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Roman Empire

The Romans invaded and occupied Son Catlar around 123 B.C.E.

Cool Finds

Trove of Roman Weapons Unearthed at Ancient Settlement in Spain

Son Catlar, a Talayotic site on the Balearic Islands, is known for its well-preserved fortifications

Researchers used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to capture photographs of the wreck.

Cool Finds

Ancient Roman Shipwreck Loaded With Wine Amphorae Found Off Sicilian Coast

The vessel dates to the second century B.C.E.

The coffin is adorned with geometric patterns and interlocking ivy leaves.

Cool Finds

Well-Preserved Visigoth Sarcophagus Found at Roman Villa in Spain

Germanic tribes invaded the region following the fall of the Roman Empire

The road appears to have run along a sandy ridge between the northern and southern ends of the lagoon.

Cool Finds

Traces of Submerged Roman Road Found Beneath Venetian Lagoon

New research suggests the Italian city was settled earlier than previously believed

Detail of medieval roll showing England's Henry VIII tilting at a joust in front of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. In the West, chariot racing died out rather quickly, but beginning in the second half of the 11th century, knightly tournaments were the spectacle of medieval Europe.

The Paris Olympics

What the Medieval Olympics Looked Like

The Middle Ages didn’t kill the Games, as international sporting competitions thrived with chariot races and jousts

Known as potins, the 2,000-year-old coins were crafted out of a copper, tin and lead alloy.

Cool Finds

London Rainstorm Reveals Trove of 300 Iron Age Coins

The “once-in-a-lifetime find” includes 2,000-year-old potins featuring stylized images representing Apollo and a charging bull

The sandstone relief is the first of its kind found at Vindolanda, a Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall.

Cool Finds

Rare Carving of Nude Horseman Found at Roman Fort May Depict Mercury or Mars

A pair of amateur archaeologists discovered the sandstone relief at Vindolanda in northern England

The opulent public building dates to between 20 and 30 A.D.

Cool Finds

Palatial, 2,000-Year-Old Public Building Revealed in Jerusalem

The grand structure, which once hosted events near the Temple Mount, will soon open to tourists

The north-facing orientation of the grave suggests it was a pagan burial.

Cool Finds

2,000-Year-Old Sarcophagus Found in England Reveals Roman Burial Practices

A limestone coffin unearthed in Bath contains the remains of two individuals. Possible offerings to the gods were discovered nearby

Officials unveiled the hypogeum—a system of underground tunnels beneath the Colosseum—during a ceremony on Friday.

The Tunnels Beneath Rome’s Colosseum Are Open to the Public for the First Time

The chambers are finally on view after a $29.8 million restoration

Officials posted a video showing the statue's excavation on Twitter.

Cool Finds

Headless Statue of Ancient Woman Discovered in Turkey’s ‘Mother Goddess City’

The 1,800-year-old sculpture dates to Metropolis’ Roman era

Researchers found the charred remains of wooden furniture at the site of the former Astra cinema in Verona.

Cool Finds

‘Miniature Pompeii’ Found Beneath Abandoned Verona Cinema

In the second century A.D., “a calamitous event, in this case a fire, suddenly marked the end of the complex,” notes a statement

A new analysis of a ceramic jar discovered in Athens suggest its owners placed the curse ahead of a lawsuit.

Ancient Athenians Used a Jar Filled With Chicken Bones to Curse Their Enemies

The object’s owners inscribed the names of at least 55 intended victims on its surface

The 2,000-year-old civic building is set to open to the public following an extensive restoration project.

Cool Finds

Enormous Roman Basilica Dated to King Herod’s Reign Revealed in Israel

At its height, the public building boasted opulent marble columns and sculptures

Researchers rarely discover physical evidence of slavery in the Roman Empire.

Shackled Skeleton Reflects Brutal Reality of Slavery in Roman Britain

An enslaved man buried in England between 226 and 427 A.D. was interred with heavy iron fetters and a padlock around his ankles

View of the remarkably well-preserved wall of a Roman-era bath complex—one of many remarkable discoveries recently announced by the University of Cádiz in southeastern Spain

Cool Finds

Sand Dunes Preserved These Roman Baths in Spain for Thousands of Years

Archaeologists found a bathing complex, an intact tomb, medieval pottery and more at sites along the country’s southern shore

Ongoing excavations at the Haydarpaşa Railway Station (pictured here) in Istanbul revealed traces of a third- or fourth-century B.C. monument or mausoleum.

Cool Finds

Ruins of Millennia-Old Monument Unearthed in Turkish ‘City of the Blind’

Archaeologists conducting excavations at an Istanbul train station found traces of an ancient apse, or semicircular recess

“I am not setting out here to rehabilitate Nero as a blameless man,” curator Thorsten Opper says. “But I have come to the conclusion that almost every single thing we think we know about him is wrong.”

Was Emperor Nero Really as Monstrous as History Suggests?

A new exhibition at the British Museum introduces visitors to the man behind the mythical Roman ruler

Though the intaglio dates to the days of Roman Britain (43 to 410 A.D.), the silver seal that holds it was likely made in the 13th or 14th century.

Cool Finds

Silver Medieval Seal Featuring Engraved Roman Gem Unearthed in England

The rare artifact depicts war god Mars and Victoria, the mythological personification of victory

One of the six recovered frescoes depicts a dancing cherub.

Six Stolen Frescoes Returned to Pompeii

Between the 1970s and 2012, looters stole elegant artworks from two villas neighboring the famed ancient settlement

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