Underwater jars reveal Roman period winemaking practices

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Winemaking practices in coastal Italy during the Roman period involved using native grapes for making wine in jars waterproofed with imported tar pitch, according to a study published in the open-access journal From the amphorae to understanding the content; this multi-analytical analysis relied on archaeobotany and molecular identification [Credit: Louise Chassouant] The authors examined three Roman…

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Archaeobotany, Archaeology, Europe, Italy, Southern Europe

Tortoise and her egg found in new Pompeii excavations

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Archaeologists in Pompeii have discovered the remains of a pregnant tortoise that had sought refuge in the ruins of a home destroyed by an earthquake in 62 AD, only to be covered by volcanic ash and rock when Mount Vesuvius erupted 17 years later. Archaeologists work in the area of the Terme Stabiane inside the…

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Archaeology, Europe, Italy, Southern Europe

Researchers reconstruct the genome of centuries-old E. coli using fragments extracted from an Italian mummy

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An international team led by researchers at McMaster University, working in collaboration with the University of Paris Cite, has identified and reconstructed the first ancient genome of E. coli, using fragments extracted from the gallstone of a 16th century mummy. Using pieces of a gallstone from a mummy from the 1500s, researchers have been able…

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Archaeology, Europe, Genetics, Italy, Southern Europe

Industrial manufacturing of wool and wool textiles in the Bronze Age Italy

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Montale in northern Italy can have been one of the earliest centers in Europe for production of wool during the Bronze Age. Production may also have been on an industrial scale. Map of Italy indicating the Modena province and close up of Modena alta pianura and Apenine foothills with names of the sites mentioned in the…

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Archaeology, Europe, Italy, Southern Europe

First Human Genome Sequenced from Ancient Pompeii

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The first successfully sequenced human genome from an individual who died in Pompeii, Italy, after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE is presented this week in a study published in The discovery of the two skeletons dates back to excavations between December, 1932 and February, 1933 by the archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri [Credit: Gabriele Scorrano…

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Archaeology, Europe, Genetics, Italy, Southern Europe, Ticker

Research finally answers what Bronze Age daggers were used for

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Analysis of Bronze Age daggers has shown that they were used for processing animal carcasses and not as non-functional symbols of identity and status, as previously thought. (A) Site location (the map was generated by I.C. through QGIS v.3.16, https://qgis.org); (B) Aerial view of the site highlighting excavation areas A, B and C (source: Google Earth);…

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Archaeology, Europe, Italy, Southern Europe

How did visitors experience the domestic space in Pompeii?

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Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have used virtual reality and 3D eye-tracking technology to examine what drew the attention of the visitors when entering the stunning environment of an ancient Roman house. The team recreated the House of Greek Epigrams in 3D and tracked the gaze of study participants as they viewed the home….

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Archaeology, Europe, Italy, Southern Europe, Sweden

Analysis of Roman coins uncovers evidence of financial crisis

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New scientific analysis of the composition of Roman denarii has brought fresh understanding to a financial crisis briefly mentioned by the Roman statesman and writer Marcus Tullius Cicero in his essay on moral leadership, De Officiis, and solved a longstanding historical debate. The ‘heads’ of a contemporary coin, with a head of the god Bacchus,…

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Archaeology, Europe, Italy, Southern Europe

Italy asks for the return of the Doryphoros of Stabiae from the Museum of Minneapolis

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Stolen in the 1970s during clandestine excavations, sold twice by traffickers in antiquities for 3 billion lire and still on display in a museum in the United States. As of yesterday, the Torre Annunziata public prosecutor’s office asked the American authorities to issue a formal letter of request in order to return the Doryphoros of…

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Archaeology, Europe, Heritage, Italy, Southern Europe, USA

Identifying the portable toilets of the ancient Roman world

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New research published today in the Chamber pot of the 5th century CE from the Roman villa at Gerace, Sicily (Italy). Scale: 10 cm [Credit: Roger Wilson] “Conical pots of this type have been recognized quite widely in the Roman Empire and in the absence of other evidence they have often been called storage jars….

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Archaeology, Europe, Italy, Sicily, Southern Europe