Roman Sites Research Articles

ABSTRACT Waterlogged preservation is rare in the Mediterranean, but when present, it enables the recovery of a particularly wide variety of plants. The Roman site of Guissona (Iesso, Catalonia, Spain) is one of the very few sites in the Iberian Peninsula with such conditions. This study focuses on waterlogged archaeobotanical material from four wells excavated at Guissona, dating from the mid-1st century BCE to the late 2nd/early 3rd century CE, and a few available dry samples. The spatial and temporal analysis of the material provided useful insights into the local environment and food plant practices across the site. The assemblage included a wide variety of wild plants that allowed reconstruction of the site's natural environment, while their potential involvement in everyday life was explored. The study also identified a wide range of food crops, many of which were Roman imports, reflecting trade links. Notably, seeds of bottle gourd, rye, and coriander are among the earliest found in Spain. The rich assemblage finally sheds light on arboriculture, viticulture, and horticulture at the site. Ultimately, this study illuminates how people in this western province of the Roman empire engaged and intertwined in their everyday life the local environment within the broader, ‘global’ Roman world.

Archaeological work at Gabii in Italy has revealed burials in the settlement area dating to three different time periods: Iron Age, Archaic and Imperial. In this paper, we investigate the genetic characteristics of the people buried at Gabii, integrating mitochondrial DNA evidence with archaeological and historical contexts to address questions about community and population dynamics, such as whether biological lineages persisted through time and whether there were biological links among high-status and anomalous burials. We discovered that the people buried at Gabii showed biological links within but not between time periods. Although the majority of the skeletal remains of the individuals in this project were lost in a 2020 wildfire, future work using the genomic libraries prepared for this study is planned, provided that the endogenous aDNA content is sufficient for analysis.Online Supplementary MaterialsAppendix AAppendix B

The focus of the paper is on the book by the American scholar Stephen L. Dyson Ancient Marbles to American Shores: Classical Archaeology in the United States (1998), devoted to the emergence and shaping of this field in the United States. The author of this fundamental work is a professor of classical philology, president of the American Institute of Archaeology from 1995 to 1998, professor of Wesleyan University and the State University of New York at Buffalo, and over the course of his career director of numerous research projects in Italy. His research interests cover a wide range of issues in the history and archaeology of Rome and Roman Italy. He has taught numerous courses for undergraduates and graduate students, including those of a historiographical nature. The book in question is, without exaggeration, the first synthetic work tackling the complex process of the formation of classical archaeology in the United States. Dyson analyzes the work of leading American scholars, describes their achievement, particularly fruits of the study of ancient Greek and Roman sites and remains, and the role of institutions such as museums and universities in the professionalization of classical archaeology in the US. Some of Dyson’s arguments concerning the stages, trends, issues, and prospects in the development of classical archaeology in the US provoke reflection, including on the state of affairs in Ukrainian research and education. In particular, the author of the paper draws attention to the importance of intergenerational continuity in this kind of scholarship, the role of state institutions and programs, and the state of higher education in history, where such specialists are trained. The paper concludes with some considerations regarding the future of classical archaeology in Ukraine.

The Roman site at Makariopolsko village in Northeastern Bulgaria has been identified as a ceramic production center, featuring single- and double-chamber kilns, abundant ceramic material, and a nearby water source. Geological assessments also reveal local clay deposits. Previous archaeological studies have noted similar Roman production sites in the region, primarily focusing on the study of the kilns and the macroscopic description and classification of the ceramics. However, there has been a lack of research into the pottery’s composition and the sourcing of raw materials, which is essential for understanding the area’s cultural and economic context. This study aims to determine the raw material and firing temperature of the ceramic from the site at Makariopolsko village. Clay samples (both raw and fired at 1100 °C) and ceramic were subjected to chemical, statistical, phase X-ray structural, and thermal analyses. The findings indicate the use of calcareous illite–kaolinitic clay, sourced locally, with an added sandy component. The ceramics were fired at temperatures of 570–760 °C and 920–945 °C. These results, which support the site’s identification as a pottery production center, highlight advanced pottery skills and the dual functional capabilities of the kilns. Additionally, they pave the way for further research into regional production center relationships.

Abstract Architectural and engineering elements of the Roman civilization constitute an important cultural heritage. Nevertheless, not all ancient Roman cities and the roads connecting them have been found, mainly because classical geographical sources show a significant lack of precision. A more precise identification of archaeological findings is necessary because sometimes different archaeological sites are proposed as the same Roman city. The geographical reliability of some of the most controversial locations assigned in the literature to Roman settlements of the southern sub‐plateau of the Iberian Peninsula is discussed here by means of a multidisciplinary study.

Combined use of Raman spectroscopy, cluster analysis, and SEM-EDS for the characterization of Roman bronze artifacts from Spoletino's cistern (Civitella D'Agliano, VT).

Archaeological excavations on Mogador Island (Essaouira, Morocco) in 2009 yielded two fossil marine brachiopods found in a refuse layer with Roman finds dated from the first to third century AD (pottery, glass, metal). These fossils originated from marine sediments of the Early Cretaceous age (a geological epoch, about 145–100 million years ago). Four more brachiopods of the same species had previously been found in the 1960s within a Roman building. As the island of Mogador consists entirely of geologically young (about 2 million-year-old) Pleistocene dunes, the provenance of the brachiopods is not of local origin. Geological strata of Cretaceous age are unknown from Mogador. In order to record the source area of the well-preserved brachiopods, the material has been studied in detail. Based on their external morphology and internal structures revealed by serial sectioning, the brachiopods under discussion were identified as Lamellaerhynchia rostriformis. Marine Early Cretaceous sediments containing abundant specimens of this species crop out in the area between Agadir and Essaouira and further to the east. The two fossil brachiopods discussed here most likely came from this area ca. 50 km east-southeast of Mogador. The source rocks for the specimens under discussion can be assigned to the Hauterivian geological period (132–129 million years ago) of the Early Cretaceous, according to the local mass occurrence of L. rostriformis on mainland Morocco. Based on the archaeological evidence associated with the brachiopod fossils we discuss possible modes and reasons for their translocation. We see clear evidence for a purposeful collection and storage of these fossils.

The topography of alluvial plains in Europe has been strongly affected and overprinted by different diachronic human activities, and modern land use has reworked geomorphological and archaeological traces, often hindering the reconstruction of past landscapes and the assessment of ancient environmental impacts. In this work, set in the distal Venetian-Friulian Plain, in northeastern Italy, we took advantage of the presence of the last remnants of semi-natural lowland forests, and we combined high-resolution remotely sensed data to detect and map a specific type of archaeological trace related to clay quarrying. Analysis of digital terrain models (DTMs) obtained from LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) revealed topographic traces underneath forested or recently deforested areas while photointerpretation of satellite and aerial imagery was crucial in detecting levelled traces. Moreover, we used hand augering techniques to assess the depth and infill material of the clay quarry evidence. Our investigation recognized nine Roman sites, consisting of hundreds of quadrangular pits (124.8 m2 size – 1 m depth), which lie on top of Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) alluvial clays. We infer these pits to be Roman quarried workshops connected to nearby kilns, where clays were extracted for ceramic building material (CBM) and pottery production. The unique signature of such traces, coupled with their resilience in the highly anthropized study area, underlines a Roman proto-industrial impact on the landscape, and suggests the existence of similar evidence in other plains under the Roman domain.

In the archaeometallurgical study of iron nails to investigate Roman manufacturing processes, multi-analyte characterization provides information on alloy composition and microstructure. Nails from the Roman sites of Forua, Aloria, and Iuliobriga (northern Spain) were studied. To characterize the iron phases and microstructures of the nails, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), micro-Raman spectroscopy, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) realized in environmental mode, and microhardness measurements were carried out. The chemical composition of the metal was determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The corrosion mineralogical composition was determined by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Aggressive burial conditions had a significant effect on the forms of corrosion of the Forua nails to the point of complete iron loss. Examination of the metal of the nails from the Aloria site revealed that most of the ironwork was made in the villa’s own forge. In the case of the Iuliobriga nails, different degrees of forging were identified associated with different workshops.

As a part of a larger project on Roman statuettes in Hungary we have also investigated the “restorations” and “improvements”, carried out over the past centuries on most of the earlier pieces we have analysed. The statuettes were acquired from excavations, donated by private collectors or possibly bought from other countries and underwent various treatments. An artificial patina, in the form of a black lacquer, was applied to most of the figurines. Our examination showed that it is possible to distinguish the ones employed in the 19th century – or even earlier – from the reddish-brown ones employed in the early 20th century. Interestingly, these treatments show notable similarities to the artificial patinations applied to Roman objects recovered in the same periods discovered at Pompeii and elsewhere in the area. Interventions with electrolysis can also interfere with surface analysis of older museum pieces. Another noteworthy aspect is the range of “improvements”, additions and “repairs” performed on some of the statuettes. In several cases, missing limbs, body parts or attributes were reconstructed by the “restorers” who tried to “improve” the objects by coating them with some kind of artificial patina to homogenize their appearance. This is a relatively common phenomenon that can be observed in most of the collections acquired by larger museums in different ways in the 18th and the 19th centuries. The primary aim of this paper is to highlight the impact that older “restorations” of various kind can have on surface analyses of the artifacts. This paper presents some case studies from the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest and compares them to artefacts from other Roman sites in Italy.

Our study explores the potential relationship between infant feeding practices and settlement complexity in the Roman Empire through high-resolution Bayesian-modeled stable isotope measurements from incremental dentine. We compiled isotopic data from permanent first molars of individuals from various Roman sites: five from Bainesse (UK), 30 from Thessaloniki (Greece), along with new carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses from four individuals from Pompeii and six from Ostia Via del Mare (AVM). Our results reveal significant inter-site variability in breastfeeding durations, ranging from 1.5 years to approximately 5 years. Notably, individuals from the highly complex urban centers of Pompeii and Thessaloniki ceased breastfeeding around or below the 2-year weaning threshold recommended by Roman physicians. In contrast, individuals from the rural site of Ostia AVM and the site of Bainesse, near the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, generally ceased breastfeeding after 2 years of age. The link between settlement complexity and duration of breastfeeding observed in our study may have resulted from adherence to medical guidelines, support infrastructures, and/or strategies to mitigate financial constraints within households.

Classical to Late Roman Sites at Diros Bay in the Mani Peninsula, Greece

Abstract This interdisciplinary study contributes to the understanding of the use of raw materials and pottery production techniques in Late Punic–Late Republican Malta, focusing on the Tas-Silġ sanctuary and the Żejtun Villa. Plates, bowls and cooking vessels were described typologically, and their fabrics were characterised using polarised light microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence. The aims were to classify these vessels into integrated and coherent fabric groups based on all analyses, to better understand the local production of vessels and to assess a possible local provenance.Four integrated fabric groups were identified and represent local productions using distinct raw materials or production techniques. These groups can be distinguished typologically, macroscopically, petrographically and chemically. Multivariate techniques, including the chemical analysis of Maltese clays, were produced to enhance the fabric classification and discuss their raw materials. The raw materials identified are consistent with what is known in Maltese geology. One group is distinctive, and the results suggest the possible use of a previously unidentified raw material, Terra Rossa, found over the Upper Coralline Limestone. This new classification provides the basis for further studies of Late Punic–Roman sites in the Maltese islands and the future identification of imports and exports from the Maltese islands.

Giuseppe Samonà was one of the most influential figures in 20th century Italian architecture and urban culture. In 1967, Samonà and his team submitted a competition proposal for the extension of the Camera dei deputati in Rome, considered by many to be one of the most significant and conceptually mature projects of his career. By examining the design and the report appended to the competition submittal the author explores the concept of the void that is the backbone of the project and finds that it has a twofold interpretation. Apart from the obvious physical manifestation of emptying, the void is also a meditative device, an incorporeal entity that relies on the body of the new insert to show the complexity of the history of the Roman site. It is in this inversion of the usual interpretation of the concept of void as being independent nothingness that allure of the project itself lies. By presenting the archival material and contemporary research, the author brings into focus a part of Samonà’s extraordinary contribution to the architecture and urban culture of the 20th century that surprisingly remains unrevealed to non-Italian audiences.

Simple SummaryCattle remains from the Roman period often indicate both small and large individuals. This can be evidenced through the variability in bone measurements related to the stature of living animals. It is widely believed that these differences are too great to be related to the size pattern of cows and bulls from a single population, instead pointing to the presence of different types. The smaller one is usually conceived as autochthonous, while the larger one is interpreted as—originally—introduced Roman cattle. Apparently, for the first time in Central Europe, people would use two or more breeds of the same domestic species. To determine the background of this new production regime, we analysed four stable isotope ratios of bone collagen from small and large specimens from Roman sites, including urban, rural, civilian, military, and ritual. If the two types were raised differently, this should be visible by the isotope ratios providing information about nourishment and origin. The results produced no consistent differences between small and large cattle; rather, these were raised side by side. Apparently, Roman agriculture was complex enough to support various breeds simultaneously, but further research on intra-site variability is needed.In this study, we try to combine traditional archaeozoological biometry, based on outer bone measurements, with stable isotope analyses of bone collagen. Right from the start of archaeozoological research in Central and Western Europe, the important size variability in Roman domestic cattle has puzzled scholars. According to an established view, these differences in bone size are attributed either to the simultaneous presence of different types or even breeds or to the result of crossbreeding of smaller, native, and larger Roman cattle. Likewise, the episodic import of large-sized animals has been considered. First, we selected thirty proximal phalanges of cattle from three sites including five archaeological contexts from eastern Austria (Roman provinces of Noricum and Pannonia). The bone sample comprised the whole hitherto observed metric variability in Roman provincial cattle, and we tried to include minimal and maximal specimens. The results from stable isotope analyses (δ15N, δ13C, δ18O, δ2H) carried out on thirty proximal phalanges indicated that isotope signals were rather site-specific and, generally, not related to bone size. Therefore, we conclude that at least in the area investigated, small and large cattle types were raised and herded in the same areas and not spatially separated. There are, however, uncertain indicators of intra-site differences in isotope signals related to bone size, which should be checked on much larger sample sets.

Troesmis, one of the largest ancient and Byzantine centres on the Lower Danube, is the focus of the international “Troesmis Project”. This archaeological initiative aims to complement existing epigraphic evidence on various settlement nuclei, particularly from the early Roman period, using non‑destructive prospection methods. As a result of the project, the rough structure and extent of the Imperial, Late Antique and Middle Byzantine settlements can be very well reconstructed. The area of the 2nd century fortress of legio V Macedonica was estimated to cover about 16 ha; the size of the settlement areas outside the castra walls ranged from 30 to 35 ha. For the first time, the structure of larger necropolis areas characterized by burial precincts and tumuli could be documented on the Lower Danube by means of geomagnetic measurements. First insights into the surroundings of Troesmis were also gained, due to the localisation of numerous new settlement sites, including ancient villas and rural settlements as well as Roman temporary camps. One of the largest documented structures was certainly the main water pipe supplying the legionary camp. Troesmis is now one of the few larger Roman sites on the Lower Danube, where the settlement structure is relatively well understood and the changes in settlement development from the 2nd and 3rd centuries to the 12th/13th centuries can be traced in broad outlines.

New field investigations along the East Tunisian coastline reveal sedimentary deposits and damaged localities that may account for a catastrophic event during the late Holocene. North of Sfax city, ~ 3.4 m high cliff coastal marine and alluvial terraces show 20 to 50-cm-thick chaotic layer with sandy coarse gravels mixed with reworked pebbles, broken shells of gastropods and molluscs, organic matter and Roman pottery. The chaotic layer truncates sandy-silty paleosol, covers Roman settlements and is overlain by fire remains, a thin sandy-silty aeolian unit and ~ 1-m-thick alluvial deposits. Charcoal samples collected at 10 cm below and 4 cm above the catastrophic deposits provide radiocarbon dating that brackets the catastrophic unit between 286 and 370 CE. Other historical investigations on the Roman sites of Neapolis (Nabeul), Hadrumete (Sousse), Thyna (Sfax), Meninx in Girba (Djerba), Wadi Ennouili (Gulf of Gabes), and Sabratha (in Libya) evidenced major damage and abandonment of sites in the fourth century (16, 41, 42, 43, 44). The new identification of catastrophic deposits, offshore-onshore correlations with turbidites and modelling of tsunami waves suggest the relationship with the 21 July 365 tsunamigenic earthquake (Mw ~ 8) of west Crete (Greece) and call for a better estimate of tsunami risk on the Mediterranean coastlines.

Human skeletal and dental remains are the primary focus of bioarchaeological research, as different diseases and pathological conditions can leave marks on the bones and teeth. Study of these remains provides insights into the lifestyle, health and quality of life of past populations. In this paper, the human skeletal remains from the Ozad Arene archaeological site in Pula (Istria, Croatia), originating from 25 graves and four bone assemblages dated between the 1st and the 4th centuries CE, were analysed. The aim of the paper is to reconstruct demographic and pathological characteristics of the Roman period population from Pula to gain insight into the living conditions and the quality of life in this community, and to determine whether the site differs from other archaeological sites from the same period in terms of general health and living conditions. The human skeletal sample in question comprises skeletal remains of a minimum 48 individuals; the high subadult mortality rate and high prevalence of dental enamel hypoplasia and the presence of cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, and periostitis indicate overall poor living conditions and widespread metabolic stress during childhood in Pula. Vertebral osteoarthritis and Schmorl′s nodes in the spines of younger individuals suggest continuous hard labour and strenuous physical activity. Based on the available data, it seems that living conditions in the Roman period Pula did not differ significantly from other Roman sites on the eastern Adriatic coast.

This article investigates late eleventh- and twelfth-century architecture in England and Wales from five interrelated points. First, it considers the appropriation of Roman sites for buildings of the post-1066 Norman administration. Second, it examines the creation of an architectural iconography in which there are associations with Imperial Rome. Third, there is the matter of scale, the desire to build big after many centuries of little or no tradition of constructing large edifices. Fourth, it explores the acquisition of a practical understanding of the building technology required for erecting large buildings. Fifth, it looks into the vocabulary of architectural articulation, the use of marble, and aspects of stone sculpture inherited from antiquity and appropriate to the monumentality of the new architecture. It references specific buildings, such as the Constantinian Basilica of Old St Peter’s in Rome, through the adaptation of triumphal arches down to details such as chip carving, marble, and the reuse and recreation of Roman bricks. Of the many large-scale buildings built by the Normans, a more detailed examination is devoted to the White Tower in London, castles at Colchester and Castle Rising, Winchester and Durham cathedrals, and the former abbey churches of Tewkesbury and Gloucester. It investigates the application of principles of the first-century BCE Roman architect and engineer, Vitruvius, the author of De architectura.

Understanding archaeological leather degradation helps inform economies, crafts, and technologies of historic communities. However, archaeological leather is at high risk of degradation due to deterioration and changes within the burial conditions. This research applied non-destructive FTIR-ATR to experimentally buried vegetable-tanned leather and archaeological leather excavated at the Roman site of Vindolanda, UK to explore survival, destruction, and preservation processes of tanned leather. Analyses focused on observing and monitoring changes in chemical functional groups related to leather tannins, collagen and lipid components following burial. FTIR-ATR results highlighted rapid changes following experimental burial in wet soil, tentatively associated with early onset microbial activity, which targeted readily available lipids but not tightly bound collagen. Prior to burial, differences in structural composition were present in leather spectra based on manufacture; however, following burial in wet soil, FTIR-ATR spectra indicated de-tanning occurs rapidly, especially in waterlogged conditions, with archaeological leather becoming more uniform and similar to untanned leather. Therefore, the comparison of FTIR-ATR results from archaeological leather to experimentally buried leather samples was informative for showing the destructive de-tanning in waterlogged environments. The comparison of FTIR-ATR data from modern unburied leather cannot be compared against archaeological samples. Importantly, despite de-tanning occurring soon after burial, the vegetable-tanning method promoted long-term preservation of leather in wet soil. The observed changes could not be directly associated with the proportion of condensed to hydrolysable tannin, suggesting alternate variables impacted the preservation. Furthermore, mineral components introduced into the leather through the animal skin, tannin material and/or tannin liquid are suggested to contribute to these changes. Crucially a high degree of heterogeneity in error results within the experimentally buried sample material underlined that any changes in collagen ratios cannot be overinterpreted and must be considered within the context of larger datasets.