Articles tagged as Ancient Rome | Smithsonian Magazine

Spanish Ditch Diggers Unearth 1,300 Pounds of Roman Coins

Workers near Seville, Spain, found a hoard of 19 amphora filled with mint-condition coins from the third and fourth centuries

April 29, 2016

The page of The Consolation of Philosophy once stolen from The Cambridge Songs

Cool Finds

‘Lost’ Medieval Music Performed for the First Time in 1,000 Years

Researchers and musicians at Cambridge reconstruct songs from ‘The Consolation of Philosophy’

April 25, 2016

An artist's rendering of the 3-D Triumphal Arch in London

Using 3-D photos and computer guided stonecutters, researchers recreated the Triumphal Arch destroyed by the terrorist group last year

April 20, 2016

What the villa discovered in Wiltshire, England, would have looked like 1800 years ago

Cool Finds

Massive Roman Villa Found in British Backyard

One of the largest and best-preserved Roman homes ever found in Britain was discovered after a family decided they wanted to play ping-pong in their barn

April 19, 2016

Researchers have found a large deposit of horse manure in the Col de Traversette pass, likely left by the ancient general’s army

April 5, 2016

Can you see it? Some of the Etruscan letters found on a sandstone slab in the Mugello Valley

Cool Finds

2,500-Year-Old Monument Could Help Crack the Mysterious Etruscan Language

Researchers found the inscribed slab near Florence and believe it might hold secrets behind the language of Italy’s pre-Roman culture

March 31, 2016

Ruins of the temple of Baalshamin destroyed by ISIS militants in Palmyra, taken after government forces retook the city.

The “Jewel of the Desert” is out of the hands of people who would see its wonders demolished

March 29, 2016

A charred fragment of one of the Herculaneum Scrolls.

New Research

Metallic Ink Discovered in Ancient Scrolls Buried by Mount Vesuvius

New discovery may help researchers read ancient scrolls

March 24, 2016

A fresco uncovered in a tavern in Pompeii shows patrons playing a game. Similar scenes probably took place in a Roman tavern recently unearthed in Lattara, an ancient port city in southern France

Cool Finds

2,100-Year-Old Roman Tavern Unearthed, Empty Cups and All

The proposed ancient bar and grill in southern France could shed light on the spread of Roman culture

March 14, 2016

The leap year has a long history, stretching all the way back to 46 B.C.E.

February 29, 2016

This fresco would have been the height of fashion among residents of Roman London.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discovered a Roman Fresco Beneath the Streets of London

This ornate, hand-painted wall was once considered to be the height of fashion in Londinium

February 3, 2016

Inside the one of the newly restored houses of Pompeii

The “Grand Pompeii Project” helps to preserve the dwellings

December 29, 2015

The branching routes to Rome, as visualized by a design team

Cool Finds

The Many Roads That Lead to Rome, Visualized

Caveat: not all cities named Rome are in Italy

December 14, 2015

Centurions drink from a fountain near Rome's Coliseum during a heat wave in summer 2014. A recent announcement that centurion reenactors will be banned from the Coliseum during 2016 has led to protests and public outcry.

Trending Today

Rome Just Banned Centurions

Officials stir up controversy by kicking impersonators out of the Colosseum

November 30, 2015

A victorious commander rides in a chariot during a triumphal procession in ancient Rome.

What You Don’t Know About Ancient Rome Could Fill a Book. Mary Beard Wrote That Book

The British historian reveals some surprises about the ancient Roman people and their customs

November 9, 2015

The 1,800-year-old Arch of Triumph was destroyed on Sunday

October 6, 2015

It turns out the now-damaged coffin is actually quite a find

September 8, 2015

Five of the World’s Most Fascinating Topiary Gardens

Whimsical gardens in surprising shapes decorate homes, churches and cemeteries around the world. We’ve rounded up five of the most extraordinary

August 17, 2015

Cool Finds

Have Something Rude to Say? Put it on This 2300-Year Old Statue in Rome

A cardinal started the tradition of decorating this statue with snarky poems and insults

June 25, 2015

A wolf enters the Colosseum via the lift in the hypogeum.

A New Recreation Shows How Ancient Romans Lifted Wild Animals Into the Colosseum

An elaborate system of elevators and trap doors lifted ferocious beasts onto the Colosseum floor

June 16, 2015