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Roman Empire

A portrait in marble of the emperor, circa A.D. 60.

Nero, History’s Most Despised Emperor, Gets a Makeover

For nearly 2,000 years, the Roman ruler has been depicted as an egotistical monster who fiddled while Rome burned. But is this image accurate?

A one-inch-long gaming piece found at the site of a former Roman fort in Chester, England

Cool Finds

Roman Gaming Piece Crafted Out of Bone Found in England

Ancient soldiers may have used the oblong token to play “Ludus Latrunculorum,” or the “Game of Mercenaries”

Volunteers at Bamburgh Castle discovered the foundations of an ancient roundhouse.

Cool Finds

Traces of 2,000-Year-Old Roman Roundhouse Found in Northern England

Excavations at Bamburgh Castle uncovered the foundations of a circular dwelling dated to the Roman occupation of Britain

Fragment of a 1,400-year-old chalice found near Hadrian's Wall in northern England

Cool Finds

Britain’s Oldest Example of Christian Graffiti Found Near Hadrian’s Wall

Researchers at Vindolanda unearthed a 1,400-year-old lead chalice covered in religious symbols

Many of the monkeys died young, perhaps as a result of their rapid introduction to a drastically different environment.

Cool Finds

Monkeys Found Buried in 2,000-Year-Old Egyptian Pet Cemetery

The primates—likely imported from India to the then-Roman province—were laid to rest with care

Archaeologists discovered a Roman coin and remnants of an ancient pub while renovating this extension of the Virgin Mary Assumption Church, known as Old Town Hall, in the Slovakian town of Spišské Vlachy.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Remnants of 18th-Century Pub in Slovakia

The team found a rare Roman coin, wall graffiti and ceramic fragments underneath the tiny village’s town hall

Composite portraits of Augustus (left) and Maximinus Thrax (right)

Peer Into the Past With Photorealistic Portraits of Roman Emperors

Artist Daniel Voshart used machine learning and editing software to create likenesses of 54 ancient leaders

A clear shard of Roman glass found in northern Jordan. The purple highlights are iridescence caused by weathering.

Ancient Rome’s Finest Glass Was Actually Made in Egypt

Researchers used chemical analysis to determine the origins of the empire’s crystal-clear glass

Police discovered a total of 13 Roman amphorae and an 18th-century anchor inside a frozen seafood shop in Alicante, Spain.

Cool Finds

Police Confiscate Roman Amphorae Found Stashed in Spanish Seafood Shop

The store owner’s son allegedly discovered the 13 clay vessels on fishing trips and brought them back as decorations

A virtual version of Mount Vesuvius looms over the exhibition.

Paris Exhibition Recreates Pompeii’s Final Hours

Those unable to visit the show in person can access a trove of online resources related to the immersive experience

The circular ovens may have been used to bake bricks or pottery.

Roman-Era Structures Found Near Sphinx-Lined Egyptian Avenue

Excavations at Kebbash Road revealed circular ovens, a mud-brick wall and a sandstone wall

A new study presents evidence that a massive eruption in Alaska may have influenced the rise of the Roman Empire.

New Research

How an Alaskan Volcano Is Linked to the Decline of the Roman Republic

New research suggests Mount Okmok’s eruption in 43 B.C. sparked extreme weather halfway across the world

A Roman lead ingot recently unearthed in Wales

Cool Finds

Local Man Finds 2,000-Year-Old Roman Lead Ingot in Welsh Field

Rob Jones’ discovery adds a tangible piece of evidence to the history of mining in Roman Britain

The hot, dry summer of 2018 revealed the long-lost outlines of Roman forts and roads in Wales. This photo shows a Roman fort discovered near Carrow Hill.

Cool Finds

Drought Reveals Traces of Ancient Roman Structures in Wales

Archaeologists used aerial photographs to discover previously unknown forts and roads in water-starved fields across the country

The four sides of a dice, as well as the front and back sides of several other game pieces found in western Norway

Cool Finds

Ancient Roman Board Game Found in Norwegian Burial Mound

Researchers unearthed a four-sided dice and 18 circular tokens

Archaeologists found the well-preserved tiles while conducting excavations at a commune near Verona, Italy.

Cool Finds

Ancient Roman Mosaic Floor Unearthed Beneath Italian Vineyard

The intricate, multi-colored tiles likely date to the third century A.D.

The 2,000-year-old subterranean system consists of a courtyard and two rooms.

Cool Finds

Underground Chambers Discovered Near Jerusalem’s Western Wall

Carved into bedrock, the mysterious rooms spent 1,400 years hidden beneath the mosaic floor of a Byzantine building

A Bar Kokhba revolt coin inscribed with the word "Jerusalem" and a picture of a date palm

Cool Finds

This 2,000-Year-Old Coin Commemorates a Jewish Rebellion Against Rome

Of more than 22,000 coins found in Jerusalem to date, just four are from the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt

Found at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, this piece of leather was cut into the shape of a mouse.

Cool Finds

Ancient Leather ‘Mouse’ Highlights the Romans’ Sense of Humor

The nearly 2,000-year-old scrap of leather, found at Vindolanda in northern England, may have been a toy or a practical joke

Officials uncovered seven slabs of travertine that date to between 27 and 25 B.C.

Sinkhole Outside of the Pantheon Reveals Ancient Roman Paving Stones

Due to COVID-19, the Piazza della Rotunda was virtually empty when the cavity opened up on April 27

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