The 'Nile Mosaic of Palestrina': A Hellenistic Depiction of River Nile's Route to the Mediterranean

Among its extraordinary collection of regional archaeology, the National Archeological Museum in Palestrina preserves a magnificent piece that stands apart from the rest: an ancient mosaic depicting a vivid scene of the flooding river Nile.

The Nile mosaic of Palestrina is a late hellenistic floor mosaic depicting the Nile in its passage from the Blue Nile to the Mediterranean. The mosaic was part of a Classical sanctuary-grotto in Palestrina, a town east of Ancient Rome, in central Italy. It provides a glimpse into the Roman fascination with ancient Egyptian exoticism in the 1st century BC, both as an early manifestation of the role of Egypt in the Roman imagination and an example of the genre of "Nilotic landscape", with a long iconographic history in Egypt and the Aegean.

The mosaic, with an arch-headed framing that identifies its original location as flooring an apse in a grotto, features detailed depictions of Ptolemaic Greeks, Aethiopians in hunting scenes, priests performing rituals in their magnificent temples, and various animals of the Nile river. It is the earliest Roman depiction of Nilotic scenes, of which several more were uncovered at Pompeii. The figures are often labeled in Greek characters and the entire scene may represent a vivid map of the Nile as it flows from the highlands of Ethiopia to the delta in the Mediterranean Sea. A consensus on the dating of the work is slowly emerging. Paul G. P. Meyboom suggests a date shortly before the reign of Sulla (ca. 100 BC) and treats the mosaic as an early evidence for the spread of Egyptian cults in Italy, where Isis was syncretised with Fortuna. He believes Nilotic scenes were introduced in Rome by Demetrius the Topographer, a Greek artist from Ptolemaic Egypt active ca. 165 BC. Claire Préaux emphasises the "escapist" nature of the fantastic scenery.

The Nile Mosaic and its companion piece, the Fish Mosaic, were apparently still to be seen in the Italian city of Palestrina, ancient Praeneste, in the 15th century. When first noticed shortly before 1507 by Antonio Volsco, a humanist in the circle of Pomponio Leto, the mosaics were still in situ among the vestiges of Sulla's sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia. At that time the town was owned by the Colonna family of Rome, whose palazzo in Palestrina occupied a section of the ruins.

The mosaic may have been indicated in a well-known passage in Pliny's Natural History concerning mosaic floors in Italy:

Mosaics came into use as early as Sulla's régime. At all events there exists even today one made of very small tesserae which he installed in the temple of Fortune at Palestrina.

Volsco added that these were "arranged in the pattern of a picture". Maurizio Calvesi, in identifying Francesco Colonna as the author of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, identifies passages in Hypnerotomachia depending on Pliny that were enriched by direct experience of the mosaics themselves.

In the 17th century, Palestrina passed to the Barberini family, who between 1624 and 1626 removed most of the mosaic from its setting, without recording the overall composition, and, after further movements and damage, put it on exhibition in the Palazzo Barberini in Palestrina, where it remains. The mosaic was restored and repaired on numerous occasions, but careful watercolors of the sections were made for Cassiano dal Pozzo before the initial restoration in the opificio of St. Peter's.

Helen Whitehouse's rediscovery of the long-lost watercolors enabled a reconstruction of the surviving segments in a more meaningful way although much remains uncertain about the original composition. The mosaic has been a major feature of the Museo Nazionale Prenestino in Palazzo Barberini, Palestrina (not the one in Rome) since 1953.

New discovery: Marble Heads from Hellenistic and Roman Era were Unearthed in the ancient city of Knidos (Photos)

New discovery: marble heads from Hellenistic and Roman time were unearthed during excavations in the ancient city of Knidos, Turkey. One of them shows Tyche.

Tyche (Ancient Greek: Τύχη Túkhē, 'Luck', Roman equivalent: Fortuna) was the presiding tutelary deity who governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny. Increasingly during the Hellenistic period, cities venerated their own Tychai, specific iconic versions of the original Tyche. This practice was continued in the iconography of Roman art, even into the Christian period, often as sets of the greatest cities of the empire.

Knidos or Cnidus was a Greek city in ancient Caria and part of the Dorian Hexapolis, in south-western Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. It was situated on the Datça peninsula, which forms the southern side of the Sinus Ceramicus, now known as Gulf of Gökova. By the 4th century BC, Knidos was located at the site of modern Tekir, opposite Triopion Island. But earlier, it was probably at the site of modern Datça (at the half-way point of the peninsula).

Roman crucifixion: First example in UK found in Cambridgeshire

The first example of a Roman crucifixion in the UK has been unearthed in a small Cambridgeshire village, archaeologists said.

The skeleton of a man was found with a nail through his heel in Fenstanton.

Cambridge University bone specialist Corinne Duhig said it was an "almost unique" find at what was a previously unknown Roman settlement.

She said it showed that even here, "inhabitants... could not avoid Rome's most barbaric punishment".

The settlement was discovered by Bedford-based Albion Archaeology, who began excavating land in 2017 ahead of a planned housing development.

They found five small cemeteries where 40 adults and five children were buried, some being from the same families.

The skeleton of the crucified man was uncovered alongside other burials

The cemeteries have been dated to the third to fourth centuries AD.

In one grave, the skeleton of a man with a nail through his right heel bone was discovered.

Other injuries were found, suggesting the man had suffered before he died, and his legs had signs of infection or inflammation caused by either a systemic disorder or by being bound or shackled.

A nail was found embedded in the man's ankle bone

Archaeologist Kasia Gdaniec, speaking on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council's historic environment team, said: "These cemeteries and the settlement that developed along the Roman road at Fenstanton are breaking new ground in archaeological research.

"Burial practices are many and varied in the Roman period and evidence of ante- or post-mortem mutilation is occasionally seen, but never crucifixion."

Ms Duhig, an osteologist (bone specialist) from the university's Wolfson College, said: "The lucky combination of good preservation and the nail being left in the bone has allowed me to examine this almost unique example when so many thousands have been lost.

"This shows that the inhabitants of even this small settlement at the edge of empire could not avoid Rome's most barbaric punishment."

It was an "almost unique" find, an expert said

The council said Ms Duhig's research into evidence of crucifixion from this period around the world revealed only three other possible examples - one from La Larda in Gavello, Italy, one from Mendes in Egypt and one from a burial found at Giv'at ha-Mivtar in north Jerusalem, found during building work in 1968.

She found only the Jerusalem example to be a likely crucifixion because the right heel bone retained a nail which was in exactly the same position as the Fenstanton burial.

The county council said it was usual to remove any nails after crucifixion for re-use or disposal, but in the Fenstanton case, the nail had bent and become fixed in the bone.

During the excavation, a number of other items were unearthed including enamelled brooches, coins, decorated pottery and animal bones.

The skeleton of the crucified man showed other signs of suffering, archaeologists said

A large building and a formal yard or road surfaces indicated the presence of an organised Roman settlement with signs of trade and wealth, the council said.

It said it hoped to be able to display the finds eventually.

Fenstanton's High Street follows the route of the Via Devana, a road which linked the Roman towns of Cambridge and Godmanchester.

Fantasy Runs Rampant: An Artist’s Fantasy Villa and Garden Pay Witty Homage to Palladio and Friends

Artist Carlo Marchiori Creates His Dream House in Calistoga, California. Ηιs three-decade project looks as if it had evolved over centuries. Visions of the Veneto, Capri and pop Palladio animate five acres of Calistoga flatlands.

For those who pine to trip the light fantastic around Italy on a Grand Tour, Carlo Marchiori offers the most complete and witty instant classical education. The glories of Italian culture are portrayed throughout his wooded domain, Ca’Toga, on the banks of the Napa River in the rocky northern reaches of the Napa Valley.

“I started building my villa and the garden statues over thirty years ago, and I just never stopped,” said Marchiori, 61, who was born near Vicenza, Italy, Palladio’s stomping ground.

“My work is theatrical, but always with a wink,” Marchiori said. Rendered in the finest detail, each sculpture and column is then hacked and sanded and chipped to age it thousands of years.

Beyond gateposts topped with jaunty Pulcinello figures stands Marchiori’s handsome Palladian villa, along with a riverside amphitheatre worthy of Caesar, a nymphaeum with sparkling water from the local hot springs, and enough Corinthian columns and noble statues to repopulate the Roman Forum.

In silvery moonlight, with western hills as a backdrop, the rough concrete Doric temple in artist Carlo Marchiori’s garden looks as if it was hewn from Carrara marble. Fluted columns pose heroically on a crumbling foundation. Soaring high above are elaborate friezes and large stone fragments with the traditional entablature. There’s even a broken pediment. All that’s missing is the oracle.

Marchiori’s bravura living room murals were completed over several years. Through chilly winters, the artist painted every delicate flourish standing on a scaffold for hours each day. Every architectural detail—including door pediments—is painted.
Gods of antiquity are depicted en grisaille, a monochromatic technique that gives the appearance of carved Carrara marble.

Roman and Greek gods frolic around a glimmering pool. Stone heads and limbs lie artfully around, like Lord Elgin’s leftovers.
Perhaps most impressively, Marchiori has improvised all of his temples and grand architecture on “four bucks and courage”, using construction-site cast-offs, broken concrete sidewalks hauled from the nearby town of Calistoga, scraps of wood, flea market finds, road-side cast-offs, house paint, and broken tiles and architectural fragments from dismantled buildings.

“Palladio himself improvised,” noted Marchiori. “Often the noblemen who commissioned him wanted a very prestigious villa, but did not have the money. Veneto villa columns were not carved of solid marble, but built of cheap terrace cotta bricks and stone with layers of stucco.”

An ancient-looking stone grotto glows with the nacreous light of hundreds of abalone shells affixed to the walls. Open-mouthed, a dusty Arlecchino head munches weeds beside the villa. A cracked Pompeiian-style urn and stone plaques (OMNIA VINCIT AMOR) seem unearthed from an archaeological dig.

Carlo Marchiori, pictured above, with a new sculpture crafted from a moose horn and clay, has turned a former weed patch into a dreamscape. Using building site debris, terra cotta bricks, and fieldstone, he crafted a sunny piazza and fountains and ‘fragments’ of ancient monuments crafted in sculpted cement. A charming grotto with a domed ceiling was painted to look like a venerable relic from the Roman Empire. For a magical dinner party, Marchiori sets tables with candelabra and bounty from his garden. Flickering light in the grotto transports guests to another time, another place.

“I originally set out to create a country retreat, not an homage to Italy, but naturally I fell back on the historical architecture and the antiquities I grew up with,” he said. “I have a kind of sacred obsession to create. One column leads to another. I envision a temple, a fountain, a mythological beast, and I have an artistic greed to complete it.”

Marchiori’s magical territory was hard-won. He discovered post-purchase that his rocky acreage was full of black clay and laced with boron from the thermal activity that make hot springs and mud baths a popular attraction in Calistoga. Water for his vegetable garden must be filtered.

“I've trucked in tons of soil so that I can grow pomegranates, grape vines, pines, eucalyptus and roses,” said Marchiori. “That’s one reason I throw my energy into columns. They’re low-maintenance.”

Marchiori brings to his work fifty years of art studies, close observation of Italy’s greatest painters, passion, and his experience as a highly regarded decorative artist, in demand for grand projects around the world. He has completed large-scale murals for hotels such as the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and various Trump casinos and hotels. Recent projects also included a fantasy Tuscan landscape for a Pebble Beach elevator interior, grisaille panels for a Los Angeles house, and the elaborate ceiling of a villa in Napa’s Rutherford appellation.

All of his designs are crafted by hand, with help from a handful of workers and his partner, Tony Banthutham.

“I use only a cranky old concrete mixer, so larger pieces are cast in fragments and then fixed into place,” Marchiori said. “I design them in my head, scramble to figure out the correct proportions, and hope the foundations are strong enough. I keep the finishes loose and never add too much falala.”

A pair of ancient-looking pillar gateways to his riverbank garden were crafted from chipped and broken blocks of concrete dumped by a local building crew. Rustic acorn-shaped finials, which could have been lifted from Palladio’s Villa Barbaro in Treviso, were made with shards of roof tiles bought by the truckload from a local roofer.

“To give them a centuries-old look, I cracked them into even smaller chunks,” Marchiori said. “I use anything and everything to create the illusion of antiquity. I’m not a pedantic academic. ”

A twelve-foot high hollow head of Pan, his wild hair and open-mouthed visage pieced together from chunks of richly-hued fieldstone, juts from a wall in a tangle of vines.

“ I hope some birds make their nest inside this sculpture. I would love to see birds fly out of his mouth,” said the artist.

Marchiori said he also paints and stains and daubs the stones and concrete, tiles, metal pipes, and other building materials, to hasten the aging process.

“My goal is to make harmony out of chaos,” said the artist, with steam from the Old Faithful geyser floating in the distance. “ I am the opposite of those who paint their houses every two years and keep everything face-lifted. I don’t believe in ‘forever young’.”

Nature is his accomplice. Rain, sun, wind and valley dust add a convincing patina of centuries.

“After millions of brushtrokes, I have the euphoria of playing an art trick, turning rubble into gold,” he said.

Marchiori grew up in the Veneto town of Bassano del Grappa north east of Venice, and as a boy, roamed the region studying the villas and gardens of the surrounding countryside.
The classic proportions of Palladio’s architecture informed his eye from an early age. He headed to school over the Brenta Bridge, one of Palladio’s landmarks, and, in effect, studied Palladio’s work as he pedaled across on his bicycle.

Marchiori came to San Francisco in the late Sixties, by way of Japan, New Zealand, and Canada. His Edwardian house in the Haight Ashbury became a tourist stop after he painted a twenty-foot smiling tiger on the facade.

Disinterested with television, film, even computers, he throws his focus on his art. He seldom travels.

Marchiori spends his day painting, sculpting, shaping walls, preparing canvases, glazing his collection of ceramics, and carving plinths. He seems the perfect embodiment of Flaubert’s aphorism, ‘One should be regular and orderly in one’s life, so that one may be violent and original in one’s work.’

Recent projects includes a glamorous grotto with a chandelier of scallop shells that would be a sensation on Capri, and a small outdoor theatre crowned with shard-topped columns. In his Teatro degli Zanni, Marchiori dreams of presenting the Commedia dell’Arte slapstick plays of his childhood.

Marchiori’s list of projects is never-ending. There are molds to carve for a new series of Pompeiian ruins, Bellini-esque murals to complete, and a series of Corinthian column fragments to paint.

In a sense, Marchiori never left Italy. Or at least, Italy never left him.

Credits: All photography by California photographer, Adrian Gregorutti, published here with express permission. www.gregophoto.com

1,800-Year-old Iron Roman Mask Found in the Ancient City of Karabük

A 1,800-year-old iron mask thought to belong to a Roman soldier was found in the Hadrianaupolis Ancient City in Karabük.

Excavations in the Hadrianaupolis Ancient City, located in the Eskipazar district of Karabük, Turkey have been continuing since 2003. The excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianaupolis, which is estimated to have been used from the 1st century BC to the 8th century AD in the village of Budaklar, were carried out by Karabük University Archeology Department Lecturer Assoc. Dr. It continues under the chairmanship of Ersin Çelikbaş.

In the ancient city, where excavations continue for 12 months of the year, this season, the focus has been on a square planned structure whose function has not been resolved yet. From the fortification wall in the building been in question, it is estimated that this was a military building. An iron mask was unearthed during the work done inside the structure.

Stating that the history of the inner regions of the Western Black Sea Region has not been fully clarified yet, the head of the excavation, Assoc. Dr. Çelikbaş said, “We continue to illuminate the history of the region with our works. During our excavations, we found important data showing the existence of the Roman Empire in the region. This mask also belongs to a Roman soldier. A Roman cavalry face mask, a piece of helmet.” says.

Fragment of a Roman soldier's helmet.

Stating that there could be a Roman garrison and a military base in Hadrianaupolis, Çelikbaş said, “Rome has planned to make its defense at the far end by building bases against all kinds of dangers that may come from the Black Sea Region to its own geography. We think that one of these defensive military cities was Hadrianaupolis. The mask fragment is from the imperial period. It most likely belongs to the 3rd century when we look at similar examples and stratification history.” says.

During the excavations carried out in the southern necropolis of the ancient city last October, an iron ring dating back 1,800 years was found inside the rock tombs. On the agate stone on the ring, it was determined that the character of Pan, known as the god of shepherds in Greek mythology, was carved in very small sizes.

The movable ones from the findings obtained during the studies in the ancient city of Hadrianaupolis are taken to the museums in the surrounding provinces, while the immovables are preserved in their place.

Posted by Archaeophilia

Unique Roman Mosaic depicting scenes from Homer's Iliad found in UK

LONDON (AP) — A team of archaeologists from the University of Leicester in central England certainly appear to have the golden touch.

Nearly a decade on from uncovering the remains of King Richard III under a car park near Leicester Cathedral, the university’s archaeological team have unearthed a Roman mosaic featuring the great Greek hero of Achilles in battle with brave Hector during the Trojan War — this time in a farmer’s field about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of London.

The mosaic is the first depiction ever found in the U.K. of events from Homer’s classic ‘The Iliad.’”

Aerial view of the mosaic pavement. Image: Historic England

John Thomas, deputy director of University of Leicester Archaeological Services and project manager on the excavations, said the mosaic says a lot about the person who commissioned it in the late Roman period, between the 3rd and 4th century.

“This is someone with a knowledge of the classics, who had the money to commission a piece of such detail, and it’s the very first depiction of these stories that we’ve ever found in Britain,” he said. “This is certainly the most exciting Roman mosaic discovery in the U.K. in the last century.”

In light of its rarity and importance, Britain’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport on Thursday granted the mosaic the country’s oldest form of heritage protection. It is now a scheduled monument, which makes it a criminal offense for anyone to go digging around the site or even metal-detecting.

Aerial view of the Historic England staff with team members from ULAS/University of Leicester during the excavations of a mosaic pavement. Image: Historic England

“By protecting this site we are able to continue learning from it, and look forward to what future excavations may teach us about the people who lived there over 1,500 years ago,” said Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England.

The mosaic in the county of Rutland was found by Jim Irvine, whose father Brian Naylor owns the land, in the midst of last year’s lockdown during excavations of an elaborate villa complex made up of a host of structures and other buildings. Irvine then notified the authorities, leading to an excavation by the university’s archaeological team.

He described how what started as “a ramble through the fields with the family” led to the “incredible discovery.”

An aerial view of the archaeological site with the mosaic on the left and other villa building to the right. Image: Historic England

“The last year has been a total thrill to have been involved with,” he said.

The archaeologists discovered remains of the mosaic, measuring 11 meters (36 feet) by almost 7 meters (22.9 feet). Human remains were also discovered in the rubble covering the mosaic and are thought to have been interred after the building was no longer occupied.

The dig, which remains on private land, has now been back-filled to protect the site and work will continue to potentially turn over the field to grassland to lower the risk of future damage from ploughing.

There’s little time for the team at the university to rest up following their latest excavation success. In January, they are due to start digging near Leicester Cathedral, in what is expected to be the city’s deepest ever excavation, in the hope of finding long-lost treasures from medieval times and ancient times.

The team is best-known for its search of the lost grave of Richard III, which began in August 2012. In February of the following year, the university announced that they had found the remains of England’s last Plantagenet king and the last English monarch to have died on the battlefield. He died in 1485.

By PAN PYLAS, AP

Unique Golden Treasure Found In Denmark - One of the Richest Treasures in Danish History!

One of the largest, richest and most beautiful gold treasures in Danish history has just been found at Vindelev, just outside Jelling. The enormous find of almost 1 kg of gold, i.a. consisting of huge medallions the size of saucers, has again seen the light of day, after 1500 years in the Danish soil.

Ole Ginnerup Schytz had just acquired a metal detector, and was allowed to walk on the ground with his old classmate. After a few hours, he found what is qualitatively one of the greatest gold finds in Danish history. The site has now been excavated by the Archaeologists of the Vejlemuseerne, in collaboration with the National Museum's experts and with funds from the Palaces and Culture Agency.

Archaeologists now know that the treasure was buried in a longhouse in a village about 1,500 years ago. The studies, and the many samples and data collected, will provide invaluable knowledge about the connections and circumstances that led to the tax being abolished by a great man, at that time in the Iron Age.

The great man in Vindelev

The discovery of the enormous amount of gold shows that the site has been a center of power, in the late Iron Age.

"Only one member of society's absolute top has been able to collect a treasure like the one found here" , explains Vejlemuseernes research director Mads Ravn, and continues:

"Although the place name Vindelev can be linked to the time of migration, there was nothing that could make us predict that an unprecedented warlord or great man lived here, long before the kingdom of Denmark arose in the following centuries."

Here, just under 8 km from the Jelling, which in the 900s became Denmark's cradle, there was already a great man in the 500s who managed to create wealth and attract skilled artisans. For as yet unknown reasons, he chose to close down this large gold find in the early 500s.

Maybe to save it in case of war, or maybe as a victim of higher powers.

Mythological motifs and a Roman emperor

The Vindelev treasure consists of saucer-sized, beautifully decorated medallions, so-called bracteates. There are also Roman coins made into jewelry. They occur in a technique and a combination that has never before been seen comparable examples of why the finding of experts is described as completely unique in quality.

Some of the objects have motifs and runic inscriptions that may refer to the rulers of the time, but which also, according to some of the researchers who have so far had the opportunity to examine the treasure, lead the mind to Nordic mythology.

One of the finds is a bracteate that has a male head with a braid and a number of runes on it. Under the head is seen a horse and in front of a bird with which the man communicates. There is a runic inscription between the horse's muzzle and forelegs, which according to the preliminary interpretations says 'houaʀ'; 'the High' .

'The High' may refer to the ruler who abolished the find, but is also in later mythological contexts associated with the god Odin.

There are also much older coins from the Roman Empire. Most notably a heavy gold coin from the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (285-337 AD). Constantine legalized Christianity among the Romans in 313 AD, a few hundred years before the coin that bears his face found rest in under a Jutlandic longhouse, 2,000 km north.

The fascinating journey of gold tells us about a European continent that was already in the Iron Age closely connected by trade and war.

A chaotic time

Many of Scandinavia's largest gold finds date from the middle of the 5th century, when the ash cloud from a large volcanic eruption in the year 536 AD, created a global climate catastrophe with many years of misgrowth and famine.

Preliminary dates suggest that this treasure was also abolished at this chaotic time in world history. A couple of years ago, the archaeologists of the Vejlemuseers excavated another gold treasure from the period on the small island of Hjarnø in Horsens fjord.

According to many researchers, the climate catastrophe in 536 caused the inhabitants of what was then Denmark today to reject the old rulers and lay down lots of gold during this very period. Maybe to save it from enemies, or maybe to appease the gods.

Some believe that the foundation of the Viking Age society, and a united Danish kingdom, lies in this period.

More than 40 kg of gold from these very centuries in the Iron Age have been found. But the size, quantity and technical details of the objects in the treasure now found at Vindelev are completely unique, placing the find in the absolute top.

Exhibited already next year

In less than half a year, the Vindelev treasure will be seen as part of the Vejlemuseerne's large Viking exhibition, which opens on 3 February 2022.

The exhibition tells the story of Harald Blåtand's eastern connections, and of the early kingdom formation that created the foundation for the Jelling dynasty.

The Viking exhibition is made in collaboration with Moesgaard Museum, which also has an exhibition that tells about other aspects of the Vikings' travels to the east.

Archaeologists Completed the Restoration Of Ancient Laodiceia's Theatre

Restoration works on the 2,200-year-old theatre in the ancient city of Laodiceia, located in southwestern Turkey, have been completed.

Professor Celal Simsek of the University of Pamukkale (ancient Hierapolis) and his archeological team have been working in ancient Laodiceia since 2003, managing to complete the restoration of the ancient theater (with capacity over 15,000 seats) within 15 years!

Noting that the team applied the restoration techniques of international criteria, he said, "This is the most extensive project whose restoration has been completed in such a short time."

A general view from the restoration of the theatre in the ancient city of Laodikea, Denizli,
western Turkey [Credit: Anadolou Agency]

Simsek added that 10 academics, a specialist architect, 12 archaeologists, four restoring personnel and 20 workers participated in the faithful project, managing to carry out the work thanks to the contributions by the South Aegean Development Agency and the metropolitan municipality of Denizli.

‘Laodicea’ on the Lycus

Laodicea on the Lycus (Greek: Λαοδίκεια πρὸς τοῦ Λύκου Laodikia pros tou Lykou; Latin: Laodicea ad Lycum, also transliterated as Laodiceia or Laodikeia) (modern Turkish: Laodikeia) was an ancient city built on the river Lycus (Çürüksu). It was located in the Hellenistic regions of Caria and Lydia, which later became the Roman Province of Phrygia Pacatiana. It is now situated near the modern city of Denizli, Turkey. In 2013 the archaeological site was inscribed in the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.

It contained one of the Seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

Mummified Human Remains found at the Tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio

The tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio discovered at Porta Sarno with mummified human remains

Mummified remains, along with the hair and bones of an individual buried in an ancient tomb have been found at the necropolis of Porta Sarno, to the east of the ancient urban centre of Pompeii. On a marble slab located on the pediment of the tomb, a commemorative inscription to the owner Marcus Venerius Secundio makes reference, extraordinarily, to performances at Pompeii that were conducted in Greek, direct evidence of which has never before been found.

This is the latest discovery at Pompeii, which took place during an excavation campaign carried out in the Porta Sarno Necropolis area, on the initiative of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and the European University of Valencia.

“Pompeii never ceases to amaze, and has confirmed her place in a story of redemption, as an international role model, and a place where research and new archaeological excavations are taking place once more, thanks to the many professionals in the field of cultural heritage, who with their work never cease to produce extraordinary results for the world which are a source of pride for Italy.”- Declares the Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini.

The tomb structure, which dates to the final decades in the life of the city, consists of a masonry enclosure, with traces of paint preserved on the façade: it is possible to distinguish green plants on a blue background.

The figure of Marcus Venerius Secundio - who also appears in the wax tablet archive of the Pompeian banker Cecilius Giocondus, owner of the domus of the same name on Via Vesuvio - was a public slave and custodian of the Temple of Venus. Upon being freed, he reached a certain social and economic status, as can be understood from the rather monumental tomb, and the inscription: in addition to joining the ranks of the Augustales, or the college of priests dedicated to the Imperial Cult, as the epigraph recalls he “gave Greek and Latin ludi for the duration of four days”.

“Ludi graeci are to be understood as performances in the Greek language”, – observes the Director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, Gabriel Zuchtriegel – “It is the first clear evidence of performances at Pompeii in the Greek language, which had previously been hypothesised on the basis of indirect indicators. Here we have another tessera of a large mosaic, namely the multi-ethnic Pompeii of the early Imperial Age, where Greek, the then lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean, is indicated alongside Latin. That performances in Greek were organised is evidence of the lively and open cultural climate which characterised ancient Pompeii, similar to how the special exhibition of Isabelle Huppert, held in French at the Large Theatre a few weeks ago, showed that culture has no borders.”

No less exceptional than the inscription is the burial of Marcus Venerius Secundio, with one of the best preserved skeletons ever found in the ancient city. The deceased was buried in a small cell of 1.6 x 2.4 metres, located behind the main façade, while in the remaining part of the enclosure evidence of cremation has been found, in the form of two cinerary urns, one of which is a beautiful glass container belonging to a woman by the name of Novia Amabilis. During the Roman period at Pompeii, funeral rites usually involved cremation, while only small children were buried.

The burial of Marcus Venerius is thus highly unusual also for the funeral rite that was adopted, considering that he was an adult man over 60 years of age, as evidence emerging from the initial analysis of bones found in the burial chamber indicates. The characteristics of the funerary chamber, which consisted of a hermetically sealed room, created conditions that allowed for the exceptional state of preservation in which the skeleton was found, with hair and an ear still visible. Furthermore, grave goods have been recovered, including two glass unguentaria and numerous fragments of what appears to be fabric.

“We still need to understand whether the partial mummification of the deceased is due to intentional treatment or not” - explains Professor Llorenç Alapont of the University of Valencia - “analysis of the fabric could provide further information on this. From the sources we know that certain textiles such as asbestos were used in embalming. Even for those like me, who have been specialised in funerary archaeology for some time, the extraordinary wealth of information offered by this tomb, from the inscription to the burials, the osteological finds and the painted façade, is exceptional, which confirms the importance of adopting an interdisciplinary approach, such as that conducted by the University of Valencia and the Archaeological Park during this project”.

The human and organic remains found in the funerary complex of Porta Sarno were transported to the Laboratory of Applied Research at the site of Pompeii, where they have undergone analysis and conservation interventions. At the same time, the Archaeological Park has begun a series of stabilisation interventions, aimed at ensuring the maintenance of the Porta Sarno Necropolis, pending the definition of a broader project aimed at restoration and eventual visitor access to the area. The necropolis is currently not accessible to visitors since it is located beyond the Circumvesuviana railway line, but the Park has launched a feasibility study with a view to including it in the area which is open to the public.

The excavation and recovery operations by the University of Valencia were coordinated by Prof. Llorenç Alapont of the Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, alongside  archaeologist Luana Toniolo, restorer Teresa Argento and anthropologist Valeria Amoretti of the Archaeological Park.

sourse: Pompeii Sites, By Gary Manners

The Etruscan Wolf’s Helmet: A Masterpiece of Ancient Equipment

The Etruscan wolf’s helmet, that is currently kept in Harvard’s Art Museum, is undoubtedly a masterpiece of ancient equipment. Despite it’s name, the etruscan helmet resembles a boar head. It dates back to archaic to classical period (6th-5th century BCE) an has modern additions. It is bronze and cast and hammered.

Other Elements of the helmet are lead, iron and arsenic. These pieces were part of an old repair and were removed from the object.

The patina is green and has areas of black and underlying areas of red. The top components of the nose and the hemispherical dome have areas of rough, raised green corrosion products and brown burial accretions.

Numerous large losses are the result of corrosion and breaks in the brittle, mineralized metal. There are numerous ancient repairs, including the flaps of metal folded and riveted around cracks on the lower edge of the hemispherical dome and the irregular shapes of metal riveted to the dome where it meets the lower jaw on both sides. The cast teeth are modern additions. They are not life casts and were irregularly modeled directly in wax to fit the shapes of the sheet metal assembly that form the jaw and top portions of the mouth. A modern sheet-copper framework in the top and bottom sections of the mouth and a patinated but modern ridged palette-shape on the top of the mouth both help to support weight of these teeth. Many of the rivets are ancient, but some have been replaced with modern copper pins or brass screws.

The hemispherical dome was raised by hammering, and its irregular thickness ranges from 0.3 to 0.7 mm. The top and snout sections of the nose have the same thickness as the dome, which in neither case was a measurement error caused by the rough corrosion products on the surface of these components. The other parts of the object are also raised by hammering but are generally thinner (2.0 to 4.0 mm). They form the bottom exterior and interior surfaces of the mouth, the narrow strips at the lower edges of the top of the mouth, and the repair reinforcements previously mentioned. A serrated sheet inserted in the folded and riveted front section of the nose is less deeply corroded than the snout but appears to be ancient. The serrations may depict teeth, and it is possible that similar teeth once decorated the other portions of the mouth. The remains of two oval repoussé depressions on the front of the dome depict eyes. No inlay or added material is visible in the eyes.

Prior to the 1998 conservation treatment of this object, numerous additional fragments, many of them modern, were joined to the object and completed many of the losses to the original components. These fragments greatly confused the question of what was original as well as what the original object looked like. They were removed and stored separately from other loose fragments that are ancient but either do not belong to this object or cannot be properly fitted to it. Future work on the object could involve completely removing the replacement teeth. It is also possible that the entire lower jaw is a modern fabrication from ancient sheets of metal.

Henry Lie

1,800-year-old headless Greek Statue found at Turkey’s Metropolis site

In the ancient Greek classical city of Metropolis, located in western Turkey, archaeologists have unearthed an 1,800-year-old marble robed statue of a headless woman. 

Despite missing its head and both arms, the rest of the statue is well-preserved and depicts a woman wearing flowing draped clothing.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Department of Excavation and Celal Bayar University have been jointly studying the ancient city for years.

Known as the “Mother Goddess City,” Metropolis was located 28 miles from the ancient port city of Ephesus and 25 miles from the modern Turkish city of Izmir.

To date, archaeologists working at the site have unearthed artifacts and structures from the classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Finds include a Roman palaestra (wrestling hall), mosaics, ceramics, a council building and a columned gallery.

Metropolis was built in the third century BC, when the region was under the control of the Seleucid Empire. It reached its golden age during the Hellenistic period and served as a center of religious power during the Byzantine Period.

Excavations at Metropolis have been ongoing since 1990, according to the Sabanci Foundation, a philanthropic group that has supported the work.

One of the most prominent features of the ancient city is a Hellenistic theater dated to the third century BC. Roman-era structures discovered during digs include a sports complex, homes, shops, baths, a public toilet, streets and roads.

Earlier this year, archaeologists working at the Metropolis site also announced the discovery of huge cisterns dated to the late Roman or early Byzantine period (around 284 to 750 AD).

Capable of holding a total of around 600 tons of water, the cisterns probably supplied water to a bathhouse in the city and met Metropolis’ overall need for water when it was subjected to sieges that made other sources unavailable.

Many of these finds are now on display at the Izmir Art and History Museum, Izmir Archaeology Museum and Selcuk Efes Museum.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine.

Rome: Giant Statue of Emperor Constantine Reunited with it's Long-lost Finger

Bronze finger found at Louvre is remounted on to Constantine’s hand at museum in Rome

Fragments of the colossal bronze statue of Constantine at the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The missing index finger has just been restored to the hand.

A huge statue of the hand of Constantine the Great in Rome has been reunited with its missing finger after more than 500 years.

The 38cm-long bronze index finger, found in the Louvre in Paris in 2018, was remounted on to the statue at Rome’s Capitoline Museums on Wednesday.

The finger was “perfectly” restored to its rightful place “using a non-invasive, reversible and invisible system”, the director of the museums, Claudio Parisi Presicce, told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

The Louvre had mistakenly categorised the finger as a toe until an eagle-eyed researcher, Aurélia Azéma, established that it was the long-lost digit from the hand of the Roman emperor’s 12m-high (39ft) statue, fragments of which had been kept at the Capitoline Museums.

The ancient relic was among a collection acquired by the Louvre from the Italian banker and art collector Giampietro Campana in 1863. Campana, who died in 1880, brought together one of the 19th century’s greatest collections of Roman and Greek antiquities.

In 1913, the Paris museum had categorised the finger as a Roman toe and it was not until 2018 that it was recategorised. Azéma, a doctoral student, made the discovery during her research into ancient welding techniques for large bronze statues. She realised that the fractured finger would fit a statue around 12m tall, leading to the theory that it may be Constantine’s missing index figure.

The missing finger. Photograph: Hervé Lewandowski/RMNGP (musée du Louvre)

The Louvre’s archaeologist, Nicolas Melard, used a 3D technique to make a replica of the finger, which was taken to Rome in June 2018 by Louvre curators Françoise Gaultier and Sophie Descamps. The copy turned out to be the exact fit.

Among the fragments of the statue on display at the Capitoline Museums are a massive head, a left forearm and sphere. The hand is also missing its palm, which held the sphere, and part of its middle finger.

The index finger is believed to have come off when the sphere was separated from the hand and placed on top of a column standing at the first mile of the Appian Way, the earliest and most important road of the Roman empire, in 1584.

It is unclear where the missing finger was before being collected by Campana, but it was recently brought back to Rome in impact-resistant packaging.

“It’s a good way to mark the reopening of museums,” said Rome’s mayor, Virginia Raggi. Museums in the Italian capital reopened on Monday after coronavirus restrictions were eased.

Scarborough: Remains of Roman villa and bath-house never seen before in Britain discovered beneath building site

Archaeologists have made one of the most stunning Roman finds ever unearthed in Britain on the site of a new housing development in a village near Scarborough.

The foundations of a large Roman villa complex discovered in Eastfield, near Scarborough.

An excavation was carried out at the Keepmoat Homes site in Eastfield after Historic England suggested there was the potential for Roman or Iron Age remains to be found there - but the extent and significance of the discovery has astonished those working on the dig.

A large complex of buildings was revealed, including a circular central room with a number of other rooms and a bath-house leading from it. Experts believe they are the foundations of a 'high-status' Roman villa, some sort of religious community or perhaps a combination of both.

This type of villa layout has never previously been found in Britain and it could even be the first example to be uncovered in the whole of the old Roman Empire.

An aerial view of the site.

Developers Keepmoat have now amended their plans for the site to preserve the remains, and houses will no longer be built over them. The area will instead be designated as public open space.

Historic England also intend to apply for Scheduled Ancient Monument status for the site, and will fund further archaeological work and analysis.

Inspector of ancient monuments Keith Emerick said: “These archaeological remains are a fantastic find and are far more than we ever dreamed of discovering at this site. They are already giving us a better knowledge and understanding of Roman Britain. We are grateful to Keepmoat Homes for their sensitive and professional approach to helping ensure the future conservation of this important historical site.”

Corporate director for business and environmental services at North Yorkshire County Council Karl Battersby, who also advised the developers, added: “This is a remarkable discovery which adds to the story of Roman settlement in North Yorkshire. Work by local archaeologists has already established the buildings were designed by the highest quality architects available in northern Europe during the era and constructed by the finest craftsmen.

“Because of the significance of this, it is excellent to see that the layout of the new housing has been redesigned so this important part of our history can be preserved. There will be further work on the finds and environmental samples to try to establish exactly what this enigmatic site was and why it was created so far from other Roman centres.”

Although there is evidence of a Roman signal station on the headland near Scarborough, it had been previously thought that there had not been a formal settlement in the area during their period of occupation.

By Grace Newton

Remains Of Wooden Safe Excavated From Burned Out Roman Villa In Spain

A wooden safe used during the Roman empire to keep jewellery, essential documents, and luxury clothing was recovered from the remains of a luxurious home.

Arca ferrata found in Tarazona.

The remains of the furniture item, or “arca ferrata” — literally an ‘ark’ — were found during archaeological excavations in a 4th-century Roman home located in Mitreo in the western Spanish region of Extremadura. The safe was a type of large wooden covered in bronze and other metals and located in one of the rooms of this luxury house that had seemingly suffered a fire.

“The ark is important because there are not many arks like this preserved from the Roman Empire, and there are currently only four other pieces like this in Zaragoza, in northern Spain, and the ones preserved in Pompeii in Italy,” said Ana Maria Bejarano Osorio, an archaeologist with the Monumental City of Merida Consortium, a public organization whose primary goal is to preserve and share the knowledge of the city’s archaeological heritage.

Remains of the 'arca ferrata' of the Casa del Mitreo de Mérida

Osorio said the preservation work had only been done on the box’s surface. Further, Osorio pointed out that the ark was in a very bad state because it was partially sunk into the ground as the top part of the house collapsed on it during the fire.

“We only have the wooden frame, which is burned, and the bronze parts that were covering the box on the outside and inside, as well as some other luxury decorations.”

It was decided to leave the ark where it was when first discovered in 1994, and some preservation efforts were undertaken to protect the artifact. But, it was decided to remove the ark. The footage shows the ark being removed so it can be restored.

One of the bronze appliques, which must have been attached to the surface of the 'arca ferrata'
by rivets or tacks.

Years later, in 2017, the experts in charge of the site decided it was time to remove the safe from the remains of the Roman home for it to be adequately restored. These safe boxes, or arches, were often located in reception rooms where the owner of the house received visitors. To avoid robberies, it was affixed to the walls or the ground using iron nails. They were often ornately decorated with worked metal. The ark could have been used to keep items, clothes, money, jewellery, and other precious items.

The 'arca ferrata' being readied for removal.

“It is unclear what the owner did for a living. But it is clear that it was probably a wealthy family because the surface of the house is around 3,386 square meters (36,447 square feet), with 15 rooms, including the bathrooms and the kitchen, as well as four other rooms,” said Osario.

Osario said: “It is unclear what they did for a living, but it might be something related to commerce or business, and they could even have been using the four extra rooms themselves to sell their wares.”

The house also had two more rooms on the second floor, including the one that collapsed during the fire, the causes of which are unknown.

The 'arca ferrata' on a grill for removal.

The safe box currently measures around 3 by 1.5 meters (9.8 by 4.9 feet). As per the archaeologist, it was crushed due to the collapse of the second floor, so it is unclear what its measurements might have been before that.

The discovery of this safebox in the Casa del Mitreo (Mitreo House) is deemed to be one of the most exceptional items located and documented in the last few years in the archaeological sector in Merida. The piece was finally lifted and taken to the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain (Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de Espana-IPCE), where it will be restored to its former glory.

Author: Ana Lacasa | Source: Zenger [April 09, 2021]