Roman Empire

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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...

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...

History Forgot a Roman Emperor, Coins Suggest
History Forgot a
Roman Emperor,
Coins Suggest
NEW STUDY
Nov 24, 2022 2:55 PM CST

History Forgot a Roman Emperor, Coins Suggest

Sponsian may have ruled over Dacia province 1.8K years ago: researchers

(Newser) - Four coins unearthed in Romania's Transylvania region in 1713 depicted, it was thought at the time, an unknown Roman emperor. A century and a half later, Emperor Sponsian had been almost universally declared to be a fake, invented by forgers. Henry Cohen, a leading coin expert of the 19th...

Syria's 'Most Complete' Mosaic Ever Found Is Also the 'Rarest'

Huge Roman mosaic uncovered in Rastan is 'rare on a global scale'

(Newser) - A huge, intact Roman mosaic is being touted as the most significant archaeological find in a decade in Syria, already considered "an archaeologist's paradise," per AFP . The 1,600-year-old mosaic was found beneath a building in Rastan, a former rebel stronghold that saw intense fighting until its...

Shipwreck Ring Belonged to One of the First Christians

Ring inscribed with 'Good Shepherd' among Roman-era treasures found off Israel

(Newser) - A gold ring belonging to one of the first Christians is among the treasures pulled from a Roman-era shipwreck off Israel, researchers say. Also discovered in the wreck off the ancient port of Caesarea is a bronze eagle figurine, bells meant to keep evil spirits at bay, various pottery, and...

Decapitated Bodies in England Shed Light on Roman Times

17 of the 52 were found in that condition

(Newser) - Records show that the Roman Empire used decapitation as a punishment, but there hasn't been much archaeological evidence to back this up—until now. Archaeologists who spent a decade working at three small Roman cemeteries in England say they determined than 17 of the 52 skeletons had been decapitated....

Spot Where Caesar Was Murdered to Open to Public

In a couple years' time it'll see visitors other than cats

(Newser) - In 2012, researchers pinpointed the location where Julius Caesar was murdered—but the spot was accessible only to a colony of cats. That'll change come late 2021 thanks to the high-end jeweler Bulgari, which is funding the restoration of the Rome site known as Largo Argentina. The AP reports...

Roman Emperors Were Murdered for a Strange Reason
Weird Thing Killed
Roman Emperors
new study
Aug 11, 2018 2:00 PM CDT

Weird Thing Killed Roman Emperors

Study links rainfall to the murders of Rome's leaders

(Newser) - Roman emperors not only had war, jealousy, and political infighting to worry about—there was also the rain. A new study linking climate data to Roman history finds that lower average rainfall boosted the odds of an emperor being murdered during the empire's roughly 500-year run, from 27 BCE...

Key Site Described by Julius Caesar May Finally Be Found

British invasion point believed to be Pegwell Bay in Kent

(Newser) - The Roman invasion of Britain signified an empire at its peak. Now, archaeologists believe they've identified the very spot where the Romans began their assault more than 2,000 years ago and more than a century before Britain was won. For millennia, historians have had little more than Julius...

Search Is On for Caligula's 2K-Year-Old Orgy Boat
Search Is On for Caligula's
2K-Year-Old Orgy Boat
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 9, 2017 7:03 AM CDT

Search Is On for Caligula's 2K-Year-Old Orgy Boat

3rd 'party boat' perhaps missed during initial search

(Newser) - The "party boats" of Roman Emperor Caligula were so legendary that Benito Mussolini partially drained a lake in order to find two of them a century ago. But there was one Mussolini may have missed. Researchers believe a third wooden vessel on which Caligula is said to have hosted...

Ancient Bullets Shed Light on Roman Raid in Scotland

Battlefield archaeologists map out 800 lead bullets using special metal detectors

(Newser) - Reading ancient battlefields is no easy task given they so often leave no trace behind—wood disintegrates, iron rusts, and stones aren't detectable. But lead is different, and a cache of hundreds of ancient sling bullets was readily detected thanks to specialized metal detectors in Burnswark Hill in southern...

Britain's Oldest Dated Document Is Found

It was written 2,000 years ago and preserved in mud

(Newser) - Archaeologists say they've discovered hundreds of writing tablets from Roman London—including the oldest handwritten document ever found in Britain—in a trove that provides insight into the city's earliest history as a busy commercial town, per the AP . Researchers from Museum of London Archaeology uncovered more than...

Man's Backyard Project Uncovers Rich Roman's Villa

The find is heralded as 'hugely valuable'

(Newser) - Start digging around in the backyard and you're liable to unearth rusted bottle caps, utility pipes, or maybe a long-forgotten toy. Luke Irwin, on the other hand, discovered the remains of a lavish Roman villa on his property in Wiltshire, England, the Independent reports. The residence, built nearly 2,...

Hiker Finds Incredibly Rare Ancient Coin

Laurie Rimon noticed it while hiking in Israel

(Newser) - Look twice next time you see a glimmer in the grass—it might be a bit of history. So Laurie Rimon learned when she spotted a gold coin while hiking in the Galilee area of northern Israel last week, NPR reports. Amazingly, the coin was minted by Roman Emperor Trajan...

How Popular Fish Sauce Sank an Ancient Ship

Romans poured fishy, salty garum on nearly every dish

(Newser) - A Roman ship apparently sank about 2,000 years ago while carrying a heavy load of ketchup—or at least the Roman version of ketchup. Italian archaeologists discovered the ship off the coast of Liguria in northern Italy, near Genoa, filled with clay jars containing a condiment once popular across...

Archaeologists Find Grave of 'Sleeping Beauty'
 Archaeologists 
 Find Grave of 
 'Sleeping Beauty' 
in case you missed it
Jun 13, 2015 7:56 AM CDT

Archaeologists Find Grave of 'Sleeping Beauty'

During a 6-week excavation of the ancient city of Aksum in Ethiopia

(Newser) - During a six-week excavation in northern Ethiopia, English archaeologists uncovered 11 graves that contained "extraordinary" items. But the inhabitant of one of the graves is herself particularly enthralling: a so-called "Sleeping Beauty," as Louise Schofield, who led the team, has dubbed her. The woman's positioning and...

Surprise Find: Seating Plan for Rome's Colosseum

Restorers uncover red paint that survived for centuries

(Newser) - Spectators who once flocked to Rome's Colosseum could find their seats with the help of red numbers painted over entrance archways. What's amazing is that hints of that paint still remain, Discovery reports. A team restoring the Colosseum has spotted remnants of it in Latin numerals carved high...

Ancient Shipwreck Dates to Time When Rome Still Ruled

Divers spend hours descending 400-plus feet in search of artifacts

(Newser) - Scientists in Italy are teaming up with highly skilled divers from Florida to carefully sift through an ancient shipwreck dating back thousands of years—to the second Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage from 218BC to 201BC. It could be one of the oldest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, and is...

Oldest Roman Temple Unearthed ... for 3 Days

Likely dedicated to goddess Fortuna

(Newser) - Archaeologists digging in the heart of Rome unearthed what may be the oldest temple to be built in the Eternal City, but don't get your hopes up about visiting the ancient structure. Its foundation sits well below the water line and was only visible for three days. Archaeologists from...

London Romans Piled Skulls in Pits
 London Romans 
 Piled Skulls in Pits 
STUDY SAYS
Jan 15, 2014 6:34 AM CST

London Romans Piled Skulls in Pits

Some may have been gladiators' remains

(Newser) - Slob Romans living in ancient London, it seems, just left decapitated heads lying around in open pits for years, a study suggests. "It is not a pretty picture," a researcher tells the Guardian . "At least one of the skulls shows evidence of being chewed at by dogs,...

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