"What could be part of an olive press dating back to Roman times has been discovered embedded under a high rubble wall on the outskirts of Nadur.
The press was discovered by Lino Bugeja, of Marsascala, while walking down the winding road to Ramla bay last week.
Mr Bugeja said he was convinced the large round stone was a press because it was practically identical in shape and size to the existing olive press at the Archaeology Museum in Gozo. The one in the museum was one of two found in Xewkija."

#

Horsehoes evolved from Roman hipposandals       ( 4:47 PM ) Libitina  

Third Largest Collection of Gladiator Inscriptions Found in Cordoba       ( 9:27 AM ) Libitina  

2nd Century Gold Tablet Found in Norfolk       ( 9:21 AM ) Libitina  

Al-Jouf, first mentioned in recorded history in the royal Annals of Assyria, when it was attacked by the Assyrian King Sennacherib in 688 BC, is the site of a discovery of Roman coins. The coins were unearthed on a hillside a few kilometers behind the Aramco oil terminal outside Sakaka. The regional capital of the northern province of Al-Jouf, Sakaka contains Saudi Arabia’s equivalent of Stonehenge. The cluster of sandstone stele, known as Al-Rajajil, have stood here for more than 6,000 years. Standing astride the trade routes from Syria and Iraq to Yemen, Syrian, Roman and Greek artifacts have all been found here.

#

"They thought it had been made by skilled local craftsman in the last century before the Roman invasion. But scientific analysis of an Iron Age gold hoard found near Winchester in 2000 showed it was made by Roman or Hellenic craftsman between 70BC and 30BC," said Dr. Dick Whinney, curator of the British Museum.

Dr Whinney observes: "We're never going to prove the gold was a gift from Caesar or Antony. But if we take the technological evidence about the origin and craftsmanship of these items alongside the time frame, it is a good theory. "The implication is they were made to order in a style that would be acceptable to native kings and queens, possibly to cement a friendship or encourage an alliance."

When the legions invaded, they were unopposed by local tribes, although they had the manpower and fortifications to fight. "There were no battles here. The Romans were allowed to pass through what appears to have been a client kingdom."

See also: The Winchester Hoard

#

I have always loved the Greco-Roman mummy portraits from the Fayum region of Egypt and today stumbled across this wonderful site about them. Discovered in March, 1888 by Flinders Petrie, the site was termed 'an immense cemetery of Roman time with rooms brick-built tombales still containing the bodies of their owners'. He became quite emotional when he gazed on the first portrait still fixed to its mummy, 'a splendidly drawn girl, with sweet grey tints'. "

I found this portrait particularly poignant.

#

Archaeologists digging at the ancient city of Antikythera have located sanctuaries, a large public building and a wealth of missiles — spear and arrow heads, slingshots and large catapult stones — in the settlement identified as the city of Aegila mentioned in ancient sources. Antikythera controlled the strait between Kythera and western Crete, a crucial passage for shipping.

The site, occupied from the mid-fourth to the mid-first centuries BC, may have been a nest of pirates, at a time when piracy was quasi-legitimate. Archaeologists also located a large boat shed “which protected the constantly war-ready pirate ships.”

I wonder if this port could have served as a base for Sextus Pompeius?

#

Senua, Britain's unknown goddess unearthed       ( 2:04 PM ) Libitina  

New Mosaics And Frescos Excavated At Zeugma       ( 1:55 PM ) Libitina  

Byzantine Artifacts Found At Abu Sir       ( 1:42 PM ) Libitina  

Origin of Famous Cameo Vase Disputed       ( 1:27 PM ) Libitina