Ancient News



News for the Ancient World

August 1, 2014

Roman Coin from 64-65 AD Found ...

stumbling on this



A golden aureus, the equivalent of what a Roman soldier would be paid for a year of service, lying in the dirt as if it had been dropped yesterday. The coin was found by a volunteer archaeologist at a site in northern England called Vindolanda, once the location of a Roman fort. The face on the coin is the emperor Nero--known to have terrorized Rome, and in particular, early Christians. 

Vindolanda

Read more about the story at Discovery News.

Nero is plays a major role in my historical suspense novel, Vestal Virgin.


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March 17,2014

Two stories related to ancient  Egypt:

Stolen Egyptian artifacts were seized by Homeland Security in New York on March 16, according to Ahramonline. The artifacts are now on their way back to Egypt. The artifacts are from different periods and include: a mummy mask, part of a painted wooden sarcophagus, and Middle Kingdom wooden boats.


Egyptian Wooden Boat


Sarcophagus
The discovery of the skeletons of six cats (four of them kittens) in an Egyptian cemetery makes scientists believe that cats may have been domesticated 2,000 years earlier than first thought--according an article from Live Science.


Cat Skeleton





March 4, 2014

Last week I rushed out to see the new film, Pompeii, in 3D. They did great research, and I felt like I'd been thrust back through time to the fateful last day when the volcano exploded. 

Watch the trailer:




Yesterday, Pompeii made the news in real time. The walls of the ancient city are crumbling due to rain. Read this article and learn some interesting facts. For example: Pompeii restaurants served giraffe. 


Pompeii

Other ancient news of interest:

An ancient gladiator school has been discovered in Austria. 



The unearthed complex includes cell blocks, a training area, and bath complex. Read more about it here.

The archaeologists constructed a 3D model of the school, and created this video.


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