Despite how Ross’ paleontology career is treated by his companions in Friends, there’s something special about finding the remains of creatures that lived millions if not billions of years before us. In fact, humanity’s interest in paleontology isn’t a modern development. Ancient Romans were just as fascinated by fossils. According to the ancient Roman historian […]
Ancient DNA Unlocks the Secret Recipe of Roman Fish Sauce
Ancient Romans were known for creating delicious sauces, including garum—a famous fish-based condiment. Scientists studying ancient DNA from a Roman-era salting plant in Spain have found that European sardines were the key ingredient. Fish was an important part of the ancient Roman diet, and Romans processed their catch for long-term preservation in coastal fish-salting plants […]
Archaeologists in France Discover Giant Roman Gallic Villa Hiding in Plain Sight
In 1966, archaeologists in France uncovered an ancient 7,535-square-foot building near the town of Auxerre. Remains of furniture in the edifice’s ten rooms led archaeologists to estimate that it was inhabited from the first to the fourth century CE, and evidence of mosaics and floor heating indicated that the inhabitants were members of a wealthy […]
AI Identifies Author of Charred Scroll Buried by Vesuvius for 2,000 Years
For the first time, researchers have identified the author and title of a document that’s been locked inside a charred scroll for nearly 2,000 years—without peeling back a single layer. The scroll, PHerc. 172, was recovered from the ruins of Herculaneum, the ancient Roman town buried by the ash and debris of Mount Vesuvius in […]
Archaeologists Unearth Roman Horse Cemetery With 100 Skeletons
“The history of mankind is carried on the back of a horse” is a saying that holds true for the Roman Empire, which expanded through the strength of its army, including its cavalry. An archaeological discovery in Germany offers rare insight into the animals that helped carry an ancient civilization. In July 2024, a construction project […]
Mass Grave of 150 Roman Soldiers Found Under Vienna Sports Field
Sometime between the mid-first century and early second century CE, Roman legionaries clashed with Germanic fighters near the Danube River in a furious battle. Almost two thousand years later, gruesome evidence of the bloody event has come to light. While renovating a sports field in Vienna in October of last year, construction workers discovered a […]
Preserved in Glass: How Mount Vesuvius Locked This Roman’s Brain in Time
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Mount Vesuvius erupted, swallowing the nearby Roman towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii in a superheated cloud of ash, dust, and volcanic material. The environment was so hot that a team of researchers say it turned at least one resident’s brain into glass. Not only did the individual’s once-squishy, pinkish-white organ get […]