Gareth Harney
@OptimoPrincipi
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Historian and author celebrating the endless wonders of the Roman world. 'For these Romans I set no bounds in space or time, but have given empire without end.'
Swindon, Wiltshire
Joined August 2010
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I'm thrilled to unveil my book, Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins, coming in hardback, ebook and audiobook on 9th May from
@thebodleyhead
@vintagebooks
! If you have enjoyed my posts over the years, do consider pre-ordering your copy now:
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1) A stranger than fiction Roman ring mystery thread: this enigmatic Roman gold ring was found in a ploughed field near Silchester in 1785. The square bezel has a portrait of the pagan goddess Venus, inscribed backwards SUNEV for use as a signet ring by the owner. Curiously...
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After she was publicly flogged and her daughters raped by Roman soldiers, Boudica destroyed three entire cities. Camulodunum burned with such ferocity that a blackened scorch-layer still runs under modern Colchester, named by archaeologists the 'Boudican Destruction Horizon'.
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The sound that once sent a shiver down the Roman legionary's spine! The bellow of a reconstructed carnyx - a war trumpet used by Iron Age Celts, Gauls, and Germans to incite troops to battle and instil terror in the enemy.
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1) During construction work on Amphipolis Archaeological Museum in 1976, workers uncovered a cist tomb cut into the bedrock, still sealed and unlooted. Curiously, the burial was located inside the city walls near the marketplace of Amphipolis. Lifting the blocks, they found...
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This Roman blue glass bowl has been unearthed perfectly intact (!) at an archaeological dig in Nijmegen.
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A 16th century German 'oath skull' (a human skull on which defendants swore their oath in Vehmic courts) - engraved with the 'magical' Roman 'Sator square', mysterious palindromic word-squares found across the Roman world, comprising the words SATOR, AREPO, TENET, OPERA, ROTAS.
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A tidal wave of new primary sources from the ancient world could very soon be on its way - enough to keep scholars busy for decades! The first words have being read from digitally ‘unrolled’ carbonised scrolls from a Roman library in Herculaneum! (Image: Nat Friedman)
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Roman rock crystal gaming die, marked one to six just like modern dice. 1st-2nd century AD
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Don't look into her eyes! Spectacular opus-sectile mosaic of the Gorgon Medusa covering the entire orchestra of Kibyra Roman theatre in south-west Turkey - unearthed in 2009, the mosaic is still in-situ, 11m across and 95% intact.
#Roman
#Archaeology
#Art
#Turkey
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Well done to whoever designed this brilliant phone case based on a miraculously surviving Roman shield (scutum) from the 3rd century.
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The bronze statues discovered in the hot springs of San Casciano dei Bagni are tremendously exciting ..but look at all the Roman coins being found too - wow!
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Emanuele Biggi's photograph 'Gladiator Crab' shows one of the resident freshwater crabs that live beneath Trajan's Forum in Rome. The river crabs choose not to inhabit the Tiber, but the ancient channels of the Cloaca Maxima Roman sewer system. Since their discovery in 1998,…
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The Coronation Chair was carved from oak between 1297 and 1300 by the carpenter Walter of Durham - the oldest dated piece of English furniture made by a known artist. Most of the graffiti on the chair is by Westminster schoolboys and visitors in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Roman crocodile-skin armour; this astonishing helmet and cuirass was likely worn by a distinguished soldier during parades and cult processions in Roman Egypt. Perhaps a personal trophy from a successful hunt on the Nile? From Manfalout, Egypt, 3rd century AD. British Museum
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A tiny (48mm) Greek owl carved in purple flourite. The owl was the symbol of the goddess Athena and by extension the city of Athens. The small precious stone sculpture was likely carried as a votive idol or protective amulet. 4th-3rd century BC
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1) One of the most ambitious classical construction projects anywhere in the world is now in the final stages of its decoration. On a Caribbean island, the classical architecture firm Apollodorus are building a grand Roman maritime villa for a wealthy Roman history enthusiast..
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The head of the 'Osterby Man', a Germanic warrior of the Suebi who died around 100 AD. He was struck by a blunt object before being decapitated and his head thrown into a bog. His hair has been perfectly preserved, tied in the distinctive Suebian knot worn by men of his tribe.
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No these are not photographs ..but astounding oil paintings of the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum (c.1895) - by the absurdly talented Italian artist Luigi Bazzani (1836-1927).
#rome
#art
#archaeology
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1) Let's take a tour of the spectacular sets of HBO's 'Rome' (2005-2007) at Cinecittà Studios..
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9) Two millienia later, both the ring and the curse on its thief are both discovered 80 miles apart. Wheeler and Tolkien, titans in their fields, analyse the mysterious artefacts and just maybe, the gold ring goes on to inspire one of the greatest works of fantasy literature. END
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Marble head of Augustus unearthed today! Discovered in excavations at Isernia (Roman Aesernia) in the southern Italian region of Molise. Incredibly exciting!
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Rhyton drinking cup in the shape of a dog's head. The beautiful vessel is attributed to the prolific ancient Greek potter, Brygos, who was active in Athens between 490-470 BC and whose fine work is known from around 200 surviving pieces.
Intentionally made without a flat base,…
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What did wealthy Romans smell like?
In 2019, a resident of the Spanish town of Carmona was digging a swimming pool when they broke through into an underground chamber. Archaeologists from Seville were called to investigate and, climbing into the hole, found an intact Roman…
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Roman rock-crystal icosahedron (20-sided dice) used in fortune-telling. Each face has a Latin letter on it and a corresponding Roman numeral. Such polyhedral dice were thrown to obtain a number, which was then matched with pre-prepared oracle answers in a divination handbook.
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'Cato paused a speech he was giving in the Senate when he saw that Julius Caesar had been passed a note. He challenged Caesar to read it aloud, sure it contained details of some conspiracy, but it turned out to be a racy love-letter from Cato's sister.'
- Plutarch (Cato, 24)
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Man topples two ancient Roman busts in the Vatican Museums 🤬
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Roman portable sundial in the shape of a cured ham. The whimsical yet precision-crafted bronze timepiece was unearthed in Herculaneum in 1760 and quickly identified as a rare pocket sundial by its grid markings. The exact workings of the 'pork clock' have, however, only recently…
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Wow, the largest Roman mosaic discovered in London in over half a century, unearthed in the shadow of The Shard, Southwark.
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Archaeologists unearthing a Roman marble statue of Venus, goddess of love, at Villa Salar, Granada in 2018. So rare to see an ancient statue being excavated.
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Incredibly sad to hear of the passing of Ray Stevenson, whose brilliant performance as Titus Pullo made him the heart and soul of HBO's Rome. 'Thirteen!' forever. ⚔️
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Roman clay tile with footprint left by a toddler as it dried 2000 years ago, Vaison-la-Romaine (ancient Vasio Vocontiorum)
#roman
#archaeology
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A perfectly preserved section of the Via Flaminia Roman road, discovered at a depth of 0.90m during planning of a new water pipeline in Riano. The Flaminian Way struck north from Rome, over the Apennines to the Adriatic coast.
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6) Soon afterwards Tolkien would begin creating his legendarium of Middle-earth with both “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” revolving around the magical, golden and often-stolen One Ring that grants the wearer invisibility. Had Tolkien been inspired by the Silvianus ring?
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3)... at a temple to the mysterious British god “Nodens” 80 miles away in Lydney, Gloucestershire, a lead curse tablet (defixio) was later discovered. On the tablet a man named “Silvianus” complains that his gold ring was stolen and he suspects “Senicianus” was the culprit! ...
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Roman gold ring with openwork inscription 'ANIMA DVLCIS VIVAS MECV' - "May you live with me sweet soul." 4th century AD
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Roman grave monument for a beloved horse, with a moving epitaph:
'You once outran the wandering birds and beat the northwest winds, now you graze no longer in Tuscan woods and Siculan fields, but rest stabled in this tomb.'
From Brescia, 2nd century AD, Verona Maffeiano…
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Beautiful helicoidal staircases (1557) in the cloisters of the Convent of Christ in Tomar - headquarters of the Knights Templar.
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How did the Romans lift marble drums weighing from 25 to 77 tons into place on Trajan's Column? Pure engineering genius...
(Clip from National Geographic)
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1) The Roman Capitolium of Brescia (ancient Brixia). Fortuitously buried by a landslide in the Middle Ages, the remains of the Capitol temple are a wonder in themselves - but what archaeologists discovered inside is truly unique. Let's take a journey into this remarkable site..
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5) Wheeler consulted a certain young J.R.R. Tolkien, Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, to work on the etymology of the curious deity Nodens and explore the possible connections with the enigmatic Roman gold ring...
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1) The Corinth Canal is one of history's greatest engineering feats. The 4-mile canal cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth allowing ships fast access between the Ionian and Aegean Sea. Though opened in 1893, it was actually a Roman superstar that first broke ground on the project.
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1/5) The hydraulis of Dion, an incredibly rare and complete pipe organ from the ancient world. The organ, powered by a system of pumps and compressed air regulated by a water tank, would have been played to accompany theatrical shows and arena spectacles...
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1) A 20th century Roman temple to transportation.
The demolition of New York's original Pennsylvania Station in 1963 has been called 'an American tragedy' and 'an act of monumental vandalism'...
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4) Silvianus deposited the curse tablet and donated at the temple half the value of his lost ring, in the hope that the gods would "permit no good health to Senicianus." In 1929 the archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler would make a connection between this curse and the gold ring...
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10) 'The famed valour and conduct of Brasidas brought many an Athenian ally over to the Spartan side. He was always the first into battle, and showed himself so good a man at every point, he left behind him the conviction that all other Spartans must be like him.' (4.81)
{END}
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2) ...around the ten-sided ring is crudely inscribed the identity of a later Christian owner, "Senicianus" who it proclaims with spelling errors "lives in god" (vivas in deo). A ring passing from pagan to Christian hands - certainly possible in the 4th century - but remarkably...
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An unbroken Roman glass bottle of olive oil from Pompeii, still sealed with its cork stopper. Though solidified after being buried since 79 AD, the contents apparently still smell strongly of olive oil.
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Funerary portraits of a man and woman from Roman Egypt, 1st - 2nd century AD. Denmark National Museum
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For those interested in seeing these ancient artefacts...
The Silvianus Ring is displayed at
@TheVyneNT
, Hampshire. The curse tablet is displayed at Lydney Park Estate, Gloucestershire
👍
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1) On 10 May 1889, a pair of marble sarcophagi were unearthed on the banks of the Tiber during construction of Rome's Palace of Justice. Concerned the contents of the graves might be destroyed during transport to the Capitoline, archaeologists chose to open the coffins on site...
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The town of Palmanova is a striking example of a Renaissance ‘ideal city’. Built by the Venetian Republic in the 16th century following the ‘star fort’ plan, the town takes the form of a nine-pointed star with three concentric ring roads, defended by a moat and ramparts.
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Ancient marble gravestone for a dog named Parthenope, shown on the memorial relaxing on a fine couch. The epitaph tells us that:
'Here an owner has buried his playful dog, Parthenope, in gratitude for the happiness and mutual love that she brought him.'
Parthenope then…
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Egyptian bronze head of a cat with amber eyes and a golden scarab, c.500 BC, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
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1) The best preserved Roman military diploma to survive from the ancient world: These highly prized bronze legal documents were issued to retiring non-citizen soldiers upon successful completion of their minimum required service: 25 years in the army or 26 years in the navy..
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New discovery of a Roman marble statue of Venus at Villa Salar, Granada. So rare to see a new statue being unearthed. Pictures from Anticae Viae
#roman
#archaeology
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An unbroken Roman glass bottle of olive oil from Pompeii, still sealed with its cork stopper. Though solidified after being buried since 79 AD, the contents apparently still smell strongly of olive oil.
#roman
#archaeology
#pompeii
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7) We might fancifully conclude then that in the mid 4th century AD, Silvianus - a late-Roman man still clinging on to the old pagan gods, had his beloved Venus ring stolen from him by a Christian that he knew named Senicianus. The pious thief then rededicated the pagan ring...
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An astounding circular panel portrait of two young men from Roman Egypt – sometimes called the 'Tondo of the Two Brothers', though the identity of the men and nature of their relationship remains unknown. The life-size double portrait was discovered during excavations at…
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8) ...with his own ironic inscription, saying he "lives in God". The bitter Silvianus then travelled to an ancient pagan temple to deposit a curse on the Christian thief. We know the ring was subsequently lost but are left to imagine if fate ever caught up with Senicianus...
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Ancient mosaic glass bowl, made with opaque yellow spirals fused in a translucent cobalt-blue matrix and cast over a drape mould to form a spectacular hemispherical bowl, 3rd-2nd century BC.
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A 2000-year-old Roman blue glass bowl unearthed in pristine condition at an archaeological dig in Nijmegen in 2021.
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The Colossus of Constantine has been reconstructed to its full 13-metre height in Milan's Fondazione Prada! The surviving fragments of the Colossus in Rome's Musei Capitolini were laser scanned and reproduced for incorporation in the new statue - on display until February 2023.
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1) The remains of this 35-year-old man from the 1st-2nd century tell a pitiful tale of disability in the ancient world, yet also serve as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. When his skeleton was found near Ostia in 2008, experts were astounded to see..
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Roman glass perfume bottle with a golden lid in the form of a woman's head, still connected by its gold chain. With a long spike on the underside, the precious perfume could be removed from the glass container and applied drop by drop. 1st century AD
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1) An ancient Roman-dinosaur-monster-bones thread! Yes you read that right - did you know the Romans were keen fossil hunters, fascinated by the bones of ancient "monsters". Augustus liked to decorate his holiday-villa "not so much with statues and pictures but with..."
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Coming in to land, 4th century AD.
(Aerial view of ancient Rome by UrbanVFX)
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Dacian cap still being worn after 2,000 years, as seen in this incredible photo of a Transylvanian shepherd - also dressed in an amazing ‘cojoc’ sheepskin coat. The ‘Dacian’ or ‘Phrygian’ soft conical cap was worn by several peoples across the ancient world. (Image: Nat Geo)
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A remarkable Roman mosaic showing a children's choir or Schola Cantorum, who would have performed sacred choral music at religious ceremonies. Fifteen young singers are depicted – possibly thirteen girls and two boys – all dressed in vibrant blue tunics, as well as an older…
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2) ..a solid silver casket, still holding the cremated remains of the deceased. On the casket rested an exquisite gold laurel crown. Who was the individual given a rich burial in the very heart of this ancient city? Amazingly, the famed historian Thucydides provided the answer..
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Rome’s eleven aqueducts were a true engineering marvel. This reconstruction shows the Aqua Marcia making a wide loop and twice intersecting the Aqua Claudia just north of the city. The area enclosed by the loop was fortified and used as a camp by the besieging Goths in 537 AD.
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Roman emerald-green glass bowl, early 1st century AD, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Exeter Cathedral, begun in 1114 and completed around 1350. The cathedral’s ceiling or ‘vault’ measures almost 100m, the longest continuous medieval stone vault in the world.
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Roman paving with large phallic graffito carving, displayed in-situ under Zadar Archaeological Museum, Croatia
#phallusthursday
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3) It soon became apparent that they had found the tomb of the legendary Spartan general Brasidas - not just a key figure in Thucydides' monumental history of the Peloponnesian War - but a nemesis of Thucydides himself, who was an Athenian general before writing his histories..
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Roman clay tile with footprint left by a toddler as it dried 2000 years ago, Vaison-la-Romaine (ancient Vasio Vocontiorum). Photo taken by me at the Théo Desplans Museum, Vaison-la-Romaine, France.
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Memorial plaque to “Alexander, a sausage seller at the market. He lived 30 years. He was a good soul and everyone’s friend. May he sleep among the righteous”
The tombstone is carved with a menorah and was found in a Jewish catacomb on the Via Appia, 3rd-4th century AD. Ashmolean
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Take a moment to appreciate the sets and costumes of HBO's Rome.
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1) An utterly delightful Roman statue of a hippopotamus, carved in sumptuous 'Rosso Antico' red marble. Let's take a closer look at this magnificent sculpture...
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'I find antiquity a rewarding study, if only because, while I am absorbed in it, I am able to turn my eyes from the troubles which torment the modern world.'
- Livy writing around 27 BC, prelude to the History of Rome
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Demonstrating the size of the Pantheon's granite columns ...but really just giving the Pantheon a hug because it is the greatest building in the world. Don't judge me.
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An archaeologist holds a newly discovered fragment of a Roman bronze cavalry mask, unearthed at the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, near modern Eskipazar, Turkey.
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The heart-stopping artistry of the bronze head of Seuthes III, 4th cent BC - found in the Valley of Thracian kings, near Kazanlak, Bulgaria (Image: Ann Wuyts)
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1) In April 1992 the IRA detonated a one-ton bomb outside the Baltic Exchange in the City of London, on what would later become the site of the iconic 'Gherkin', tragically killing 3 people and injuring 91. As the site was cleared for redevelopment, archaeologists unearthed..
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1/5) The only piece of Roman jewellery that can be matched to a known historical owner. This gold and carnelian signet ring was found on the skeletal finger of Scipio Barbatus (337 BC – 270 BC) inside his famous sarcophagus, when the Tomb of the Scipios was discovered in 1780..
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Another Egadi ram sees the sunlight again for the first time in 2,263 years – the 26th ancient bronze warship ram raised from the seabed near the Egadi islands. The Battle of the Aegates was fought in March 241 BC between the fleets of Carthage and Rome.
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When Boudica destroyed Roman Camulodunum the city burned with such ferocity that a scorch layer can still be seen under modern Colchester, named by archaeologists the 'Boudican destruction horizon'. These blackened pottery fragments were found in this layer dating to 60-61 AD.
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Flat arches with 'hanging' masonry supporting the arena floor of the Colosseum; precise Roman construction using no mortar. Laid upon a frame that was then removed, the central keystone has held the bricks in place since the 1st century AD.
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Reminder that there is no CGI in this image.
Production still from the filming of 'Rome' at Cinecittà Studios, 2004.
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Roman marble relief showing a childbirth scene. A midwife or 'obstetrix' cleans the mother after a successful birth, while a smiling assistant holds the newborn child. Modern 'obstetrics' derives its name from the female obstetrix who assisted mothers during childbirth - with the…
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Therapeutic ancient hot water bottles, moulded for the treatment of individual body parts, possibly in the ‘balancing of humours’, 1st cent BC, Paphos Archaeological Museum
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Museum of London archaeologists excavating the mosaic floor of a large townhouse from Roman Londinium, in the shadow of The Shard skyscraper. (Image: MOLA)
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The most eastern Roman inscription ever found:
In the late first century AD, the centurion Lucius Julius Maximus of the Twelfth 'Thunderbolt' Legion carved this inscription into a rock near what is today Baku, Azerbaijan. Lucius and his Legio XII Fulminata had apparently been…
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1) A spellbinding Roman bronze statue, identified as a youthful Hercules. Not only is the statue a rare example of a full-length bronze surviving from the ancient world but it also preserves its mesmerising inlaid eyes of blue glass...
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The last known photograph of a North African or 'Barbary' lion in the wild, seen walking through the sands of Morocco. Hunted since ancient times, especially by Assyrians and Romans, the Barbary Lion became extinct in the mid 20th century. Taken by Marcelin Flandrin in 1925.
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The Guinigi Tower - a 45-metre-tall fortified tower-house built in the 1300s, with holm oak trees growing in hanging gardens at its top. Lucca, Italy.
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Standing next to the original bronze doors of the Roman Senate house! The massive doors were taken from the ancient Curia Julia in 1660 by Pope Alexander VII and installed in the Basilica of St John Lateran.
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Ancient baby rattle in the shape of an owl. From Cyprus, c.1500 BC, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter
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