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Roman Empire

Just a few of the hundreds of bar-shaped whetstones found on the north shore

Cool Finds

Hundreds of Ancient Roman Blade Sharpeners Emerge From a Riverbank in England, Revealing the Ruins of a 2,000-Year-Old Whetstone Factory

Archaeologists think the newly discovered artifacts remained at the production site because they were deemed unusable. Large numbers of completed whetstones may have supplied other parts of the Roman Empire

Researchers investigated Pompeii's water system, including the "water castle" pictured here, which served as the water distribution structure for Pompeii's aqueduct. 

New Research

The Public Baths of Ancient Pompeii Were Actually Pretty Gross—Until the Romans Built an Aqueduct

Hygienic conditions were poor in the city’s older bathing facilities, a new study reveals. The analysis sheds light on Pompeii’s water systems and residents’ bathing habits

Tour guides will livestream walk-throughs of the underground space, adorned with mosaic floors and colorful wall frescoes.

New Livestream Tour Takes Tourists Underneath Rome Into Never-Before-Seen ‘House of Griffins’

Beginning in March, visitors can virtually explore the 2,000-year-old subterranean dwelling, open to the public for the first time

The box was discovered in the Roman-era grave of a young woman. Archaeologists suspect it may have contained ointment for pain relief, as the woman's remains show signs of lesions and joint inflammation.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Intricately Decorated Box Carved From Deer Bone That May Have Once Held Ancient Ointments

The box was excavated from a Roman-era grave in England. It was found among a trove of artifacts spanning roughly 8,000 years of human activity

The bell, shaped like a boar's head, would have topped a long, thin pole.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient War Trumpet That Once Struck Fear in the Hearts of Enemies on the Battlefield

Known as a carnyx, the instrument is only the third of its kind to be found in Britain. It was discovered in the territory of the Iceni tribe, which fought the Romans under the leadership of the queen Boudicca

A third-century B.C.E. Greek gold chain necklace similar to some of the missing objects

The British Museum Plans to Hire a Treasure Hunter. Duties Include Recovering Missing Artifacts Before They’re Lost to History

The museum announced in 2023 that 1,500 items were missing. More than 600 have since been found, and officials are now hoping to expand the recovery effort

A vision of ancient Carthage, attributed to the painter William Linton, c. 1830. 

The Story of Carthage Isn’t Necessarily What the Romans Committed to History

A new book by historian and archaeologist Eve MacDonald paints a more complete portrait of the once-great African society destroyed by Rome

Built between 180 and 193 C.E., the column depicts the battles of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, with more than 2,000 highly detailed figures spiraling around the shaft.

Archaeologists Are Using Lasers to Clean Decades of Grime Off a Towering 1,800-Year-Old Marble Column in Rome

Standing 154 feet tall, the column of Marcus Aurelius is located in the Piazza Colonna and intricately decorated with gruesome scenes of warfare

Fascinating finds unveiled in 2025 ranged from an Auguste Rodin sculpture to a ring bearing the likeness of the goddess Venus Victrix.

Cool Finds

Seventy-Two Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2025, From a Luxury Spa in Pompeii to a Pair of World War I Messages in a Bottle

The year’s most exciting discoveries included the site where a young George Washington stopped a friendly fire incident, the missing torso of a Buddha statue and a hidden Picasso painting

An ogham stone in Cornwall, England

These Linguists Are Creating a New Dictionary of Ancient Celtic Languages—With Help From ‘Curse Tablets’ and Roman Records

The project aims to produce a record of the Celtic languages spoken in Britain and Ireland, though the majority of these words have already been lost to history

Ancient ruins displayed at Colosseo-Fori Imperiali, a new subway station near the Colosseum in Rome

You Can Now See 2,000-Year-Old Thermal Baths and Military Barracks Without Ever Leaving Rome’s New Subway Stations

Two recently opened stops by the Colosseum double as museums, showcasing the ancient artifacts and ruins unearthed during their construction

Llorenç Alapont, an archaeologist at the University of Valencia, led the recent research on plaster casts of Pompeii victims. 

New Research

If Mount Vesuvius Erupted in August, Why Were Pompeii Victims Wearing Heavy Wool Garments?

New research finds that at least four individuals who died in the eruption were wearing woolen tunics and cloaks, which raises questions about the presumed date of the famous catastrophe

Graffiti scribbled on a wall in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii

Pompeii’s Graffiti Captures Every Joke, Boast and Argument of an Ancient Roman City Frozen in Time

The roughly 11,000 inscriptions preserved by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 C.E. offer a glimpse into everyday life in the Roman Empire

The researchers based their conclusions on an intact ancient construction site found at Pompeii.

New Research

This Ancient Construction Site in the Ruins of Pompeii Is Revealing New Secrets About the 2,000-Year-Old Recipe for Roman Concrete

New research suggests the Romans used a method known as “hot mixing” to produce self-healing concrete, which allowed them to build structures that endured for centuries

Researchers think the Greek graffiti found on the boat dates to the first century C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 2,000-Year-Old Ancient Egyptian Pleasure Boat That May Have Once Made Luxurious Voyages Along the Nile

Unearthed off the coast of Alexandria, the vessel may have once measured 115 feet long. Experts think it would have held a “luxuriously decorated cabin” and a team of 20 rowers

Panel one of the Ketton mosaic, which was discovered in 2020 by a farmer's son

New Research

Historians Say This Rare Mosaic Found on a British Farm Depicts Scenes From a Long-Lost Account of the Trojan War

New research suggests that the illustrations may have been based on “Phrygians,” a tragedy by the Athenian playwright Aeschylus, rather than the “Iliad”

An international team of archaeologists from Italy, Spain and Tunisia has been excavating Henchir el Begar since 2023.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Olive Oil Production Facilities in North Africa

Located in western Tunisia, the plants operated between the third and sixth centuries and likely helped supply precious olive oil to Rome

Evidence of prehistoric flint tool-making dating to approximately 4300 B.C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Digging Beneath Britain’s Houses of Parliament Discover 6,000-Year-Old Flint Artifacts and a 2,000-Year-Old Roman Altar Fragment

During restorations at the Palace of Westminster in London, excavations have revealed a trove of historic objects, the oldest of which date to around 4300 B.C.E.

The "digital twin" of the House of Thiasus, with a reconstructed wooden ceiling

New Research

Ancient Pompeii’s Elite May Have Built Lavish Towers on Top of Their Villas. Here’s What They May Have Looked Like

Digital reconstructions are bringing structures to life that may have collapsed during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 C.E. Researchers think these towers symbolized their owners’ wealth and influence

Archaeologists discovered an engraved intaglio that a Roman man stationed at Bremenium in northern England likely used to stamp his correspondence.

Archaeologists Excavating a Roman Fort in Britain Discovered a Rare Red Gemstone Engraved With a Surprising Design

The intaglio was likely set in a signet ring and used to stamp correspondence at Bremenium, a military outpost located roughly 25 miles north of Hadrian’s Wall

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