Ancient stone moved from Pissouri archaeological site
Cyprus Mail, Nov 10, 2009

POLICE ARE investigating what they believe to be the attempted theft of
a giant 2,000-year-old standing stone (tripiti), which was been removed
from the archaeological site in Pissouri. Although police later found
the stone in a nearby field, it is believed that thieves intended to
return with proper equipment to transport the massive monument.
“This attempted theft is an act of mindless vandalism, of
contempt for the people of Cyprus and the community this ancient
monument belongs to,” said one concerned local, who asked to
remain
anonymous. “It was a site of considerable beauty and
archaeological
interest,” he added. Archaeologists believe that these stones
were the height of olive oil extraction technology 2,000 years ago,
before the superior Roman screw-press was invented. It is believed that
a bulldozer was used to remove the priceless relic but was unable to
transport it far.

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=48750&cat_id=1

Are there any after Phokas/Heraclius? If so, how many and which ones?

Thanks,
Barry

Quest to find out what the Romans dropped down the drain
The Times [UK], November 14, 2009

Britain's oldest bath overflow is to be given its first thorough
inspection nearly 2,000 years after it was built. For two millennia the
Great Drain has carried the mineral-rich waters of Britain's only hot
spring from the Roman Bath in Bath to the nearby River Avon. The drain
runs for nearly half a mile under the city but although parts of it are
large enough for a man to walk through, it has never been fully
explored. Archaeologists will have their first opportunity to get inside
the previously inaccessible sections of the Great Drain this month when
engineers open it up for repairs.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6916691.ece

Yeah, sorry, I meant Caracalla. Severus was long gone.

Posted by: "postumusagrippa"  no_reply@...  �
postumusagrippa
Tue Nov�17,�2009 11:44�am

[But the story has a happy ending: Five years later, Severus himself was
murdered by one of his bodyguards, who snuck up behind him in the woods
while he was relieving himself.)

Wasn't it Caracalla who got assassinated while relieving himself?
And wasn't it while he was in the East?
Barry

<<Wasn't it Caracalla who got assassinated while relieving himself?

And wasn't it while he was in the East?>>


He was going to visit the shrine of some moon deity.

Then came Macrinus and Elagabalus and Severus Alexander.

Roman ruins found under theatre BBC, 11 November 2009

An ancient Roman ruin has been discovered by builders working on the
£25.6m redevelopment of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. The
townhouse, thought to date from between the late second and early third
Centuries, is believed to have belonged to a wealthy citizen.
Archaeologists found the remains of the building's under-floor heating,
leather shoes, seeds and a plate. Experts will examine the remains
before the redevelopment work resumes. Archaeologist James Holman said:
"It's quite unexpected. It's very unusual to find buildings of this type
in this area of Canterbury, this side of the River Stour. It is a very
high quality building, it would have had heated floors."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/8355636.stm

Archaeological evidence of a Roman villa in Ceredigion
Western Mail [UK], Nov 14 2009

THE discovery of a villa in Ceredigion suggests that Roman settlements
may have spread deeper into Wales than previously thought. Archeologists
working for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments
of Wales, in Aberystwyth, believe they have discovered first Roman villa
in the county at Trawsgoed Roman fort, now buried beneath Trawsgoed
estate. Archaeologist Dr Toby Driver said it was a significant
discovery, because Roman villas are unknown in that part of the country
and very rare in south-west Wales. "This is a hugely exciting
discovery," he said.

http://snipr.com/t8zw4
<http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/11/14/archaeological-evidence\
-of-a-roman-villa-in-ceredigion-91466-25163969/>

[But the story has a happy ending: Five years later, Severus himself was
murdered by one of his bodyguards, who snuck up behind him in the woods
while he was relieving himself.)

Wasn't it Caracalla who got assassinated while relieving himself?

And wasn't it while he was in the East?

Barry

7 Three Byzantine tombs discovered in Wadi al-Zahab in Syria
Global Arab Network [UK], 13 November 2009

The Museums and Antiquities Department recently discovered a cave in
Wadi al-Zahab that includes a cemetery of three tombs which are not
completed because no one was buried in them. The cemetery dates back to
the Byzantine era. Head of the Department Farid Jabbour said the
cemetery was discovered during the excavations carried out by the
General Establishment for Water studies to keep off floods. Moreover,
The Syrian-Lebanese-Spanish joint expedition have concluded
archeological surveys which began in mid September in the villages of
Qazhal, al-Rabiyeh, al-Mashahdeh, al-Rabieaa and Khurbat Ghazi north of
the city of Homs.

http://snipr.com/t88mx
<http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/200911123593/Culture/archaeologists-th\
ree-byzantine-tombs-discovered-in-wadi-al-zahab-in-syria.html>

Caracalla was a monster!!!

Was just watching a "Secrets of the Dead" episode on PBS concerning that
find of a large number of decapitated bodies in York, England. They were
from the 3rd Century, around the time of Emperor Severus' campaign
against the Caledonians. From a combination of forensic (The bones were
examined by "osteoarchaeologists"), circumstantial, and historical
evidence, it was ruled out that they were Caledonians killed by the
Romans, Roman soldiers killed by the Caledonians, or Roman soldiers
executed for cowardice or other crimes. Rather, it appears that they
were supporters of Severus' younger son or other potential or actual
opponents of his older son, Caracella, who were killed in purges
conducted by Caracella after his father's death, in his campaign to
seize and consolidate power. (His father had set it up that the two
brothers would SHARE power -- a recipe for disaster; the aging Severus
didn't even have the heart to act against Caracella when he attempted to
kill him during the Caledonian campaign.) After consolidating his power
in Britain, Caracella returned to Rome, murdered his brother in front of
his mother (who was afraid to say anything about it), and carried out
further purges and damnatio memoriae.

[But the story has a happy ending: Five years later, Severus himself was
murdered by one of his bodyguards, who snuck up behind him in the woods
while he was relieving himself.)

RB, Those Romans sure did carry on

"I just wanted you to know"

Dear All,

Careful, careful.  Don't forget that Persia ruled Egypt for more than a
century (525- ca. 400) so these soldiers could have died on any number
of desert missions that have nothing at all to do with Herodotus' rather
stereotyped (and numerically challenged) story.

All good wishes,

Judith
--
Visit Zenobia's blog at Empress of the East
<http://judithweingarten.blogspot.com>

Remains of Minoan-style painting discovered during excavations of
Canaanite palace
EurekAlert [USA], 9-Nov-2009

The remains of a Minoan-style wall painting, recognizable by a blue
background, the first of its kind to be found in Israel, was discovered
in the course of the recent excavation season at Tel Kabri. This fresco
joins others of Aegean style that have been uncovered during earlier
seasons at the Canaanite palace in Kabri.

"It was, without doubt, a conscious decision made by the city's
rulers who wished to associate with Mediterranean culture and not
adopt Syrian and Mesopotamian styles of art like other cities in Canaan
did. The Canaanites were living in the Levant and wanted to feel
European," explains Dr. Assaf Yasur-Landau of the University of
Haifa, who directed the excavations.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoh-rom110909.php

Far out . . .

Vanished Persian Army Said Found in Desert
Discovery News [USA], Nov 08 2009

The remains of a mighty Persian army said to have drowned in the sands
of the western Egyptian desert 2,500 years ago might have been finally
located, solving one of archaeology's biggest outstanding
mysteries, according to Italian researchers. Bronze weapons, a silver
bracelet, an earring and hundreds of human bones found in the vast
desolate wilderness of the Sahara desert have raised hopes of finally
finding the lost army of Persian King Cambyses II. The 50,000 warriors
were said to be buried by a cataclysmic sandstorm in 525
B.C. "We have found the first archaeological evidence of a story
reported by the Greek historian Herodotus," Dario Del Bufalo, a
member of the expedition from the University of Lecce, told Discovery
News.

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/cambyses-army-remains-sahara.html

Traces of Mithras in Malta
The Malta Independent, Nov 7, 2009

The Mithraic Mysteries was a mystery religion that became popular among
the military in the Roman Empire, from the 1st to 4th centuries AD.
Information on the cult is based mainly on interpretations of monuments,
which depict Mithras as born from a rock and sacrificing a bull. His
worshippers had a complex system of seven grades of initiation, with
ritual meals and they met in underground temples. Little else is known
for certain. Any indication of the presence of the cult in Roman Malta
can only come from a close examination of the many symbols connected
with the cult � the bull, typical Persian dress, symbols of fertility
and the stars and the solar system. Mithras is often portrayed as being
on horseback and a statue found in a tomb in Rabat is quite clearly
Mithraic. So too is a figure holding a torch, such as the one found in
another tomb in Rabat. The Hal Resqun catacombs take on a new meaning if
interpreted in relation to the Mithraic cult.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=96911

Bummer! . . .

Bulgaria Has No Money for Sevtopolis Ancient Thrace Project
Novinite [Bulgaria], November 7, 2009

The project which envisages the restoration of the Ancient Thracian city
of Sevtopolis cannot proceed because of the lack of money over the
economic crisis. This has been declared by Bulgaria's Culture Minister,
Vezhdi Rashidov, regarding the initiative to recover Sevtopolis from the
bottom of the Koprinka water reservoir near the central Bulgarian town
of Kazanlak by creating an artificial underwater island. "The Culture
Ministry has never made a financial commitment to the project which
relies on outside or private sponsorship," Rashidov said stressing that
despite that fact, his team had analyzed the project, and had concluded
that it was unrealizable for the time being.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=109727

History In 3-D: Digitally Archived Works Of Art ScienceDaily [USA], Nov.
5, 2009

If you don't have the time to travel to Florence, you can still see
Michelangelo's statue of David on the Internet, revolving in true-to-
life 3D around its own axis. This is a preview of what scientists are
developing in the European joint project 3D-COFORM. The project aims to
digitize the heritage in museums and provide a virtual archive for works
of art from all over the world. Vases, ancient spears and even complete
temples will be reproduced three-dimensionally. In a few years' time
museum visitors will be able to revolve Roman amphorae through 360
degrees on screen, or take off on a virtual flight around a temple. The
virtual collection will be especially useful to researchers seeking
comparable works by the same artist, or related anthropological
artifacts otherwise forgotten in some remote archive.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101537.htm

Living near volcano may cause cancer
Sunday, November 08, 2009

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A new study suggests that living near a volcano
puts
people at a higher risk of developing a type of thyroid cancer.

Researchers examined the rates of newly diagnosed thyroid cancers on the
island of Sicily.

Researchers found that those living near the Mount Etna volcano had more
than double the rate of papillary thyroid cancer than those who lived
elsewhere on the island.

It is the most common and most treatable type of thyroid cancer.

Researchers are not sure how volcanoes might be related to cancer, but
they
suspect that the toxic compounds they produce could play a role.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/health/your_health&id=7107155

Statue of the emperor Titus.�Marble. 1st century A.D.�Inv. No.
2282.��Rome, Vatican Museums, Chiaramonti Museum, New wing
Address:



http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=510

Significant find at Roman settlement in Albir
Round Town News [UK], 05 November 2009

The discovery of a child's coffin and its original contents in the
remains of the old Roman town in Albir has confirmed the existence of
the settlement beyond reasonable doubt. The latest discovery was
announced this week by Carolina Fr�as, an archaeologist, who is
working with an archaeological colleague, Gustavo Olmedo. Together, they
head up the team of professionals from the University of Alicante, who
are continuing to excavate and uncover the ancient and important history
of the area. The site was originally excavated in 1983 and 1984. The
excavations, in a small site behind the Tourist Offices, recommenced
last year after a long delay. The latest finds have caused the experts
to rethink their strategy and previous perspective. Until now much of
their knowledge was speculative based on a small amount of evidence.
They now think they have uncovered less than ten per cent of the
potential area and therefore it now looks like this could be a much more
significant site than first supposed.

http://snipr.com/t43sx