Oct 15th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
A stretch of Hadrian's Wall, the famous fortification in northern England that for centuries marked the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire, has been repaired.
After 2,000 years, parts of the fortification meant to keep out northern barbarians are in pretty bad shape. People have stolen stones over the past several centuries and you can see parts of the wall in local farmhouses and ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
romanempire posts
Historic stretch of Hadrian's Wall repaired
Oct 15th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
A stretch of Hadrian's Wall, the famous fortification in northern England that for centuries marked the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire, has been repaired.
After 2,000 years, parts of the fortification meant to keep out northern barbarians are in pretty bad shape. People have stolen stones over the past several centuries and you can see parts of the wall in local farmhouses and ...New exhibit sheds light on Antonine Wall, the Roman Empire's northernmost border
Sep 22nd, 2011 at 11:30AM: There's not much left of it now, just a deep swale in the earth and a few stones jutting out of the grass. Almost two thousand years ago, though, it was the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire.
The Antonine Wall protected a narrow part of Scotland between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, from the 140s to 160s AD. After the Emperor Hadrian built Hadrian's Wall across what is now ...Excavations at ancient city of Perge in Turkey celebrate 65 years
Sep 12th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
Archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Perge in southern Turkey have reached their 65th year, the Hürriyet Daily News reports. This makes them the longest-running excavations in a country with a wealth of ancient sites.
Perge (aka Perga) is in Turkey's Antalya province and was founded 3,500 years ago by the Hittites. It became a prosperous Greek colony like Ephesus and ...Roman shipwreck found off Albanian coast
Aug 19th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
An underwater archaeological survey has turned up a Roman shipwreck off the coast of Albania.
As the above video shows, the remains of the ship are now little more than a heap of amphorae, the characteristic pots the Romans used to transport wine. The team hasn't had a chance to excavate the site yet, so more finds may lie hidden beneath the bottom of the sea.
The archaeologists estimate ...
Historic toilets of the world
Aug 8th, 2011 at 10:12AM: When my family and I went to Aberystwyth in Wales last month, we visited the Ceredigion County Museum and saw an amusing exhibition called At Your Convenience all about historic toilets. The hardworking curators had amassed an impressive collection privies, commodes, chamber pots, early flush toilets, even an entire outhouse.
Needless to say, my five-year-old son loved this. Imagine, getting to ...Apostle Philip's tomb found in Turkey? Maybe not
Jul 28th, 2011 at 7:30AM: The news wires are humming with yet another spectacular archaeological discovery, this time of the tomb of the Apostle Philip.
St. Philip was one of Christ's twelve apostles and is said to have been martyred and buried in Hierapolis, now Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey. The city was an ancient spa town owing to the local hot springs and also a center for pagan temples. St. Philip is said to ...Madrid day trip: Segovia
Jul 18th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Madrid offers a wide range of interesting day trips, from a Renaissance castle and Spanish Civil War bunker to challenging hikes. My personal favorite is the ancient town of Segovia just on the other side of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains. With a beautiful cathedral and castle, one of the best preserved Roman aqueducts anywhere, winding medieval streets, and delicious cuisine, it's a great ...Archaeologists explore "Pompeiis" in Bulgaria and El Salvador
Jul 10th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
Pompeii is an archaeological wonder, an entire Roman town preserved by a volcanic eruption. Now archaeologists are investigating two other "Pompeiis" to learn more about the past.
In El Salvador, a team has discovered a village dating to c. 630 AD that was covered in volcanic ash. Joya de Ceren was sealed up so well that archaeologists have been able to examine corn cobs, the logs used to ...Crucifixion nails found in Israel? Probably not.
Apr 16th, 2011 at 11:30AM: There's been a shocking archaeological discovery in Israel. Nails from the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ have been found!
Well, no, probably not.
The claim comes from Israeli Canadian documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, the Washington Post reports. Jacobovici has done several documentaries on Christian subjects and came across an archaeological report from 1990 mentioning the discovery of ...Tod's shoe company to restore Rome's Colosseum
Jan 23rd, 2011 at 11:00AM: The Colosseum in Rome will get some much-needed repairs thanks to the sponsorship of Tod's, an Italian luxury shoe manufacturer, the BBC reports.
The restoration will cost about 25 million euros ($34 million). The iconic gladiator arena is right next to a busy road in a polluted city, and a subway line runs close by. Many stones have shifted and require bracing, and the whole things needs a ...Caligula's tomb discovered? Probably not
Jan 19th, 2011 at 8:30AM: The newswires are on fire with a remarkable discovery--the tomb of the infamous Roman emperor Caligula has been discovered near Rome.
The Guardian reports that Italian police caught a man loading a Roman statue onto the back of a truck at Lake Nemi, where Caligula had a palace. They arrested him and when they examined the statue were amazed to see that the man it depicted wore caligae, a type ...Top five castles of Extremadura, Spain
Jan 10th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Spain is one of the best countries in the world to see castles. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Iberian peninsula was split between various Christian states and the Moors, Muslim invaders from North Africa. These factions fought and traded with each other in a constantly changing network of political alliances. Leaders protected their domains with castles and walled cities. One of the hot ...The Visigoths: Spain's forgotten conquerors
Dec 31st, 2010 at 2:30PM: When most people think of the fall of the Roman Empire, they think of hordes of howling barbarians swarming over the frontier and laying waste to civilization. That's only partially true. In reality, many tribes were invited, and even those that weren't came with their families not just to conquer, but to settle. This is why historians prefer the term "Migration Period". And although these tribes ...Exploring ancient Rome in Mérida, Spain
Dec 28th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
It's Christmas. What do you get an avid traveler who used to be an archaeologist?
For my wife the answer is obvious--a trip to a Roman city!
So here we are in Mérida, capital of the province of Extremadura in Spain, not far from the Portuguese border. In Roman times it was called Emerita Augusta and was capital of the province of Lusitania. This province took up most of the western ...UNESCO studies Pompeii troubles
Dec 4th, 2010 at 12:00PM:
A UNESCO team has arrived at Pompeii to investigate the recent collapses of ancient walls and buildings, All Headline News reports.
Two Roman walls collapsed earlier this week, and in November the House of Gladiators fell down. Authorities blame heavy rains but there's a growing controversy over the lack of maintenance at the site.
The Roman city was buried in ash during an eruption of Mt. ...Controversy rages as Pompeii continues to crumble
Dec 2nd, 2010 at 12:00PM: More bad news from Pompeii. The famous Roman city, preserved by volcanic ash from an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, is starting to fall apart.
The BBC reports that two ancient walls have fallen down this week in separate parts of the city.
Officials say the problems are due to heavy rainfall, but the site has been underfunded for years. A recent cash injection was so badly managed that ...House of Gladiators in Pompeii collapses
Nov 8th, 2010 at 1:30PM:
Italian Archaeologists are enraged at Saturday's collapse of the House of Gladiators in Pompeii. The 40 ft. wide structure had recently undergone reconstruction work on its roof, which might have contributed to its total collapse during heavy rains early on Saturday morning. An even greater culprit may turn out to be the Italian Arts Ministry. The ministry's secretary general, Roberto Cecchi, ...York: capital of England's north
Oct 19th, 2010 at 3:30PM: So far my journey through Yorkshire has been one of small towns and moorlands, yet the most popular destination in Yorkshire is the city that gives the shire its name--York. No trip to the north of England would be complete without checking out this historic city.
A brief look at York's long history
Like many English cities, York's origins are lost in prehistory. It's first recorded in the ...Roman ruins in Turkey to be flooded by dam project
Oct 15th, 2010 at 9:00AM: One of the most important Roman archaeological sites in Turkey will soon be underwater.
The Roman spa town of Allianoi will be submerged beneath a reservoir once the nearby Yortanli dam becomes operational. The town was built in the second century AD near Bergama (ancient Pergamon) and has remained remarkably preserved. Archaeologists have uncovered baths, sculptures, artifacts, and elaborate ...The death of paganism: how the Roman Empire converted to Christianity
Sep 21st, 2010 at 10:00AM:
In the year 300 AD, Christianity was a minority religion in the Roman Empire, practiced by perhaps ten percent of the population. In good years it was discriminated against; in bad years it was persecuted. By 400 AD, a century later, it had become the official religion practiced by pretty much everyone. Evidence of this remarkable transformation can still be seen in Rome's monuments.
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