Archaeologists often grapple with the challenge of piecing together the history of ancient structures from mere ruins. This was the case for the remnants of the Roman water mills in Barbegal, located in southern France and dating back to the 2nd century AD. This remarkable industrial complex featured 16 water wheels arranged in parallel rows—eight […]
Roman Empire
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A Roman Sandal with Nails from 2000 Years Ago Found in Germany
Archaeologists from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation found vestiges of a civilian settlement around an auxiliary Roman camp dating from between 60 and 130 AD. Among the findings, a rarity appeared: remains of a well-preserved sandal sole with nails. Surprising discoveries like the Oberstimm sole show again and again that even after archaeological […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A Cave in the Pyrenees was Used as a Refuge During the Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Archaeologists from the High Mountain Archaeology Group (GAAM), composed of researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), who are excavating in the Dead Man’s Cave (Cova de l’Home Mort) in the town of Soriguera, Pallars Sobirà county in the north of the province of Lleida in the […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Kingdom of Soissons, the Last Roman Stronghold in Gaul that Survived Ten Years after the Fall of the Western Empire
In the tumultuous era of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, a small but significant domain known as the Kingdom of Soissons emerged. This territory, located in the northwest of Gaul, was successively led by three Roman generals: Aetius, Aegidius, and Syagrius, all holding the title of Magister Militum per Gallias (commander-in-chief of Roman […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
The Only Roman Armor of the “Lorica Squamata” Type Ever Discovered is Restored
In a notable conservation achievement, the only known example of Roman legionary armor of the Lorica Squamata type, which is 1500 years old, has been successfully restored in Türkiye. This unique artifact was unearthed at the ancient site of Satala, in Gümüşhane, during the 2020 excavation season, and the restoration project was led by the […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
The Great Gallo-Roman Sanctuary of the Redones Unearthed in Rennes
In a recent archaeological excavation in the old Hôtel Dieu neighborhood in Rennes, archaeologists have discovered a large sanctuary. The discovery is part of the redevelopment of the site of the old Hôtel Dieu hospital. The sanctuary, dating from the 3rd century AD, was uncovered after the excavation of the north wall enclosing its courtyard, […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Art
Female Figures Identified in Trajan’s Column, Previously Considered Male
In a recent article published in the American Journal of Archaeology, a group of researchers presented an innovative analysis of the representations in Trajan’s Column in Rome. The study, led by Elizabeth Wolfram Thill, Maryl B. Gensheimer, and Elizabeth M. Greene, proposes a significant revision in the identification of certain figures in the friezes of […]
Posted inArchaeology
1st Century AD Votive Altar Dedicated to a Vascon Deity Unearthed in Navarre
In August 2022, a multidisciplinary team coordinated by the Aranzadi Science Society, in collaboration with various universities, discovered a Roman-era votive altar in Larunbe, Navarra. This altar, dated to the 1st century A.D., contains a Latin dedication by a woman named Valeria Vitella to the Vascon deity Larra. The discovery was made inside a well […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
The Liquid Found in a Roman Tomb in Southern Spain, is the Oldest Wine in the World
In 2019, archaeologists discovered a family mausoleum dated to the 1st century AD in the necropolis of Carmona (ancient Roman Carmo) in Seville (Spain), which contained eight niches, six of them with an urn of ashes each. One of these contained a reddish liquid that, after an archaeochemical study, was identified as white wine, making […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A 2nd Century AD “Fullonica” Unearthed in Front of Hadrian’s Mausoleum in Rome
A fullonica dating back to the 2nd century AD, along with mosaics and various artifacts, are part of the archaeological findings that have emerged from the recent excavations in Rome’s Piazza Pia. The discoveries were explained by the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Mayor of Rome, the Special Superintendent of Rome, Daniela Porro, and […]