Roman Archaeology

Over the past fifty years, archaeological excavations in Israel have unearthed about half a dozen ancient synagogues that were in use at different points in time between the first century BCE through the outbreak of the Bar-Kochba rebellion early in the second century of the Common Era.  In close proximity to each of these synagogues, a mikveh (ritual bath) has been discovered.  In contrast, no mikvaot have been discovered adjacent to any of the dozens of later synagogues that have been excavated and studied, with only one or two possible exceptions. 
At this point it is impossible to determine exactly when mikvaot ceased to be built in connection with synagogues, as the archaeological record reports very little about synagogues of the late second - early third century CE.  From an archaeological perspective, it is clear that at least from the second half of the third century, synagogues began to be built without regard for proximity to mikvaot.
Talmudic sources make no mention of a requirement to build mikvaot adjacent to synagogues. To date, no satisfactory explanation has been given for the evident connection between the synagogue and the mikveh in the early period, and the disappearance of such a connection in later periods of synagogue history. The objective of this paper is to present and explore a possible interpretation of this puzzling phenomenon.
  During the Second Temple and Mishnaic Periods, a rabbinical enactment was in effect requiring mikveh ablutions prior to engagement in Torah study and prayer for individuals who had experienced seminal emission. Careful study of the Talmudic sources reveals that this enactment was nullified early in the Amoraic Period, sometime during the second quarter of the third century CE.
It would appear that the mikvaot built adjacent to the earlier synagogues were intended for this precise function, serving visitors to the synagogue who required ritual ablutions prior to Torah study and prayer.  Once the rabbinical enactment regarding these ablutions was nullified, there was no longer need for such mikvaot, and hence the absence of mikvaot in proximity to the later synagogues.

No âmbito da investigação sobre povos e lugares do mundo pré-romano e romano do Ocidente hispânico, os problemas relativos aos Lancienses da Lusitânia constituem um dos tópicos que originaram mais ampla discussão e maior diversidade de propostas. Na sequência de um conjunto considerável de intervenções arqueológicas na Beira Interior, perspectivaram-se novas hipóteses e estabeleceu-se já, com bases sólidas, a identificação da sede dos Lancienses Transcudani com os vestígios subsistentes no sítio do Mileu, Guarda, cujos fundamentos aqui se sintetizam e reforçam. Reanalisando a documentação atinente aos Lancienses Oppidani, enunciam-se as razões da sua identidade com os Ocelenses e sistematizam-se os argumentos que sustentam a sua localização no território correspondente, de forma aproximada, à Cova da Beira. Por outro lado, reinterpretando-se os restos materiais descobertos na chamada Torre de Centum Celas e sua envolvência, aponta-se este lugar como a sede desta última entidade.

Nel 1950 venne scavata una villa romana in loc. Su Loi a Capoterra (Cagliari). L’intervento d’emergenza è documentato
solo da uno schizzo e da 59 fotografie, ma grazie a queste ultime è stato possibile ricostruire la pianta
dell’edificio e avanzarne il posizionamento geografico.
In 1950 it was excavated a Roman villa in loc. Su Loi in Capoterra (Cagliari). The emergency intervention is documented
only by a sketch and from 59 photographs, but thanks to them it was possible to reconstruct the plan of the
building and avanzarne the geographic positioning.

Il progetto e il Centro Internazionale di Studi “Ancient Cities” nascono dalla collaborazione tra l’Università della Basilicata e altri importanti atenei nazionali e internazionali (Università degli Studi di Messina, Università di Napoli “L’Orientale”, Uniwersytet Jagiellonski w Krakowie, Université de Tours). L’asse portante di questo progetto è l’individuazione di elementi politici, economici, sociali e culturali della città greca e della città romana che possano r i s u l tar e modell i ut i l i pe r la rivitalizzazione dei borghi della Basilicata. Il progetto, dunque, grazie alla sinergia tra Centro Internazionale di Studi e gli enti locali, si pone non solo quale fucina e veicolo di nuove acquisizioni scientiWiche, ma anche come propulsore – tramite l’organizzazione di convegni, eventi culturali, percorsi formativi – dello sviluppo dei centri lucani.

A decade of studying the topography/archaeology/history/geography of the Surrey parish I grew up in has left me with a clutch of discoveries of local and supra-local significance, as well as a host of questions to be answered in the future by myself and any more capable researchers who might be interested in taking up the challenge. The paper (like the extended and extensive research process behind it) takes what is very much a long view to the subjects in hand. So far as the medieval period is concerned, it sets out the evidence that suggests the landscape was recast during a "long twelfth century" which saw Puttenham emerge as a manor, village and parish, but within a more complex and heterogenous local context. Further research should show the degree to which the situation within the parish matched or was at odds with that from other parishes within Surrey and beyond.

***Follow link below to view paper***

Introduction:
This paper seeks to address the following questions: Can we establish that meaningful relationships existed between some Gallo-Roman sanctuaries and the Iron Age lieux de mémoire (‘places of memory’) over which they were founded if the sites experienced periods of abandonment? If so, could we then view their histories as continuous? Previously, scholars have allowed continuity of place in these cases, but generally denied that any substantive relationship existed between the two epochs. Further, the modern definition of continuity does not allow sites with significant interruptions of occupation or activity to be described as having a ‘continuous’ history. However, in this paper, I will propose that we consider continuity differently. I believe that continuity may also be demonstrated by the enduring significance that places of memory possessed for local communities, a significance that attracted the foundation of new central places, and could be appropriated at sites’ reoccupation. Through the appropriation of places of memory, newly founded central places were linked to past epochs of sites’ histories, and granted legitimacy to define contemporary identities by their antiquity.
In order to present this alternative notion of continuity, I will outline a theoretical framework that uses the concepts of central places and lieux de mémoire to model the progression of sites from their initial states, through their periods of abandonment, and into their later histories. I believe that by reconsidering continuity within the framework of these concepts, we will gain a better understanding of how these sites were perceived and experienced in antiquity, and may wish to revise how we define continuity to better suit ancient perspectives.
The initial section of this paper will be devoted to the theoretical aspects of the topic. It will define places of memory and central places, and present the theoretical framework. The second section will illustrate the theoretical considerations using the case study of Ribemont-sur-Ancre, the well-known Gallo-Roman sanctuary founded upon a place of memory from the La Tène B2/C1 period (late third century B.C.). The case study will address: the creation of the place of memory at Ribemont, and the activity of its initial epoch; what it came to mean to the local community over its period of abandonment; and how the site’s significance was appropriated at the foundation of the Gallo-Roman sanctuary in the early Roman period. Discussion of Ribemont will conclude with an illustration of how the site’s history may be modelled using the study’s theoretical framework, and brief summary of the sanctuary’s subsequent development. The final section of the paper before the conclusion will briefly address three comparative examples – Gournay-sur-Aronde, Nitry, and Mirebeau-sur-Bèze – to illustrate how the theoretical framework may be applied to other sanctuaries for future studies.
While addressing only one case study in detail in this paper, I believe that the framework presented here may be applied to many other Gallo-Roman sanctuaries founded upon places of memory in Gaul and Britain. Hopefully, the parallels and interactions between the concepts of lieux de mémoire and central places discussed here will encourage further integration of the concepts in future considerations.

This dissertation examines ancient anchoring practice in the Mediterranean through ca. 1500 CE, as well as the history and technological developments of iron anchors, which are among the most important tools inherited from the ancient world. The methodology employed is holistic in synthesizing archaeological finds, textual, and iconographic evidence, and includes statistical and geographical analysis based on a substantial catalogue of ancient anchor finds. An experimental project is also included where anchor reconstructions were used in the sea and their utility tested.

Mooring is one of the least studied aspects of everyday life for the people of the ancient Mediterranean. It has been elucidated that in most circumstances beaching would not have been a practical option, even for warships and the smallest cargo vessels. Rather, vessels were equipped with specialized gear for mooring off or near undeveloped shores. This included ship's boats enabling access to the shore. Lower draft vessels, particularly galleys, could approach unbuilt shores and employ mooring stakes and cables, and the ship's landing-ladder would be deployed into shallow water. Where available, however, ships would benefit from built quays which facilitated goods transport.

The iron stock-anchor displays the greatest longevity of any anchoring tool, evinced as early as the 5th c. BCE, and appears to have achieved dominance over wooden types by the 3rd c. CE. From its conception the iron-stock anchor undergoes a broad range of gradual changes to its form and features. The earliest known finds take a 'V' form in the bulk-arms and gradually develop through rounded to 'T' and 'Y' forms in the Byzantine Period. The stocks evolve from removable iron types, to permanent forms entirely of wood. Reintroduction of upward-oriented arm designs from northern Europe around the 13th c. CE, and incorporation of hydraulic mechanized smithing developments, heralded a revolution of anchoring technology. Larger, stronger and more efficient anchors were being produced to standardized dimensions and quality, promoting larger ships, and ultimately resulting in novel characteristics of navigation.

After G.M.A. Richter’s work “The Portraits of the Greek” this paper aims to examine some images of poets and philosophers from Magna Graecia and Sicily. Only a portrait from Aphrodisias (Turkey) can surely be referred to Pythagoras because of the inscription. A beautiful marble head of Parmenide was discovered in Velia (Southern Italy). There is no evidence for Archimedes’ image, while archaeological data about other famous Greek men are very scanty.

From the VI to the VIII century most of Rome’s ancient monuments got into such a state of degradation and abandonment that even the memory of their original name and function had been completely lost. On studying the mistakes in location of the Temple of Peace, it appeared evident that the misunderstandings, other than the Basilica, were tightly linked with the misconceptions relating to the adjacent Temple of Romulus, as well as  the nearby Temple of Venus and Rome. Thus these monuments must be considered as a whole, in order to reconstruct their identification history.

Mark Wilson Jones explores how the architects of ancient Rome approached design. Drawing on new archaeological discoveries and his own analyses of Roman monuments, the author discusses how the ancient architects dealt with the principles of architecture and the practicalities of construction as they engaged in the creative process.

""It has long been known that areas such as Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Essex were intensely exploited for salt in the Iron Age and Romano-British periods. Previous research has tended to focus on the eastern coast of Britain, with less attention being paid to other potential salt-producing areas. 

In previous studies in southern Britain, much emphasis has been placed on the distribution of salt and the ‘equipment’ used to produce and potentially transport salt - briquetage. Much less attention has been paid to the production process. 

This research project directly addresses this imbalance, by placing the emphasis on to the study of the production sites, and by creating and analysing a new dataset to contextualise sites using a holistic perspective.  The analysis of salt-production sites has redefined the archaeological terminology for salt production, and has critically evaluated how these sites have been incorporated into the archaeological record. 

The re-categorisation of the archaeological remains on a site by site basis has enabled the formation of a comprehensive dataset for the first time.  This has enabled a regional and chronological comparison of salt-production in southern Britain to be undertaken.

The  analysis has shown that despite problems of incorrect perceptions of salt production practices, inconsistent  recording and categorisation, and severe site damage by human and natural forces, it is possible, to inject concepts of ‘agency’ and ‘identity’ into these sites by exploring evidence of technological choice and use of space.

It was possible to identify distinctive ‘working areas’ containing features (hearths and brine tanks) where the main stages of salt-production were carried out.

New ‘Modes of Salt-Production’ have been created in order to compare different methods of organisation and ‘site management’ across time and space.  These modes enable a new approach about salt-production to be made set in the wider context of supply networks and specific consumer markets.   

This research has shown that there were significant regional and chronological variations in salt-production; with three main areas of activity identified in Somerset, Dorset and Kent.  The most significant chronological change was the substantial increase in salt-production during the 1st century A.D. followed by its decline in the 2nd century A.D in Kent and Dorset.  However, this was not the case in Somerset, where the dominant period of salt-production occurred between the 2nd and 4th centuries A.D. 

The identification of regional trends in the scale and organisation of production, as well as the rich diversity of sites, shows that producers adapted  to changes in the supply and consumption of salt over time.  Considerably more salt would have been required to supply the growing population in the 1st century A.D and this encouraged the creation of many new production sites.  However, the diversity in site character suggests that there was little tight control of coastal salt-production sites at that time.  It is argued that instead, focus was placed upon the exploitation of salt from inland brine springs in Cheshire and Worcestershire.  This is evidenced in the organisation, technology and creation of military supply bases close to these sites.

Instead, it is argued that the Roman invasion formalised and expanded existing supply networks from coastal salt-production sites, in addition to creating new inland networks.  This resulted in the creation of more formal ‘production and/or distribution centres.  It is also probable that the emergence of uniform salt-production sites in Somerset in the later Roman period, reflects that this area had become predominant for the supply of salt to major ‘consumer sites such as legionary fortresses and the larger towns.
""

Draft final completed section of the South Yorkshire Archaeological Research Framework on behalf of Historic England and the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service. The final published version will be in the form of an interactive website hosted by Historic England that will feature all of the regional archaeological resource assessments and research frameworks, which should be going online in 2020. I would like to thank Andrew Lines, Jim McNeil, Zac Nellist, and Dinah Saich of the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service; for approaching me to see if I would be interested in producing this document. The comments made during and after the day workshop on the Iron Age and Roman periods by the many colleagues who attended were extremely useful, and where possible have been incorporated within this document.

"Roma fue un ejemplo para la humanidad en la
aplicación de la ciencia al servicio del hombre. Su
avanzado derecho es hoy todavía la base del nuestro
y la ingeniería era empleada en las grandes realizaciones
al servicio del pueblo, las obras públicas.
Una gran red de carreteras comunicaba las ciudades
del Imperio y las aguas se dominaban para servir
a la agricultura, a la industria y a la salud de la
población.
En el año 312 a. C. el primer acueducto llevaba
agua de excelente calidad a Roma. Al final de la vida
de la gran ciudad fueron diez los que le suministraban
cerca de mil millones de litros de agua por día.
La mitad de este impresionante suministro era para
los baños públicos y el resto para los otros consumos
de los dos millones de habitantes de la ciudad.
La equivalencia de 250 litros por habitante y día es
una cantidad superior a lo que consumen hoy
muchas de las ciudades modernas como Londres o
Nueva York.
En 1954, cuatro de esos acueductos fueron renovados
y bastaron para satisfacer las necesidades
de la Roma moderna.
Los baños públicos en Roma dan una idea de la
importancia del agua para la ciudadanía. Los de
Caracalla en el año 200 d. C. tenían una capacidad
para 1.600 personas simultáneamente y los de Diocleciano,
en el 280, tenían unas 3.000 estancias."

Il pilum è un'arma di cui si è persa la reale memoria con la fine dell'Impero Romano. Nei secoli successivi è stato tramandato un uso mitizzato da errate interpretazioni testuali del tutto sbagliate. La moderna archeologia ne sta restituendo la sua reale consistenza.

Der vorliegende Band ist das Resultat einer Tagung in Iaşi, die unter dem gleichen Titel zwischen dem 24. und 27. September 2014 stattfand. Die Konferenz wurde gemeinsam von der Universität Konstanz, der Alexandru-Ioan-Cuza-Universität Iaşi und dem Archäologischen Institut der Rumänischen Akademie in Iaşi organisiert. Zentrale in diesem Band behandelte Fragen betreffen dabei die Integrationsleistung des römischen Reiches, die Fragen des Bürgerrechts und seiner Verleihungsmodalitäten, Fragen nach Identitäten und ihrer Manifestationen innerhalb und außerhalb des Imperiums. Besonders geht es aber auch um die Rolle der so genannten „Barbaren“, die mit dem griechischen Begriff nur unzureichend – auch im römischen Kontext – erfasst werden. Der Austausch mit ihnen und ihren Traditionen, die bei allem Romanisierungsdruck manifest blieben, hat auch Rom und sein Reich beeinflusst. Entsprechend stellt sich der Zugang, den die hier zusammengestellten Beiträge mit einem Fokus auf die römischen Donauprovinzen und deren benachbarte Gebiete suchen, kontextuell folgendermaßen dar