ABSTRACT Tunisia’s pavilion at the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition was more than just an Orientalist set piece on the Seine. Its components, by French architect and archaeologist Henri Saladin, incorporated recognisable elements drawn from several Tunisian monuments, while its functional market (souk) staffed by Tunisian merchants and craftsmen attracted considerable attention. Transcending the spectacle, the complex also had didactic aims. Its main building housed three distinct sections that featured exhibitions on agriculture, industry, and art and archaeology, reflecting the priorities of the relatively new French colonial administration (1881–1956). The pavilion’s evocation of Tunisia’s noteworthy Roman history in its central space celebrated ancient productivity while substantiating contemporary narratives that claimed the Roman Empire as precedent for France’s North African interventions. This article situates Saladin’s pavilion within the context of late nineteenth-century agricultural settlement policies in Tunisia and parses components of the pavilion’s structure and displays in light of developing colonialist rhetoric that was both retrospective and opportunistic in its support of emigration at a time of intense demographic competition with Italy in occupied Tunisia.

ABSTRACT The Roman annexation of northern Britain in the first century CE correlates with the emergence of a diverse range of economically and culturally significant plants in the region; a process now framed in the Mediterranean as Roman Agricultural Diffusion (or RAD). This paper presents a systematic analysis of those plants introduced during the Roman period, contextualized through changes in the broader timeframe,first millennium BCE and CE. Plants are broken down into use-based (functional) categories and their presence systematically reviewed. Two distinct peaks are evident in the frequency of collated crop records, the first associated with the Roman period and the second associated with the period of Scandinavian settlement. Dataset biases are discussed to contextualize the representativeness of the region’s archaeobotanical record and its ability to reflect historical processes.

Amphorae unearthed during excavations at the Roman Baths and Olive Market sites in Tarsus provide significant insights into the city’s maritime trade with various regions. These amphorae, mostly dating to the Roman and Late Antique periods, shed light on the commercial connections the Cilician port city of Tarsus maintained with various centres across the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas. Among the amphorae found at the Roman Baths and Olive Market are examples produced in Egypt and Palestine in the eastern Mediterranean region. The Egyptian amphorae are of types AE 5/6 and AE 7, represented by fragments of rim-neck, neck-shoulder-body, and body-base sections. Based on comparison, these are dated to the 6th and 7th centuries AD, with type AE 5/6 amphorae being more numerous. The other group consists of Late Roman 4 amphorae of Palestinian origin, identified as rim, handle and base fragments. Found at both sites, they belong to the A2 and B1 variants of the LR 4 amphorae. Amphorae of this group were dated between the second quarter and the end of the 5th century AD, as well as to the late 5th and first half of the 6th centuries AD. Wine was exported to Tarsus in these Egyptian and Palestinian amphorae. The latest examples are dated to the mid-7th century AD, around the time of the Arabian-Byzantine Wars, during which Tarsus was captured by the Arabians.

The transformation of the Roman world [fourth to ninth centuries common era (CE)], culminating in the Western Roman Empire's fall, marked a fundamental transition in European history. Key questions persist regarding the regionally specific nature of this transformation. We generated a paleogenomic dataset to reconstruct post-Roman organizations in the Little Hungarian Plain at microregional resolution. Genetic and archaeological analyses of two Roman (n = 68) and five post-Roman (n = 246) sites reveal a rise in Northern European ancestry, reflecting large-scale population movements into this region. Moreover, despite post-Roman sites sharing similar genetic profiles, material culture, and burial practices, they show distinct social structures, especially regarding the role played by biological relatedness. These findings highlight local hierarchies and reveal the making of a post-Roman polity.

The genetic landscape of northeastern Iberian communities from the early to late Iron Age

Trier is the oldest city in Germany with many relics of the Roman Empire. One of them is the burial chamber at Reichertsberg. Since its discovery in 1967 it has been excavated and secured with protecting outer walls. Located largely intact in a mountain slope at the back of a school yard it had been neglected until a detailed study 30 years later. In an effort to draw attention to its deteriorating state of preservation, the interior decorations were investigated in September 2025 along with NMR depth profiling of the plaster layers applied on three different occasions in the 3rd to 4th century AD. The NMR measurements are reported here along with an estimation of the moisture flux inside the plaster cover of a naturally wet inner wall.

Lost Roads of the Roman Empire: A massive digitization project has nearly doubled the known extent of the first continent-scale road network.

The sound of the roman empire: effects of playing a history video game with and without sound.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope dataset from Roman sites in Germania inferior (Xanten, Tongeren, and Valkenburg).

Origins of early Imperial Roman fused mosaic glass

The book on the City of God and the City of Man is a masterpiece by St. Augustine that is very influential in the history of philosophy and theology. This book contains the background of Augustine's philosophical and theological reflections on the accusation of the destruction of the Roman Empire against Christianity. The City of God described in Augustine's perspective is a city that prioritizes love for God. While the City of Man is a city that reflects self-love. The implications of both types of cities in Augustine's perspective are very relevant to be discussed in the discourse on the concept of statehood. This paper also aims to analyze the relationship between democracy and capitalism in the perspective of Augustine of Hippo's thought, especially through the concept of civitas Dei (City of God) and civitas terrena (World City). This study uses a qualitative method with a library research approach. The results of this study show that democracy and capitalism, although providing space for freedom, are vulnerable to deviations when not guided by the correct moral orientation. In light of Augustine's thought, the crisis in modern democracy such as; Money politics, media manipulation, and anarchic demonstrations reflect the dominance of self-love (amor sui) that characterizes the civitas terrena. Therefore, democracy can only operate fairly if it is rooted in moral values ​​that lead to the common good (Bonum communae).

Bioarchaeological research in the Roman period: proceedings of the 1st and 2nd annual meetings of the International Congress on Roman Bioarchaeology

Abstract Systematic surface surveys conducted since 2023 in the Borecka Forest, located in northeastern Masuria, have resulted in the discovery of an imported provincial Roman brooch decorated with enamel sockets. The artifact was found at one of the newly identified sites (Szwałk, site 18), likely associated with a settlement from the Roman and Migration periods, and was retrieved from the site’s surface using a metal detector. The brooch can be classified as type Exner I.32. The authors of the study published in 2009 (by J. Andrzejowski, A. Mistewicz, and R. Prochowicz) collected 41 such fibulae , primarily from Western, Central, and Southern Europe. The authors concluded that these brooches were likely produced in the 2 nd century AD (phases B2–B2/C1) initially primarily in the Rhine provinces. More recent discoveries of similar brooches (21 specimens) discussed in this article do not alter their proposed chronology. However, the context of a find from the sanctuary at Martberg suggests the possibility that production may have continued until the mid-3 rd century AD. The distribution pattern, particularly the significant number of new finds from Central and Southeastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine), indicates that the brooch from Szwałk may have reached the Masurian region via the Amber Road from the Middle Danube. The brooch from Szwałk can be linked to the settlement of the Bogaczewo culture, which flourished in eastern Masuria during the Early Roman Period.

Dharih, in the modern Tafilah region of southern Jordan, is best known as a signature site for the Nabatean and Roman periods, but the French-Jordanian team that carried out archaeological research there from the 1980s until the 2000s also uncovered evidence of human occupation through the 4th and 3rd millennia b.c.e., in the Early Bronze Age. In Transjordan, this time relates to the development and crisis of early urbanism and to the consequent regional reorganization in the non-urban period. This paper presents the Early Bronze Age evidence uncovered at Dharih, provides a chronological assessment of the finds, and analyzes the 4th and 3rd millennium b.c.e. occupation at the site within a regional context. It discusses how these previously unpublished records for the Early Bronze I–IV (ca. 3800/3700–1950/1920 b.c.e.) may help place the site and its surrounding area into regional patterns of material culture and current narratives for those periods.

Baʾude village is part of a network of archaeological villages in northern Syria that are home to numerous well-preserved historical sites from the Roman and Byzantine periods. In 2011, these villages were inscribed on the World Heritage List due to their outstanding cultural significance. Baʾude exemplifies rural life through its architecture and interaction with the natural environment, with houses being the predominant feature of its built heritage. Many of the houses are in good condition due to the use of massive stones in their construction. Several internal facades on the ground floors, overlooking the courtyards, are relatively intact and adorned with diverse decorative styles. These unspoiled architectural elements provide valuable insight into the layout, orientation, size, and design of the houses, while the surrounding environmental factors further enhance the unique character of Baʾude.

The article analyses the development of Italian and Spanish Renaissance theatre, as well as their common features and differences. It also highlights how the two theatrical schools made a significant contribution to the history of European theatre by artistically expressing Renaissance ideas, humanism, and popular themes. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, under the influence of Christian ideology, classical art experienced a decline; however, by the 14th–16th centuries, the emergence of new social relations led to the revival of theatre. At the same time, the article scientifically examines the process by which Italian and Spanish theatre emerged from medieval conservatism to reach a stage of popular, humanistic, and artistically mature development.

XRF analyses on Greek and Roman copper-based coins from Istros (Romania)

The city of Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, was founded in 19/20 c.e. by King Herod Antipas as his new capital in Galilee. Remains identified as the palace of Antipas, characterized by their construction technique and decorations, were uncovered in Yizhar Hirschfeld’s excavations. This article proposes a new study of the remains, suggesting a reevaluation of the architecture, décor, and chronology that are used to substantiate the identification with the palace of Antipas. It discusses the architecture vis-à-vis palaces of Herod the Great and shows that, while there is continuity in style, there is a visible increase in investment in the Tiberias palace, at least in terms of its marble ornamentation. This article further argues that the stratigraphy defined by Hirschfeld did not differentiate between two distinct architectural phases: the first is a palatial complex, while the second attests to the repurposing of the palace into simple dwellings, probably in the 2nd century c.e. Ultimately this study provides a new understanding of the city’s early evolution as well as insights into developments of palatial architecture in the Roman southern Levant on the background of expanding Mediterranean connectivity in the early decades of the Roman Empire.

When luxury comes to an end: Animal production and consumption in the late Roman occupation of the aristocratic residence of Els Munts (Tarragona, Catalonia)

Abstract Glass is made for recycling, yet ancient glass compositions survived and remain identifiable after more than five centuries. 144 glass fragments excavated at Tusculum (Italy) from the Roman and medieval periods were analysed by LA-ICP-MS and optical absorption spectroscopy. The results confirm the presence of 1st- to 4th-century Roman glass types, while recycled late antique Foy 2 glass predominates in the medieval contexts. Recycling was clearly intensive in medieval Italy, and Foy 2 was the main substrate available at the time. If enrichment in transition metals is characteristic of Italian glass assemblages and distinguishes them from many other European regions, a subgroup of the recycled material exhibits an unexpected shift in the Th/Zr ratios. No systematic colour pattern is evident in the recycled glass, except for a small subset produced from cullet in which antimony retained its oxidation potential, pointing to the incorporation of opacified mosaic tesserae during recycling.