IN THE NEWS … Israel returns stolen Greek artefacts as Athens intensifies Elgin Marbles campaign | The Independent A Villager Found a Carved Block Near His House — It Led to Two Colossal Statues of Ramesses II Near a Temple Built Nearly 900 Years Later Ancient Etruscan Statue May Have Been Intentionally Turned Black 2,200…

Read more →

rites in honour of the Penates Dei — the Penates Dei were originally the penates who watched over the storehouse of the king (when Rome had such, obviously); at some point, the Penates Dei came to be identified with Castor and Pollux, but they still had a temple under their own name on the Velian…

Read more →

IN THE NEWS … MONTELEONE SABINO (Ri). Scoperto un acquedotto sotterraneo risalente all’epoca preromana. – Archeologia online – Archeomedia 300-meter stretch of ancient aqueduct uncovered during planning for new Jerusalem neighborhood | The Times of Israel Bulgaria’s Ancient Rock-Cut City May Have Shared Its Name with a Famous City in Anatolia | Arkeonews Roman Villa…

Read more →

Fontinalia — a festival in honour of the divinity Fons, who presided over springs and wells; such sources of water were festooned with garlands for the occasion 54 A.D. — death of the emperor Claudius, purportedly succumbing to a plate of poisoned mushrooms dished up by his niece/wife Agrippina; dies imperii of Nero (son of…

Read more →

Peter Edwell, Macquarie University Is it any wonder ancient people thought lightning came from the gods? Even today a close lightning strike feels like a terrifying brush with the supernatural. Some ancient thinkers, however, suspected the gods had nothing to do with it. They wondered, centuries ahead of their time, if lightning was related somehow…

Read more →