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Roman Empire

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

This 1822 painting by John Martin envisions the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. New research suggests a skeleton found in Herculaneum, a seaside town neighboring Pompeii, belonged to a Roman soldier sent to rescue victims from the volcano.

Cool Finds

Vesuvius Victim Identified as Elite Roman Soldier Sent on Failed Rescue Mission

The man may have been a Praetorian Guard dispatched by Pliny the Elder to save Herculaneum’s residents from the volcanic eruption

The gold bracteates served as a status symbol for sixth-century Scandinavian elites.

Cool Finds

Ancient Norse Elites Buried These Gold Pendants as Sacrifices to the Gods

The 1,500-year-old bracteates—found in a field in southeastern Norway—depict animal and human figures

The oddly shaped oil lamp is the first of its kind found in Jerusalem.

Cool Finds

This Grotesquely Shaped Lamp Brought Luck to Jerusalem’s Ancient Residents

The 2,000-year-old artifact, which resembles a face cut in half, was buried in the foundations of a Roman building

A view of the marble head discovered last week in Isernia, a town in south-central Italy

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Italy Unearth Marble Bust of Rome’s First Emperor, Augustus

Researchers identified the sculpture based on the ancient ruler’s signature hairstyle and facial features

Curators reattached the sculpture's missing digit using a "non-invasive, reversible and invisible system."

Cool Finds

Colossal Bronze Statue of Roman Emperor Reunited With Its Long-Lost Finger

Curators at the Louvre had mistakenly categorized the missing digit as a toe. An eagle-eyed researcher noticed the mistake in 2018

Archaeologists say the mosaic was probably part of a grand Byzantine-era home.

Cool Finds

Colorful, 1,600-Year-Old Mosaic Adorned With Geometric Patterns Found in Israel

The fourth- or fifth-century artwork was probably part of a large mansion near an industrial zone

The ancient amphitheater dates to around 200 A.D., when the Severan dynasty ruled the Roman Empire.

Cool Finds

In Ancient Turkey, Gladiators Fought at This Colosseum-Like Amphitheater

The 1,800-year-old arena housed up to 20,000 spectators eager to bet on the bloody battles

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