romans lived "stylish lives" in Britain

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2008-08-08 09:19
The lifestyles of the rich and famous Romans are being studied through archaeology at Caerwent, Monmouthshire by Channel 4's Time Team. One of the best-preserved Roman towns in Britain includes shops, streets, a temple and a bath.

Rare Roman lance found at Caerleon

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2008-07-29 13:29
Archaeologists working on a Roman site near Caerleon, Wales have discovered an extremely rare legionary's ceremonial lance. "I don't know of any of that type in Britain," said Dr Peter Guest. (video)

Clothing: a great communicator from the past

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2008-07-27 17:22
Classical Studies professor Kelly Olson believes clothing can help modern people understand what was important to people from the past, and has n almost limitless potential for communication and encapsulated cultural anxieties and values.”