Romans, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 8, 2023

Soar over ancient Rome's temples, brothels and baths in epic new 3D reconstruction

A new interactive 3D reconstruction of ancient Rome is giving viewers the opportunity to virtually transport themselves back in time and explore the capital of the Roman Empire as it was during its heyday. Called Rome Reborn: Flight over Ancient Rome, the digital model presented by Flyover Zone, an educational...

Nov 13, 2023

Scuba diver discovers 30,000 astonishingly well-preserved Roman coins off Italian coast

A diver exploring the waters off Sardinia in Italy has discovered tens of thousands of Roman-era bronze coins hidden in the seagrass. The man immediately contacted the authorities about the finding, which was near the town of Arzachena. Based on the location of the hoard, experts think the cache could...

Nov 14, 2023

'Magical' Roman wind chime with phallus, believed to ward off evil eye, unearthed in Serbia

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman wind chime called a tintinnabulum — featuring a prominent phallus — at an archaeological site in eastern Serbia. Such objects, which were hung near the doorways of houses and shops, were believed to serve as magical protection for the premises. This one was discovered on...

Nov 16, 2023

Cult temples and sacrificial pit unearthed at ancient Roman camp in Germany

Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of two Roman temples and a sacrificial pit in Germany. The building remnants, located at the site of a former Roman camp known as Haltern in northwestern Germany, are the first known instances of temples found at a Roman military site, according to a translated...

Nov 17, 2023

More than 3,000 Roman coins and gems unearthed at 'magical place' in northern Italy

Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed more than 3,000 coins and 50 gems, many of which were emblazoned with the images of ancient Roman deities. The massive finding was made during ongoing excavations at Claterna (also spelled Claternae), a Roman town located near modern-day Bologna, according to a translated statement from...

Nov 21, 2023

2,000 ancient clay stamps used to seal official Roman documents discovered in Turkey

Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed more than 2,000 clay seal impressions that ancient officials once used to fasten government documents. Researchers discovered the stamp collection during excavations at Doliche, an ancient Roman city located near Gaziantep in southern Turkey. The clay stamps range in size from 0.2 to 0.8 inches...

Nov 25, 2023

Why didn't Alexander the Great invade Rome?

Alexander the Great conquered a massive empire that stretched from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan. But if the Macedonian king had turned his attention westward, it's possible he would have conquered Rome, too, feasibly smiting the Roman Empire before it had a chance to arise. So why didn't Alexander the...

Dec 24, 2023

2,300-year-old shell mosaic discovered in luxurious home in Rome

Archaeologists in Rome have unearthed an ornate banquet hall decorated with a brightly colored wall mosaic. The stunning room was part of an aristocratic house built around 2,300 years ago on the city's Palatine Hill. The luxurious abode is located just a few hundred feet south of the city's central...

Jan 11, 2024

2,000-year-old bullet found with Julius Caesar's name on it was likely used in civil war

An almond-shaped lead bullet — inscribed with the names of Julius Caesar and an unknown city and likely fired from a slingshot — hints that Indigenous people in Spain supported the cause of the would-be dictator during his ultimately successful civil war more than 2,000 years ago, a new study...

Jan 16, 2024

Part of Hadrian's 1,800-year-old aqueduct and rare Greek coins unearthed near Corinth

Archaeologists in Greece have unearthed part of one of the largest hydraulic projects from the ancient world: an aqueduct that the Roman emperor Hadrian built to supply water to the city of Corinth. The remnants of the aqueduct were discovered in October during excavations at the archaeological site of Tenea,...

Jan 17, 2024

Ancient Roman necropolis holding more than 60 skeletons and luxury goods discovered in central Italy

A Roman-era necropolis that likely holds the remains of the upper crust has been discovered in central Italy, and it contains nearly 60 graves replete with gold jewelry and the remains of leather footwear, pottery and other precious goods. The cemetery, found ahead of construction work for a solar energy...

Jan 19, 2024

Roman dodecahedron uncovered by amateur archaeologists in the UK

Amateur archaeologists in England have unearthed a stunning Roman dodecahedron — a mysterious class of objects that has baffled experts for centuries. The dodecahedron — a 12-sided metal shell about the size of a grapefruit — was found this past summer during a dig in a farmer's field near the...

Jan 19, 2024

A slave was brutally crucified in Roman Britain 1,700 years ago. Now, his face has been brought back to life.

In 2017, archaeologists in England found the ancient skeleton of a man with a nail hammered through his heel. Further analysis revealed he was a Roman slave who had been brutally crucified during the third or fourth century A.D. Now, a new digital facial approximation presented as part of a...

Jan 23, 2024

'Incredibly rare' 2nd-century Roman armor pieced together like an 'ancient jigsaw puzzle'

Conservators at National Museums Scotland have reconstructed a 1,800-year-old segment of Roman armor that was broken into more than 100 pieces. The completed work will be part of an upcoming exhibition. For several weeks, museum conservators painstakingly pieced together what they're calling an ancient jigsaw puzzle. The second-century brass armor...

Jan 24, 2024

Roman-era wine shop, possibly destroyed in an earthquake, discovered in Greece

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a 1,600-year-old wine shop that was destroyed and abandoned after a sudden event, possibly an earthquake or building collapse, left broken vessels and 60 coins scattered on the floor, according to new research. The shop operated at a time when the Roman Empire controlled the...