Category: bija-knowles - Part 8

Excavating the Tombs of the Etruscan King and Queen at Tarquinia

A new series of excavations is due to begin at the Etruscan necropolis at Tarquinia, 60km north of Rome. The site is home to Etruscan tombs dating from as early as 700 BC many of them painted with lurid frescoes depicting exotic wild animals and scenes of Etruscans dancing, fighting and making love. While the locations of over 150 painted tombs are known (not all open to the public), it is thought that there are more to be discovered. According to reports in the Italian press (such as this one from L’Espresso), the excavations will be coordinated by Anna Maria Moretti superintendent for Archaeological Heritage of Central Etruria and Maria Cataldi, director of the necropolis at Tarquinia.

The work, undertaken by a team from Turin University, will concentrate on the Doganaccia area of the necropolis , which dates from the seventh century BC. This is where two large tumuli thought to be of great importance were discovered last century. They are assumed to have been the tombs of two powerful figures and, accordingly, have been named the Tombs of the King and Queen. Work will start before the end of August and is scheduled to last one month.

Unlike many of the tombs open to the public at the necropolis, the tombs of the King and Queen pre-date the era when fresco paintings were used. Their bare walls were partially carved out of the bedrock of the necropolis and there is a small sacred area in front off the tomb of the Queen, where commemorative rituals may have been performed. The team of archaeologists will prepare the two tombs to be opened to the public some time in 2010.

Photo by Etrvsco.

Statue of Augustus Pulled from German River

Fragments of a bronze statue of the Roman emperor Augustus on horseback only the second known equestrian statue of Augustus in existence – have been found in a river near the German town of Giessen, about 40km north of Frankfurt-am-Main. The statue is thought to date back 2,000 years and the discovery has been announced by the science ministry of Hessen state.

According to a statement from the science ministry, reported in The Local, this is the most well preserved Roman artefact of quality to be found in Germany to date.

The discovery took place on August 12, when a team of archaeologists and scientists from the University of Jena lifted a life-sized gilded horse’s head and the emperor’s bronze shoe from a stream. This is part of an ongoing excavation at the site, which was once a Roman outpost in region of Germania Magna. As many as 20,000 artefacts have so far been found at the site.

Augustus ruled as Rome’s first emperor between 27 BC and 14 AD and was in the last five years of his rule (aged 72) when the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, which took place near Osnabrck in northern Germany, killed over 20,000 Roman soldiers from three Roman legions. The battle was a devastating blow for the Roman army in 9 AD and is thought to have been a pivotal event that deterred Roman expansion into Germanic areas of northern Europe. A century later the Romans kept their northern border close to the Rhine and the Danube and few inroads were made northwards.

Experts from the University of Jena have surmised that the statue may have been destroyed by Roman soldiers who were retreating from the scene of the Teutoburg battle they would have destroyed everything that they could not take with them as they withdrew from that area.

For more photos of the discovery, go to this page at Germany’s Spiegel Online.

Photos by the science ministry of Hessen and Jrgen Bahlo (RGK/DAI).

Excavations at Caistor to Shed Light on Aftermath of Boudica’s Revolt

Caistor St Edmund is a sleepy village in the Norfolk countryside with no more than 300 or so villagers. Not the kind of place you expect to find the provincial centre of some of the most aggressive and violent Celts to have fought the Romans in ancient Britain. But archaeologists are convinced that beneath the small village and its surrounding fields, to the south of Norwich, lie the ruins of the Roman town of Venta Icenorum, established in Iceni territory in the aftermath of Boudica‘s famous rebellion against the Roman governor in 60-61 AD. The Roman town was in fact built on top of the Celtic settlement.

One of the key aspects of the site at Caistor St Edmund is that after the ninth century AD it was abandoned in favour of Norwich, at which point it reverted to green fields. This means it offers an exciting excavation opportunity, as it is not covered by a modern town – unlike many other Roman towns in Britain.

Caistor is one of the most important but least understood sites of Roman Britain. To have the opportunity to excavate here is the chance of a lifetime

The project hopes to establish whether the Roman town was built on the site of an Iceni stronghold as punishment following Boudica’s revolt, or if it was built on the settlement of an Iceni faction that did not support the rebellion.

The site was first excavated in 1929 after lines suggesting buried structures were seen in aerial photos of barley fields. A more recent geophysical survey, which used a Caesium Vapour magnetometer, has shown that there are even prehistoric remains beneath the town dating from the Iron Age. The survey, carried out in 2007, also produced clear images of Roman Caistor, including a street plan, the network of water supplies and several public buildings, including public baths.

The new archaeological project, which the public can visit free of charge between 29 August and 19 September, will explore the pre-Roman structures found in the geophysical survey. The lead archaeologist on the project is Dr Will Bowden, associate professor of Roman archaeology at the University of Nottingham. He told the BBC: “Caistor is one of the most important but least understood sites of Roman Britain. To have the opportunity to excavate here is the chance of a lifetime.”

Keep updated with the Caistor project by reading their blog here.

Photos by Steve Punter and Mike Page.

Will Italian Caves Reveal the Secrets of Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyles?

Subsistence Habits of Prehistoric Man

A team of archaeologists is hoping to find out how prehistoric man survived in central Italy at the end of the last ice age. The researchers are about to set out on a study tour of 10 different locations throughout Italy where they hope to find clues to the lifestyles and habits of early hunter-gatherer humans between 18,000 BC and around 6,000 BC.

Until now their hunting and travelling patterns have been in question with two contradictory theories about how the hunter-gatherers would have got their food in an era of extreme environmental change before humans began farming.

Conflicting Theories

One theory claims that the palaeolithic societies would have relied on a wide variety of local food sources, including small animals such as fish, which would have meant they had no need for much travel or seasonal migration. The other theory sets out the idea that the pre-agricultural society would have depended on seasonal food sources with humans moving periodically between uplands and lowlands or following herds (such as deer) over long distances.

Dr Randy Donahue, senior lecturer in archaeology and anthropology at the University of Bradford, is the principal investigator on the research project and he is intending to test some of the hypotheses using advanced techniques such as high precision dating with stable isotope analyses.

He explained that so far the pilot study has shown that an obvious source of food for prehistoric man large herbivores is unlikely to migrate over long distances. This suggests that humans were also unlikely to have travelled far following a herd of animals. Dr Donahue said: They could be moving long distances seasonally simply to be where animals and plants may be found in large quantities. Or they could be relatively sedentary and sending hunting parties out (long distances if necessary) to bring back game. However he adds: There does seem to be quite a bit of small game being exploited so they may be becoming more focused on regional resources.

Map to show Caves across Italy.

Ten Italian Caves to be Expolored

The Italian universities of Pisa, Florence, Rome (La Sapienza) and Siena, plus the British universities of Oxford and Royal Holloway are also collaborating on the project, as well as the Pigorini Museum, the Max Planck Institute and the British National Isotope Geosciences Laboratory. The team will investigate 10 archaeological caves, most of them in southern Italy. They will be analysing animal bones found in the caves as well as human tools to try to establish the hunting habits of humans. The caves to be excavated are:

Grotta Cavallo (Puglia)

  • Grotta Paglicci (Puglia)
  • Grotta della Madonna (Calabria)
  • Grotta Romito (Calabria)
  • Grotta della Cala (Camerota)
  • Grotta della Serratura (Camerota)
  • Grotta Continenza (Abruzzo)
  • Grotta del Pozzo (Abruzzo)
  • Grotta di Settecannelle (Lazio)
  • Grotta di Vado all’ Arancio (Toscana)

Photo and map by Dr Randolph Donahue.

Cypriot Cave Suggests Humans Hunted the Pygmy Hippo to Extinction

A cave containing the bones of hundreds of pygmy hippos has turned a long-held belief about the fate of these miniature creatures on its head. The cave is at the site of Akrotiri-Aetokremnos, on the southern tip of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus and archaeologists in the past have generally accepted the idea that the pygmy hippo must have died out before neolithic man first set foot on the island in around 10,000 BC.

However, a team of experts who excavated the site has strong evidence to suggest otherwise. They argue that the animal bones are from the same era as human tools also found at the cave and that this suggests that pygmy hippos were living on Cyprus about 12,000 years ago, along with the first humans to set foot on the island. The implication is that the pygmy hippos didn’t survive for long after the appearance of man, who may have hunted them to extinction on the island.

The cave at Akrotiri-Aetokremnos, half way down a cliff face overlooking the sea, contained both the pygmy bones as well as chipped stone blades, which is the first time that these animals have been associated with humans on Cyprus. This summer, some 19 years after the site’s first excavation, the archaeologists involved returned to Cyprus to remove the remaining parts of the archaeological area that is being lost due to coastal erosion.

Alan Simmons, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was one of the original archaeologists who excavated the site between 1987-1990 and he later wrote a book on the subject of the ‘pygmy hippopotamus hunters of Cyprus’. He told Heritage Key that he got a permit to excavate the site in 1987 and the findings made by his team led them to the conclusion that the pygmy hippopotamus did not die out before man first found its way to the island.

The site at Akrotiri-Aetokremnos contained the remains of at least 500 individual pygmy hippos as well as the remains of other animals, including three dwarf elephants and some large birds. It establishes a human presence on Cyprus during the 11th millennium BC, which makes it one of the earliest inhabited Mediterranean islands. The findings at the site also question the belief that an island such as Cyprus could not support a hunter-gatherer culture.

The site was initially discovered by amateurs according to this report by Reuters, an 11-year-old British schoolboy first came across the site in 1961. The bones found at the excavation site are now displayed in the Limassol District Archaeological Museum and the national museum in Nicosia.

According to Simmons, the former use of the site is ‘somewhat controversial’. He says: Some do not believe that the bones and people were associated, but we argue that they were, and the use was essentially a processing site, with some of the animals consumed on-site as well.

While the pygmy hippo’s fate was sealed on Cyprus, the small pig-sized creature has fared only a little better elsewhere it still exists in the swampy marshlands of western Africa, in particular Liberia, but it is an endangered species.

Photos by Alan H. Simmons and RC_Fotos.

Digging Begins Near Istanbul: ‘Minaret in the Lake’ Turns out to be Ancient Lighthouse of Bathonea

A team of international archaeologists have begun to investigate the existence of a Roman town partially submerged in a lake 20km outside stanbul. The excavation has started at Lake Kkekmece, a small inlet west of Turkey’s largest city, which is now believed to be the location of the ancient city of Bathonea.

Little is known about Bathonea, but the site is thought to have been inhabited by humans for many millennia before it became a Greek settlement, which the Romans then built upon as they expanded their empire eastwards. It is near to the Yarmburgaz cave, which is already known to have been a refuge for neolithic humans.

Dr. engl Aydngn, head of prehistory at the archaeology department of Kocaeli University, is leading the project to uncover more of Bathonea and she believes that it could take many years to complete. While Aydngn’s initial interest in the area was due to the historical Yarmburgaz cave, she says that local people also believed that there was a minaret submerged in Lake Kkekmece.

local people told us that when they were children they used to swim out to the building in the middle of the lake

Surveys have found that the ‘minaret’ could in fact have been the ancient city’s lighthouse which would make this only the third Roman lighthouse known in the eastern Mediterranean after those of Alexandria and Patara. An aerial survey also revealed a grid system of roads.

While Lake Kkekmece is now almost closed off from the Sea of Marmara (there is a small channel where boats can get in and out), experts believe it once had a far wider opening to the sea, giving it access to trade, while providing a sheltered harbour that could have contained more than 40 ships.

As well as the Classical-era site, an amazing collection of flintstones has also been found 500m from the site of Bathonea. These are from the neolithic age and suggest that the area west of modern-day Istanbul could be one of the earliest farming communities in Europe, according to a press release put out by one of the universities involved in the current excavation.

I asked Dr. engl Aydngn what she and her team* of international archaeologists are expecting to find on the excavation.

BK: Are you expecting to find a Roman city, or do you think it might have earlier origins?

SA: This question needs some knowledge of our survey in the area in general and the peninsula in particular. It is too early to be conclusive, but after three years of surveying and the previous research done on the nearby prehistoric cave of Yarimburgaz, we are pretty sure that humans (homo-erectus) occupied the area from 800,000 BC. Just a single kilometre away from the harbour of Bathonea we have collected pre-pottery neolithic (PPN) naviform tools and cores, made in neolithic potteries 2 km away. We are sure that humans, at least the homo-sapiens, occupied the area for the past 15 millenniums. It is normal to assume that the Roman city was built on an earlier Greek one, which was built on older settlements.

BK: What was the importance of Bathonea during late Roman/early Byzantine times? Being so close to Constantinople, was it important to trade, religion or power, or was it simply a suburb providing supplies to the city?

SA: We have just begun the excavations and surveys so it is way too early to say anything with any certainty. There is much to discover there, but we have an assumption which will be tested with our future findings. What is evident is that Bathonea is situated on a perfect landscape with ample fresh water, fantastic forests, a very good inner harbour and at the crossroads of Asia and Europe. On the other hand Constantinople geographically was at the lands end with hardly any drinking water. So one opinion is that, while the Pax-Romana was the norm, nobody would build an important city in Constantinople. The City (with a capital C) has to be Bathonea.

But the location had an important defect: it was difficult to defend. Once the power of the Roman empire waned, the area proved to be too vulnerable to barbarian attacks. And the early Byzantines [during the time of Constantine I in 310 AD] were forced to move their City to Constantinople, built in a place which could be defended easily with a single stretch of wall. But they had to build the biggest water systems of the ancient times with 282 km of aqueducts and huge cisterns which are still visited with awe by the tourists today.

A second opinion is that Bathonea was an ancient Greek city with grid plan which then grew in Roman times until the sixth century AD. According to ancient sources there was a big earthquake in 557 AD in stanbul. The earthquake destroyed the districts around Kkekmece Lake reducing buildings to their foundations. Our geologists surmise that might the lagoons mouth may have been covered after this event, closing Bathonea off from the sea trade. This is a possible way in which the city could have been abandoned.

BK: How did you become aware of the excavation area? Are reports of a minaret visible in the lake true and was this a starting point?

SA: In 2007, I got permission for an archaeological survey for the western side of Istanbul. The famous Yarimburgaz cave was nearby and its prehistoric occupants used it as a base for hunting and took advantage of the favourable geography. So it was the most logical place to start the survey. During this first season the area proved to be much more that our wildest expectations. While the season was ending we were already aware of PPN findings, very old stone tools (400,000 years?) and much of the harbours initial walls. In the 2008 season the survey focused more on the tip of the peninsula and we carried out a number of geophysical studies which supplied further architectural evidence.

In 2008 a team also carried out an ethno-archaeological survey, talking with the elders of the villages. A visible minaret was always one of the talking points and there was really something visible in the middle of the lake. Some local people told us that when they were children they used to swim out to the building in the middle of the lake and there were marble stares that they used to sit on.

Our underwater team headed by Hakan niz, from the East Mediterranean University, searched the ‘minaret’ and found a possible break water and the layout of two different square shaped buildings from two different periods in the water. We are pretty sure that they are the remains of a lighthouse at the entrance of the harbour. It seems that there was much more at the site as late as the beginning of the twentieth century. It is the third discovered ancient lighthouse till now after Alexandria and Patara.

BK: Do you think this site may emerge to be of a similar size to Ephesus, for example?

SA: We know that the initial findings are scattered over a very wide area. The lakes east coast is also full of remains, and there are still kilometres (more than 10.5km) of ancient walls along the shores. However, Bathonea was built on a geography quite different to that of ancient Ephesus and they are not at all comparable.

BK: Is the site of Bathonea linked to any historical figures or mentioned in historical texts?

SA: Yes there are some mentions of Bathonea in historical texts. We dont know yet of any important historical figures. However, there are a number of ordinary people known from Bathonea. There are some inscribed sarcophagi and marble inscriptions at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.

* Dr. engl Aydngn is working with an international team of experts including universities from Turkey, Cyprus, England, the Netherlands, France, the Czech Republic and Germany. Also working on the excavation are:

The project is supported by the municipalities of Kkekmece, Avclar and Silivri.

All photos courtesy of Dr. engl Aydngn.

Unique Roman Villa Uncovered at the City of David

A third-century AD house from the Roman period has been uncovered at excavations in the City of David in Jerusalem. The building covers about 1,000 square metres and has emerged during a dig that is being carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

Dr Doron Ben-Ami is the excavation director on behalf of the IAA, and he believes that the house was centred on a large open courtyard encircled by columns. He said: Galleries were spread out between the rows of columns and the rooms that flanked the courtyard. The wings of the building rose to a height of two stories and were covered with tile roofs.

There is evidence to show that the Roman villa was destroyed in an earthquake in 363 AD. Its walls have fallen in and the excavation area is piled high with fallen stone masonry from the first and second floors of the house, as well as evidence of frescoes painted with floral and geometric motifs. To date a pearl and emerald earring and a marble statue head have been unearthed at the excavation site.

According to Dr. Ben-Ami, this house has a unique design which has not been seen in other places in Israel. He says: We know of no other buildings from the Roman period that were discovered in Israel which have a similar plan to that of the building from the City of David. The closest contemporary parallels to this structure are located in sites of the second-fourth century CE that were excavated in Syria. Edifices such as these are ‘urban mansions’ from the Roman period that were discovered in Antioch, Apamea and Palmyra. If this parallel is correct, then in spite of its size and opulence, it seems that this building was used originally as a private residence.

The discovery also turns on its head the belief currently held by many scholars that the City of David hill lay outside the Roman settlement during the third and fourth centuries AD. The Israel Antiquities Authority describes the discovery as extremely important archaeological evidence which shows that the growth of the settlement extended further south than previously thought during the period of Roman control, during which Jerusalem was known as Aelia Capitolina.

Photos courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Du Pain, Du Vin, Du Colosseum: Inside France’s ‘Roman Triangle’

If you were planning on including a bit of Roman heritage in your Summer travel plans, then it’s worth bearing in mind that you don’t have to make the trip all the way to Rome to see something as impressive as the Colosseum. South eastern France was annexed by the Romans as early as 125 BC and the region is rich with a wide variety of monuments dating from the empire that brought it aqueducts, villas, wine and roads more than 2,000 years ago. Here is a look at some of the main Roman heritage sites to discover in the region, most of them within a triangle formed by the three towns of Orange, Nmes and Arles, although the area of Lyon to the north is also rich in Roman culture.

Arles

Arles, in Bouche-du-Rhne dpartement, was founded by Greeks in the sixth century BC and became a Roman colony under Julius Caesar in 46 BC. It was also named the ‘second capital’ of the empire under Constantine I in 306 AD. Its Roman heritage therefore spans several centuries and includes the following UNESCO World Heritage monuments:

Thtre Antique this Roman theatre was built in the first century AD and is still an impressive site, although the top layer of stones are now missing. It was finished in the third century AD but during the Middle Ages much of the stone was removed and used in other buildings in the town, although enough of the theatre remains to be able to hold plays and concerts there during the summer.

Arnes – The amphitheatre also dates from the first century AD and is still largely intact it was once one of the largest amphitheatres in ancient Gaul.

Cryptoporticus This is an underground vaulted cloister that supported the esplanade around the Forum. It dates from 40 BC and, along with the amphitheatre and theatre, forms part of the Unesco sites of Arles.

Alyscamps This was an early Christian burial ground, also known as the Elysian Fields, and was the cemetery for the well-heeled of Arles and the surrounding area for 1,500 years. Van Gogh and Gauguin painted there in 1888.

Baths of Constantine These were built in the early fourth century and, although they were originally a large complex, just a few rooms remain.

Two museums are worth a visit from an archaeological and heritage point of view. They are Muse Dpartemental de lArles Antique, which holds a broad collection ranging from prehistory to late antiquity, including a display of local sarcophagi. It also displays a bust of Caesar, discovered in 2007 in the Rhne river, and the subject of an upcoming exhibition starting in October. An impressive collection of sarcophagi from the Alyscamps can also be seen in the Muse d’Art Chrtien (Museum of Christian Art).

The Roman Festival of Arles puts on free theatrical performances at the museum during the last week of August. Other Roman events will take place throughout Arles in the Summer months including Olympic games, gladiator fights and chariot races. This web site provides more information as well as some very bizarre video footage (can someone, maybe a French speaker, explain to me what on earth is going on with the Roman goat in the top clip??).

But heritage isn’t restricted just to the museums and monuments at Arles. Visit Htel dArlatan, which has several Roman structures incorporated into the 15th century building, including ancient baths, an Augustan statue pedestal and part of a Roman basilica.

Around Arles

There are also several Roman sites in the countryside surrounding Arles. One of them is 15 miles east of Arles to the south the small town of St-Rmy-de-Provence. This is the site of the Roman town of Glanum and the main visible features today are a triumphal arch and a well preserved 60-foot mausoleum built by the Julii family to their ancestors. Both monuments date from the early empire. St-Rmy-de-Provence is also the birthplace of Nostradamus. The Muse Archologique in the Htel de Sade is also well worth a visit.

Driving for 10 km west of St-Rmy-de-Provence, you’ll come to another site steeped in Roman heritage this time a winery. The Mas des Tourelles vineyard in Beaucaire is the archaeological site of a Roman villa and today produces three types of wine according to Roman recipes, as described in ancient texts by Pliny the Elder, Lucius Columelle and Palladius. One of these is Mulsum, which is made by adding honey and spices and herbs such as thyme, pepper and cinnamon to the fermenting process.

Orange

Roman Theatre of Orange – Orange in the Rhne valley is famous for its Roman theatre, a Unesco World Heritage site. It was built during the reign of Augustus in the first century AD and has a faade 103m long. The theatre is the best preserved of its kind in the western world and still hosts Roman-themed festivals, as well as music concerts, films and other events. This 12-13 September, the theatre will be filled with gladiators, Roman citizens and legionaries in a weekend-long festival giving a glimpse of Roman culture and cuisine. The theatre is also home to France’s oldest festival, the Chorgies d’Orange, which has put on opera shows each July and August since 1860.

Triumphal Arch of Orange – A triumphal arch built between 10 and 25 AD is also part of the Unesco site at Orange. According to Unesco, it is one of the most beautiful and interesting surviving examples of a provincial triumphal arch from the reign of Augustus. The low-relief decorations commemorate the Pax Romana, the era of (relative) peace under Augustus and the policy of moderation.

Vaison-la-Romaine this small town of about 6,000 inhabitants near Orange is divided into the upper medieval town built on top of a rocky promontory, and the modern town on the opposite bank of the river Ouvze. It is in the middle of the modern town that the the ruins of a provincial Roman town can be found. Originally the capital of the Celtic Vocontii tribe, it became annexed to Rome in 125-118 BC and eventually became one of the richest cities in Gallia Narbonensis. The main Roman sites today are the first-century Roman bridge, a theatre, several Roman houses including the Peacock villa, as well as an archaeological museum.

The town is also an active cultural centre hosting numerous events for example this festival of Gallo-Roman crafts taking place throughout the summer months.

Nmes

Nmes was a Roman colony by the time of Julius Caesar, who gave property in the town to some of his legionaries retiring from their service in Egypt. However, its origins go back much further to prehistory. It was built on the Domitian road, which connected Italy to Spain and is now famous for its arena and Roman temple both of which are extraordinarily well preserved.

The Amphithtre Romain this arena in Nmes is, apparently, the best-preserved of its kind and was built during the reign of Augustus in the first century AD. It’s a miniature version of Rome’s Colosseum, with two layers each with 60 arches. It is still used for modern events including concerts and the screening of a film showing Roman life and games. Bull fights are also staged in the arena, and in September it is host to a Grape Harvest Fair.

Maison Carre this temple stands at the heart of Nmes in the Place de la Comdie, and was modelled on the Temple of Apollo in Rome. It is one of the best-preserved Roman temples of this size in Europe and the interior is still used for exhibitions.

Pont du Gard– North east of Nmes the Pont du Gard aqueduct is still visible, with its three layers of arches which carried water from Uzs to Nmes. It is one of the most spectacular of the region’s Roman monuments all the more amazing because its enormous stones fit together without mortar. It was built in the first century AD and, according to Unesco, is considered a technical as well as an artistic masterpiece, using gravity to transport up to 20,000 cubic metres of water to Nmes each day.

the region is rich with a wide variety of monuments dating from the empire that brought it aqueducts, villas, wine and roads more than 2,000 years ago

Lyon

Named Lugdunum by the Romans, and founded by one of Julius Caesar’s officers, Lucius Munatius Plancus, Lyon eventually became the administrative centre and capital of the three provinces of Gaul (Lugdunensis, Belgica, and Aquitania). Its historical monuments are designated Unesco sites and the Muse de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine also holds a wide collection of archaeological objects from the region. Its main sites are:

Amphithtre des Trois Gaules built in 19 BC and was the meeting point of Gallic tribes in pre-Roman times. Christian martyrs were thrown to the lions for the first time here in 177 AD and traditions holds that both lions and a bull refused to attack one martyr, Saint Blandine. Roman soldiers had less respect for the saintly woman and quickly finished the job that the wild animals refrained from doing.

Thtres Romains de Fourvire this is a complex in a park south of the basilica in Lyon, containing a France’s oldest Roman theatre, built during the rule of August in 17-15 BC. The site also includes an odeum, for musical concerts, and a temple built in 160 AD dedicated to Cybele. Both this site and the Amphitheatre are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Lyon.

Vienne – About 20 km south of Lyon, near the small town of Saint-Romain-en-Gal, there is another Roman site. Vienne has its own museum and is an live archaeological site where villas, streets, baths and potters’ kilns have all emerged. It was once a thriving Roman city, which prospered due to its trade position in the Rhne valley.

Photos by esprit; Sean Munson; ktee1026.

A Cooler, Wetter Way to Enjoy Roman Ruins This Summer

This recent entry on Blogging Pompeii is a good reminder that tramping around a dusty, dry forum or the streets of Pompeii under a hot mid-day sun is not the only way to get to see a bit of history this summer. How about visiting some Roman ruins in a rather cooler, shadier location but you’ll need your snorkelling mask and flippers.

Naples is full of tourists at this time of year – most of them head to the crowd magnets of Pompeii, Herculaneum, the historical centre of Naples with its museum and the island of Capri. But to the west of Naples there is an area that attracts significantly fewer visitors – despite its wealth of Roman ruins. Part of the reason is that the archaeological sites on the Phlegraean Fields are mainly underwater. In fact a lot of the interesting archaeological activity in the area goes on out of site – below the waves. There are up to 24 scuba diving locations in the Bay of Naples, and the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baiae in the area of the Phlegraean Fields offers seven underwater sites where Roman villas, pillars, a port and thermal baths can be seen. For example there is Portus Julius, which now lies at a depth of 3-5m underwater. It was built in 37 BC during the civil war between Pompey and Octavian. Structural ruins and several mosaics can be seen today.

Other sites include:

Snorkelling, scuba diving and, for the less water-confident, a glass bottomed boat are all ways of getting to see some of these Roman ruins
  • Secca delle fumose several underwater pillars at a depth of about 12m, with some fumaroles, where volcanic gas is released from the ground.
  • Villa dei Pisoni built in the first century BC and inhabited by the Piso family, who later staged a protest again Nero. Today the garden area and thermal baths are visible.
  • Villa Protiro one of Baia’s most impressive villas. Some well-preserved black and white Roman mosaics are visible.
  • Villa antistante il castello Aragonese another underwater villa, with arcades and a fish-breeding pool.
  • Villa marittima di marina grande again, this villa’s remains are still visible under the sea.
  • Torre del faro di Miseno several 18m high columns of stone covered in reticulated brickwork.

This video on Youtube shows some of the mosaics on offer to the adventure tourist:

The Phlegraean Fields (Phlegraean meaning burning in Greek), is a caldera 13km wide, just west of Naples, which was declared a regional park in 2003. The Underwater Archaeological Park of Baiae is part of this area, which is all subject to the natural phenomena known as bradyseism meaning that, due to volcanic activity, land either subsides (negative bradyseism) or is raised (positive bradyseism) over time. The once prosperous Roman towns of Baia, Miseno and Puteoli (now Pozzuoli) were all built on the caldera that subsequently subsided, leaving them all under several metres of water.

Snorkelling, scuba diving and, for the less water-confident, a glass bottomed boat are all ways of getting to see some of these Roman ruins. Guided tours with equipment provided can all be arranged through the Napoli Diving Centre for as little as 30 euros, while other heritage locations nearby include the Park of Gaiola, where you can dive to visit another submerged Roman villa.

Rare Altar to Eastern God Emerges at Vindolanda

A rare find has emerged at the excavation of Vindolanda: a stone altar dedicated to an eastern god, Jupiter of Doliche. The third-century AD altar forms part of a ‘unique religious shrine’, which was uncovered near the north gate of the fort last month. Vindolanda is a former Roman fort and garrison, forming part of the heritage site of Hadrian’s Wall, running from Carlysle to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north of England.

The altar, weighing about 1.5 tons, was dedicated by a prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls. The words are inscribed on the altar are:

I.O.M.
Dolocheno
Sulpicius Pu
dens praef
coh IIII Gall
V. S. L. M.

Which means: “To Jupiter Best and Greatest of Doliche, Sulpicius Pudens, prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls, fulfilled his vow gladly and deservedly”.

The altar is decorated with a fine relief on one side showing Jupiter of Doliche standing on a bull holding a thunderbolt and an axe. Another side is engraved with a traditional jug and patera. The god Jupiter of Doliche was associated with the Roman god Jupiter, and was worshipped as a cult in what was, from 162 BC, the kingdom of Commagene in the area of modern southern Turkey. However, the god was often worshipped by Roman troops as well, who regarded the him as omnipotent.

Jupiter of Doliche actually has his origins as an ancient weather god, known as Hadad to the Semitic peoples of the Middle East and as Teshab to the Hittites. The original cult centre was on a hilltop close to the small town of Doliche (the modern Dlk in southern Turkey).

According to Andrew Birley, the director of excavations at Vindolanda, major altars like this are very rare finds. He says: To discover such a shrine inside the fort is highly unusual. The shrine also has evidence of animal sacrifice and possible religious feasting. It all adds to the excitement of the excavations and is a once in a lifetime experience for most excavators.”

Birley adds that: “An unusual feature of the new altar is that it was found inside the fort, in what may be a small shrine built close to the fort wall. Most altars and shrines were placed outside.”

The most important discovery at the site of Vindolanda to date has been the Vindolanda Tablets, the earliest preserved form of writing known in British history. They are a set of letters, documents and accounts written on wooden sheets, dating from around 90-120 AD.