Association for Roman Archaeology

An archaeological trench showing various gullys and ditches. Some of these contain runs of short orange ceramic water pipes that fit together not unlike lego to create continuous lengths of pipe.

We're sure all you can think about today is that it's World Plumbing Day. 👨‍🔧💦

So here's the Palace plumbing - ceramic pipes that carried water around the formal gardens and fed fountains and ornamental basins and the like.

(1960s excavation photo)

🧵👇

Obverse of a Roman aureus: Bust of Elagabalus, laureate, draped, cuirassed, right.

Reverse of a Roman aureus: Slow quadriga moving right, on which is set the conical stone of Emesa surmounted by eagle; in carriage, the stone is surrounded by four parasols.

#OnThisDay - 11 March in AD 222, the controversial reign of Elagabalus came to an end, assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard. #AncientHistory 🏺

Image: RIC IV Elagabalus 143d; Münzkabinett Wien (RÖ 37688). Link - numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric....

Archaeological Museum Aquileia Pic by me - Nov 2024

Archaeological Museum Aquileia Pic by me - Nov 2024

Archaeological Museum Aquileia Pic by me - Nov 2024

Archaeological Museum Aquileia Pic by me - Nov 2024

I tuned into the ASPROM Winter Symposium on Saturday to hear the excellent talk on mosaics of Aquileia by Roberto Corciulo and Cristiano Tiussi of Fondazione Aquileia, so it's fitting that for #MosaicMonday , the Archaeological Museum there is where we're heading.

Pics by me - Nov 2014

A Roman marble sculpture of four puppies, all curled up asleep together. Unearthed from the ruins of the House of the Faun in Pompeii, 1st century BCE, now housed at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Italy

From Delos, the Theatre Quarter, House, the so-called House of Cleopatra and Dioscorides (apparently an Athenian couple) Late 2nd or early Ist cent BC

#MosaicMonday
#Classics/AncientWorld
A Flying Mosaic!
Even though Philippe Bruneau called it “un tapis en pierre” the lozenges of red, black and white create a 3 dimensional illusion of cubes in perspective. The wave band border is reminiscent of earlier pebble mosaics, from tex Makedonia

The swirling central panel of a #Roman geometric mosaic - almost hypnotic! #MosaicMonday #AncientBlueSky

For #MosaicMonday an Agricultural Worker mosaic from Chedworth Roman Villa courtesy of Cross Duck. #RomanBritain #RomanArchaeology #Archaeology #RomanArt #Art

Three fragments of Roman mosaic. At top left, a leopard between two trees. At top right, a hound and a boar separated by a tree, with part of a rectangular compartment below; this shows a rosette with three birds to the right. At bottom, a small fragment with a bear.

On #MosaicMonday over the last few weeks, I've been paying tribute to the wonderful animals from the Withington Orpheus mosaic as depicted in Lysons's engravings. It was a great thrill to see the originals again last week, now displayed in the excellent Corinium Museum. 1/2
#AncientBlueSky 🏺

Open Call | Unione internazionale degli istituti di archeologia, storia e storia dell’arte in Roma - bsr.ac.uk The Unione internazionale degli istituti di archeologia, storia e storia dell’arte in Roma (coordinated by École française de Rome) offers two 6-month fellowships in 2026–2027. 🔹 Conduct research at t...

📢 Postdoctoral Fellowships in Rome!

The Unione internazionale degli istituti di archeologia, storia e storia dell’arte in Roma (coordinated by École française de Rome) offers two 6-month fellowships in 2026–2027.
bsr.ac.uk/open-call-un...

A building inscription from Balmuildy fort on the #AntonineWall dating the building work by the 2nd Legion the governorship of Lollius Urbicus AD139-43 #Scotland #RIB2191 now on display at the Hunterian museum, Glasgow

Mummy portrait depicting a woman wearing a necklace, a Medusa pendant and golden ear-pendants with pearls. Dated AD 161-192.

Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Austria.

#InternationalWomensDay ♀️

A lovely Roman mosaic showing floral motifs surrounded by a twisted guilloche border. Oh! And there's a fish! The colour scheme is white, black, grey and red.

This is where it started everyone!

Our "Floral Mosaic" was discovered in 1960 (don't ask how 😬😱). This led to 8 years of excavation during which the Palace was gradually revealed.
#MosaicMonday

#MosaicMonday with the surviving in-situ mosaic floor at the Canterbury Roman Museum

See what we've been doing & where we've been going to keep sane this winter >>> www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

This mosaic of a dog wearing a collar and leash and looking ready to play rather than fight is now held at the MAN Napoli.

✨ Cave Canem - Beware of dog✨

Monday off to a rough start? We’d be barking mad not to suggest you take a moment to enjoy this top doggo from Pompeii who was doing their best to keep the entry safe.

#MosaicMonday #AncientRome #Pompeii #Dog

#archaeology #ancientbluesky #romanhistory #history

Epitaph of Protes, 1-2nd Century AD, Rome.

"D(is) M(anibus). Prote vix(it) an(nis) III, men(sibus) XI, d(iebus) XXVII, Hyginus et Frontonis parentes fecerunt."

The Blackfriars Pavement in the Jewry Wall Roman Experience. It was originally found in 1832. The Great Central Railway built a tiled chamber beneath the station where it was found. Interested observers could view the mosaic from above through a prismatic glass floor. Moved in 1970s. #MosaicMonday

📸 My own. 2025

#MosaicMonday

Roman floor mosaic discovered in excavations in 1910 at Caerwent, Wales.

#Archaeology #RomanBritain

#MosaicMonday

#Roman floor mosaic from the Grotte Celoni area of the via Casilina, Rome. End of 1st - 2nd century AD.
(National Roman Museum, #Rome, #Italy)
#Art #History

Painting of a portrait in a roundel from a Roman mosaic possibly depicting Minerva or Mercury (or another helmet wearing deity or hero) surrounded by floral designs

Painting of a damaged Roman polychrome mosaic with floral designs

In 1903 a 4th century #Roman mosaic was uncovered at Fifehead Neville #Dorset

The central image was recorded by Mary Hartley just before souvenir hunters destroyed it 😱

The second painting © Stephen Cosh (2005) reconstructs the full floor from what was left before reburial

#MosaicMonday

Detail from the 4th century ‘Charioteer Mosaic’ featuring a victorious charioteer and quadriga (4 horse chariot). The mosaic decorated one of the rooms at Rudston Roman Villa in East Yorkshire; now part of the collections at Hull and East Riding Museum. 📸 My own #MosaicMonday

A Roman mosaic depicting an owl with wide eyes, brown and red body, and blue feet, set against a cream-colored background with a black geometric border. The owl looks a bit deranged.

Just another Monday…

A Roman mosaic depicting a somewhat whimsical owl 🦉, found in Uzès, southern France, dating second half of the 1st century BC.

📷 Denis Gliksman, Inrap

🏺 #MosaicMonday

My favourite Pompeii fresco: the dog’s expression kills me, like ‘nothing good will come from this’, Helen of Troy meets Paris.

My favourite Pompeii fresco: the dog’s expression kills me, like ‘nothing good will come from this’, Helen of Troy meets Paris.

Bust of Antoninus Pius over an image of the Antonine Wall

Map showing the 2 walls (Hadrian's and Antoninus').

Map showing Antonine forts along the Antonine Wall.

Busts of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus

#AntoninusPius, #Roman Emperor, died #OTD 7 Mar AD161 aged 74. One of the “Five Good Emperors”, his reign, known for stability and prosperity, saw Rome advance into Caledonia & build the Antonine Wall (AD142). He was succeeded by Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, Rome’s first joint emperors.

A display of nine ornate ancient metal toothpicks

Today is #DentistsDay. Although #dentistry did not exist as a separate profession, #Romans had ways to take care of their teeth. Archaeological and textual evidence shows that they practiced tooth extraction and cauterisation of infected gums in addition to using a variety of medical concoctions.

Looking east in Wall mile 24. On the counterscarp of the north fighting ditch.

Looking west in Wall mile 24. On the counterscarp of the north fighting ditch.

Looking east and west in Wall mile 24. On the counterscarp of the north fighting ditch. Portgate to Heavenfield section of Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail. #hadrianswall #followtheacorn

A museum case containing four red pottery vessels, in front small piles of nuts, seeds and shells.

Evidence for the diet of the Roman soldiers who guarded the Antonine Wall in Scotland - including Samian pottery, shellfish, nuts and seeds - found at various sites along the frontier, now in the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow.
#FindsFriday

#RomanSiteSaturday

Tradition has it that the so-called ‘Villa of Augustus’, also known as the Dionysiac Villa in Somma Vesuviana, near #Nola (an ancient Campanian town in #Naples) was the place where Emperor #Augustus breathed his last circa 14 AD. 

A nice tradition 👀🤔
#Archaeology #Roman #History

Looking east onto Milecastle 39 - a fortlet on Hadrian’s Wall, located to the northeast of Once Brewed in Northumberland. 📸 My own. #RomanSiteSaturday #HadriansWall #RomanBritain #Northumberland

Horsemen of the Roman army wore a parade helmet like this during demonstrations, which were part of their training. The helmet protected the head against the blows of spears. This image was originally posted to Flickr by TimeTravelRome

#Roman cavalry helmet. Possibly this face of woman represents an #Amazon. The band on the forehead (torques) was supposed to symbolize Amazons' "barbaric" character. Bronze. 100-200 AD. From Nola. Now in the British Museum.

#Ancient #Art #History #Archaeology

Low Roman ruined walls in a green field under a bright blue sky

#RomanSiteSaturday The Principia of Ambleside Roman Fort in Cumbria on a fine day last year

Here the commanding officer would have lived, alongside the temple and strong room where money and the units' standards were kept

📸 Mine

#archaeology #photooftheday 🏺