Moneta is out today in paperback! "Riveting ... An utterly original history of Rome that compels from start to finish. A wonderful read." ― Mail on Sunday "An excellent 1,000 year history of Rome told in an engaging new way ... well worth a few denarii." ― The Times

Beautiful helicoidal staircases (c.1550) in the cloisters of the Convent of Christ in Tomar – headquarters of the Knights Templar, or as they renamed themselves in Portugal, the Military Order of Christ.

A fourth-century homeowner commissioned this simple mosaic, listing inside a laurel wreath all that mattered to them: ‘Health, Life, Joy, Peace, Good Cheer, Hope!’ (Υγεία, Ζωή, Χαρά, Ειρήνη, Ευθυμία, Ελπίδα!) From Halicarnassus (modern Bodrum), Turkey

‘It is believed that marble regenerates itself in quarries, and quarrymen declare that the wounds they inflict on mountainsides close over of their own accord. If this is true we can be optimistic that our resources for sumptuous living will never be exhausted.’ - Pliny, NH, 36

Roman marble portrait thought to depict Poppaea Sabina, second wife of Nero and probable owner of the grand Villa Poppaea at Oplontis. While Nero honoured her with the title 'Augusta', multiple sources state that he kicked Poppaea to death while she was pregnant with their child.

Coins of Henry VIII and his three reigning children. Clockwise from the top: a testoon of Henry VIII (1544-1547), half-pound of Elizabeth I (1592-1595), sovereign of Mary I (1553) & a shilling of Edward VI (1551-1553). They are from the Hunterian collection.

Roman fresco panel showing Odysseus resisting the song of the sirens. The Homeric hero is tied to the mast of the ship while the sirens sing out from high rocks, surrounded by the bones of their previous victims! From Pompeii, c.50 AD

We announced ECL Grant winners today at Campidoglio with @gualtierieurope, @senborgonzoni and @elonmusk! Innovation in archaeology and conservation - in Rome and Empire! https://t.co/PoFyRiVlKc @DariusAryaDigs

1) A Roman brass cornu from Pompeii. This curled horn was used for signalling troop movements and announcing the presence of the emperor in military and civilian settings...

An immensely powerful marble portrait of a Roman statesman, traditionally identified in the past as the general Corbulo or the assassin Cassius. The subject seems to have been a notable figure in Roman politics during the dying years of the Republic, with a number of portraits of

'I thought of a labyrinth of labyrinths, of one sinuous spreading maze that would encompass the past and the future and in some way involve the stars. A labyrinth of symbols ...an invisible labyrinth of time.' - Jorge Luis Borges, 'The Garden of Forking Paths' (1942)

The Constantine ceiling fresco in Trier (Augusta Treverorum) is one of the most remarkable surviving examples of Late Roman painted decoration north of the Alps. It was discovered in the remains of a Roman building complex, probably an imperial palace or high-ranking residence,

Some ancient coins that we'll be looking at in an upcoming coin handling workshop. Includes coins of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra VII & Hadrian. They are all from the collection that was formed by William Hunter between 1770 & 1783.

21) Much of the carved stonework from Penn Station was taken away to be buried in landfill or dumped in New Jersey Meadowlands. Today fragments continue to come to light; like these two eagles (of the 22 that once adorned the station) sat in the corner of a Newark car park.

Resisting the urge to buy this Roman Pantheon lamp, with its light beaming through the dome's oculus.

'Do the gods light this fire in our hearts, or does each man's mad desire become his god?' - The Aeneid (Book IX, lines 184–185)

A Greek aryballos oil flask in the form of a booted leg. From Rhodes, c.6th century BC.

3) When it was discovered near Hadrian's Wall in 1811 the treasure was said to have also included 280 coins. All but one of these – a lone denarius of Antoninus Pius struck in 139 AD – were dispersed before the British Museum could secure what was left of the treasure in 1850.

"Told through humanity’s most universal object" Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @OptimoPrincipi & @AtriaBooks! Read/subscribe to Damn History: https://t.co/fue2o3osoz

The Battle of Ellendun diorama is on display at Lydiard Park, Swindon until 22nd October.

The battle broke Mercian dominance in southern England, with Ecgberht soon bringing Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Essex firmly under West Saxon control. Perhaps most crucially, it set in motion a chain of events that culminated in the reign of his renowned grandson, Alfred the Great.