Archaeologists discovered ancient sarcophagus contained beauty products

Archaeologists say a third-century sarcophagus found in what is now western Germany contained the remains of a young Roman woman who was buried along with perfume bottles, a makeup palette and a silver hand mirror.

The Landesmuseum in Bonn said Monday that the massive stone coffin contained an unusual wealth of beauty products, jet jewelry, pins and a folding knife with a handle in the shape of a Hercules figure.

The 4 1/2-ton sarcophagus was discovered along the route of an ancient highway connecting the Roman empire settlements of Trevorum and Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium — now the German cities of Trier and Cologne.

Archaeologists kept their discovery last year secret until further graves in the area had been investigated.

Archaeologists discovered ancient sarcophagus contained beauty products

Ancient Roman-era mosaic floor discovered near Tel Aviv carefully removed (Video)

A newly discovered ancient mosaic in the city of Lod, near Tel Aviv, is believed to have belonged to a wealthy Jew living there during the period immediately following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.

Ancient Roman-era mosaic floor discovered near Tel Aviv carefully removed (Video)

Rome's Subway Expansion Reveals Artifacts From The Ancient Past

All roads may lead to Rome, but once you get there, good luck taking the subway. The sprawling metropolis is expanding its mass transit system — a sluggish process made even slower as workers keep running into buried ancient ruins.

Roman marbles are on display in the San Giovanni metro station, part of Line C of Rome's subway, in 2017. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

"I found some gold rings. I found glasswork laminated in gold depicting a Roman god, some amphoras," says Gilberto Pagani, a bulldozer operator at the Amba Aradam metro stop, currently under construction not far from the Colosseum.

Ancient Roman plates are on display in the San Giovanni underground station of Rome's C line. Archaeological remains were brought to the surface during the new line's excavation.

Andrew Medichini/AP

Pagani is part of an archaeological team at the site, a certified archaeological construction worker trained to excavate, preserve and build in cities like Rome, with thousands of years of civilization buried beneath the surface.

The presence of ancient artifacts underground is a daunting challenge for urban developers. For archaeologists, it's the opportunity of a lifetime.

"I think it's the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me, professionally speaking," says Simona Morretta, the state archaeologist in charge of the Amba Aradam site. "Because you never get the chance in a regular excavation to dig so deep. That's how we've found architectural complexes as important as this."

At roughly 40 feet below the surface, her team, which began work in 2013 at this stop, has uncovered a dwelling that once belonged to the commander of an adjacent military barracks. It dates back to the reign of the emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D.

"It's a proper house, with a central courtyard," says Morretta. "The other exciting discovery is that so much of the decoration was found intact. So, ornamental mosaics, floors made of marble slab in various colors, and painted frescoes."

As two archaeologists dust mosaic flooring with tiny, precision brushes, idling industrial machinery belches diesel exhaust just a few feet away. Construction workers routinely have to shut the machinery down when a discovery is made.

The new route, the C line, was supposed to be ready in time for the Roman Catholic Church's Year of Jubilee — back in 2000. But city planners and officials can't blame all the delays on the ancients. There are ongoing investigations into waste and runaway spending by modern-day contractors and governments.

The city inaugurated its newest metro station, San Giovanni, in May. It is an important link that, for the first time, connects the C line to the city's two other subway lines.

This photo, made available by the Italian Culture Ministry, shows a frescoed wall segment, part of the charred ruins of a 3rd century building unearthed during construction work for Rome's Metro C line.

AP

The C line is also the most technologically advanced, the only one in Rome to be fully automated, with no conductors. As a train whooshes into the station, commuter Luigi Bonatesta jumps aboard. He says the wait for the station to open was frustrating.

"Whoa! Because no one declare[d] why the open[ing] day was delayed," he says. "No one declare[d] what happened."

One reason for the holdup was a surprise addition: inside the San Giovanni station, the walls are lined with artifacts discovered during the subway's construction, including stone bathtubs, marble busts, and even ancient peach pits from a Roman fruit vendor, all visible for the $1.75 cost of a metro ticket.

The next stop on the line will be Amba Aradam, the site of the ancient Roman military barracks, where archaeologists are still digging. Morretta says commuters there will be in for an even bigger treat.

"All that we've found here — the mosaics, everything — will be taken down, put inside special containers, then reassembled inside the metro stop," she says. "It will be a little museum, with all the barracks in the exact same position."

She hopes that will make it more enjoyable for people to wait for a train. But first, commuters will have to wait for the stop to be finished, with excavating still underway and an expected opening at least four years off.

For a city that wasn't built in a day, its subway system certainly won't be, either.

Rome's Subway Expansion Reveals Artifacts From The Ancient Past

German farmer awarded £687,000 for part of ancient Roman statue

A German court has ruled that authorities must pay a farmer 773,000 euro (£687,000) for a bronze horse’s head dating back to Roman times found on his land in 2009.

The head, part of a statue of the Roman emperor Augustus, was found by archaeologists in Lahnau in western Germany.

The state of Hesse initially paid the farmer 48,000 euro (£36,000).

The Limburg regional court said that according to state law at the time the farmer was eligible to half the value of the head, which an expert estimated at around 1.6 million euro (£1.21 million). He would also be entitled to interest.

German farmer awarded £687,000 for part of ancient Roman statue

Ancient Church Resurrected In Ghostly Wire Mesh

A destroyed basilica at the Santa Maria Maggiore di Siponto church in Puglia resurrected In Ghostly Wire Mesh by  artist Edoardo Tresoldi.

The permanent installation -- made from transparent metal wiring -- marks the opening of a new archaeological park beside an existing church.

Built in three months, the €3.5 million ($3.96 million) structure corresponds to the original size of the Paleo-Christian basilica that once stood on the site.

Tresoldi, who conceived similar works for last year's Secret Garden Party and Milan Fashion Week, describes his installation as 'a return of this great building as if it was part of the histo.

Ancient Church Resurrected In Ghostly Wire Mesh

Paestum, Italy

Paestum was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia. After its foundation by Greek colonists under the name of Poseidonia (Ancient Greek: Ποσειδωνία) it was eventually conquered by the Lucanians and later the Romans. The Lucanians renamed it to Paistos and the Romans gave the city its current name. The ruins of Paestum are notable for their three ancient Greek temples which are in a very good state of preservation. Today the remains of the city are found in the modern frazione of the same name, which is part of the comune of Capaccio in the Province of Salerno, Campania, Italy.

Italiano

Fondata dai greci intorno al 600 a.E.V., si chiamava inizialmente Poseidonia, da Poseidone, o Nettuno, dio del mare, al quale la città era stata dedicata. Tra il 400 e il 273 avanti fu occupata dalla popolazione italica dei lucani. Nel 273 divenne colonia romana col nome di Paestum. Ma è indubbio che la fondazione della città fosse preceduta dall'impianto di una fattoria commerciale sulla sponda sinistra e presso la foce del fiume Silaros e che le condizioni malariche del terreno indussero poi i primitivi coloni a spostare il centro abitato verso oriente, su un banco calcareo leggermente rialzato sulla pianura e sul litorale, lungo il corso di un'altro fiume minore (fiume Salso o Capofiume). Dall'impianto primitivo sul Silaros sviluppò il porto marittimo e fluviale della città e presso di esso sorse il Tempio di Era Argiva, che diventò presto uno dei più grandi e venerati santuari dell'Italia antica: circa 50 stadi separavano la città dallo Heraion e dal suo emporio sul fiume.La fine dell’Impero Romano coincise grosso modo con la fine della città. Verso il 500 E.V., infatti, in seguito ad un’epidemia di malaria, aggravata dall’insalubrità del territorio, gli abitanti gradualmente abbandonarono la città. La riscoperta di Paestum risale al 1762, quando fu costruita la strada moderna che l’attraversa tuttora.
ORIGINI DI PAESTUM E PRINCIPALI VICENDE STORICHE
Le colonie greche nel Mediterraneo più importanti furono quelle fondate in Asia Minore e nella Magna Grecia, termine che indica l’insieme delle città fondate dai greci in Italia meridionale e in Sicilia, una delle quali era appunto Paestum. Madrepatria di Paestum era Sibari, fondata nel 720 a.E.V. da achei e trezeni, i quali furono perciò detti sibariti. Questi ultimi erano famosi per la ricchezza, il lusso e la superbia. Lo storico Diodoro Siculo, del I sec. a.E.V., scrisse che ‘i sibariti erano schiavi del ventre e amanti del lusso’. Stradone, geografo greco vissuto tra il 60 e il 20 avanti, racconta che i sibariti avevano creato un insediamento fortificato nei pressi della foce del fiume Sele, estendendo la loro influenza sui territori limitrofi. Siamo a cavallo tra il VII e il VI sec. a.E.V.La fondazione della città si dovette al bisogno che Sibariti ebbero di aprirsi una via commerciale fra lo Ionio e il Tirreno attraverso la dorsale dell'Appennino, evitando il di circumnavigazione della costa calabra e lo stretto di Messina.La colonia, situata in un punto strategico, al centro dell’incrocio delle vie commerciali tra il bacino ionico e le regioni italiche, fu chiamata Poseidonia in onore di Poseidone, dio del mare. Fu nel 510 a.E.V., in seguito alla distruzione di Sibari per opera dei crotonesi, quando molti sibariti fuggirono a Poseidonia con le loro ricchezze, la loro esperienza e il loro spirito di intraprendenza, che la città raggiunse un alto livello di potenza economica e politica. A questo periodo risale la costruzione dei tre templi noti col nome di Basilica, tempio di Poseidone e tempio di Cerere, coevi a quell’unico affresco greco finora scoperto, nella tomba del Tuffatore. Nel V secolo avanti i lucani, popolo italico, cominciarono ad infiltrarsi nella colonia, lasciando numerose testimonianze della propria influenza in tombe affrescate secondo il modello dei maestri greci. Sul finire del IV secolo, alleatisi con i bruzi, sostennero una lunga lotta contro i greci per il dominio dei nuovi territori verso il mare, che si concluse con la riaffermazione della loro supremazia sulla città. Nel 273 a.E.V. i romani occuparono Poseidonia che così divenne la fedele Paestum romana, che si dimostrò vicina a Roma anche nei momenti più drammatici della sua storia. Durante il periodo romano, nel III secolo, le attività economiche e culturali fiorirono nuovamente: sorsero nuovi edifici pubblici, come l’anfiteatro, il foro e il ginnasio, che contribuirono a donare alla città quell’aspetto che gli scavi hanno riportato alla luce.Tra i fattori che portarono al declino di Paestum, la realizzazione di nuove strade per il commercio in Oriente, che finirono per isolare irrimediabilmente la città dalle principali vie commerciali, e l’epidemia di malaria del IX secolo, unita alle scorrerie dei pirati saraceni, che costrinsero i pestani a rifugiarsi sui monti, e ad abbandonare l’antica Poseidonia.

History

According to Strabo the city was founded as Poseidonia by Greek Achaeans from Sybaris. The colonists had built fortifications close to the sea, but then decided to found the city further inland at a higher elevation.The fortifications might have been built to the south of Poseidonia on the promontory where Agropoli is now. According to the historical tradition the sanctuary to Poseidon was located there, after which the city would have been named. The date of Poseidonia's founding is not given by ancient sources, but the archaeological evidence gives a date of approximately 600 BC

Archaeological evidence from Paestum's first centuries indicates the building of roads, temples and other features of a growing city. Coinage, architecture and molded votive figurines all attest to close relations maintained with Metaponto in the sixth and fifth centuries.[citation needed]

It is assumed that Poseidonia harbored refugees from its mother city Sybaris when that city was conquered by Croton in 510 BC. In the early fifth century, Poseidonia's coins adopted the Achaean weight standard and the bull seen on Sybarite coins. A. J. Graham thinks it was plausible that the number of refugees was large enough for some kind of synoecism to have occurred between the Poseidonians and the Sybarites, possibly in the form of a sympolity.

Poseidonia might have had a major share in a new foundation of Sybaris which lasted from 452/1 BC until 446/5 BC. This is suggested by the great resemblance of the coins of Sybaris to those of Poseidonia in this period. Possibly a treaty of friendship between Sybaris, its allies and the Serdaioi (an unknown people) dates to this new foundation, because Poseidonia was the guarantor of this treaty.

Description

The town of Poseidonia - later called Paestum - was built by Greek colonists from Sybaris, an earlier Greek city in southern Italy, in around 600BC. It grew and prospered and now has among the most extensive remains of Magna Graecia (Magna Grecia in Italian).

In 410BC the town was conquered by the Lucanians, a native Italian people, then in 273BC the Romans took over, changed the name to Paestum and began their own building programme. As the Roman Empire collapsed, Paestum crumbled. Malaria and Saracen raids led to the near-abandonment of the town and the development of Capaccio, a safer hillside settlement.

Paestum itself was pretty much forgotten. An information board outside the old church gives a poignant image of the locale as an abandoned wilderness frequented by brigands. Things changed with the eighteenth-century rediscovery of the temples by road-builders coupled with a revival of interest in antiquities and the visits of Grand Tourists and indefatigable travellers like Shelley and Goethe. The classical name Paestum was revived (though Capaccio is still the local authority). Nowadays most of the vanished city of Poseidonia-Paestum is hidden under agricultural land. The ancient city walls, constructed with massive stone blocks, encircle a large area of countryside, much of it unexcavated. Right in the middle is the archaeological zone open to the public, and a few later buildings housing small tourist businesses..

Site Monuments

The oldest and most important sanctuary of the entire region was the Heraion established about 570 B.C. It was not before the 20th century that its fragmentary ruins were discovered 9 km north of Paestum in the proximity of the Sele delta.

There are some hints which attribute its earliest establishment to Jason and the Argonauts.

 Second temple of Hera, also called Poseidon temple

Only a few years later (about 550 B.C.), the oldest of the three temples of Paestum was built, which was also dedicated to the Greek goddess of fertility Hera (the sister and wife of Zeus). Due to an early mistake it is known today as the "Basilica".

First temple of Hera, c. 550 BC

The smallest of the three temples, called the Ceres temple , was dedicated to the goddess Athene and was built about 500 B.C.

 Temple of Athena

The Poseidon temple, (or Neptune temple) is from about 450 B.C. (about the same time the Parthenon in Athens was built). This temple is probably the best preserved Doric temple in the world.
The Neptune temple and Basilica are standing directly next to each other thus offering a quite impressive panorama.

The small Ekklesiasterion (legislation, election of the judge) was preserved from the Greek period of Paestum because the Romans left it under a mound. The Romans established nearby a larger building (comitium) for similar purposes and proceedings.
The small amphitheatre, which is only half excavated, is like nearly all the other buildings (respectively their foundation relics) of Roman origin (1st century   B.C.).
Further excavations around the temples during the last decades uncovered the outlines of the old city inside the town walls. The Roman forum ,  is situated on the southern part of the more expanded Greek agora.

For some buildingfoundations, there are still different interpretations for their original function. The current interpretation becomes difficult because the use of the buildings often mutated with the changes from Greek to Lucanian and finally to Roman inhabitants. This may be illustrated by the following examples: The roof, which can be seen in the following photo, belongs to an underground sanctuary (sacellum , hypogaeum), which is enclosed by an additional wall. From its form, it can be either a grave or a heroon (an empty grave), as it was customary at that time - e.g. in honour of the founder of the city. In fact, this building is from the 6th century B.C.
In another complex, which is interpreted as a gymnasium with swimming pool, some archaeologists assume that the strange stone construction in the pool was a podium for the swimming matches. Others assume that the original gynnasium was transformed after the 3rd century B.C. to a sanctuary of the goddess Fortuna Virilis, at which the stone construction served solemn fertility rites.

The town wall with its 4 gates is 4750 m long. It was built by the Greeks and later fortified by Lucanians and Romans.
Many Lucanian graves were found close to the city (the necropolies always lay outside the walls). These graves formed "small houses". Walls and roofs used to be decorated with skilful frescos.

 The symposium on the north wall.

The most famous of these graves is the grave of the "Tuffatore" (diver), which still comes from the Greek (about 480 B.C.). The scene represented on the roof slab symbolizes an almost harmonious transition from life to death. These and further finds, also of the older Heraion,  at the Sele delta, are shown in the national museum at the excavation grounds.
The excavations and restoration measures still continue today.

 Nomos of Poseidonia, c. 530–500 BC. Poseidon is seen wielding a trident with a chlamys draped over his arms.

COMUNITÀ ELLENICA di NAPOLI e CAMPANIA

Δημοσίευση by Ancient Hellas (Greece).

Paestum, Italy

The Casa de Pilatos, Spain

The Casa de Pilatos is the quintessential Andalusian palace. Stood in a sunny plaza at the edge of the historic neighbourhood of Santa Cruz, it is famed for its sublime architecture and seductive courtyard gardens, which offer a peaceful refuge from the hot Seville afternoon.

Construction of the palace began in 1483, just nine years before Columbus’s voyage to the Americas. Its incredible beauty and opulence offer a glimpse into the glories of Golden Age Spain when, for hundreds of years, Seville was one of the richest, most important cities in the world.

Arriving at the palace, you first step into a small cobble-stoned courtyard known as the apeadero (the mounting-block), which in bygone days would have echoed to the cries of stable boys and the clatter of horse-drawn carriages. Shady colonnades offer protection from the heat and rain, and a beautiful 100 year old Bougainvillea pours over the wall in a bright, frothing waterfall of magenta.

The heart of the palace is the spectacular main patio, with its paved black and white marble floor and two levels of arcaded galleries. In the corners, classical statues gaze out towards a central fountain which features a sculpture of the two-faced Roman god, Janus.

One of the most enchanting things about the palace is its seamless blend of architectural styles. The marble columns and fountain are pure 16th century Italian Renaissance, but the balustrade is Gothic, and the arches are Mudéjar (Spanish-Islamic), and when you gaze at the walls of the arcade and adjoining rooms, all gorgeously and kaleidoscopically tiled with azulejos, you really couldn’t be anywhere else but Andalucía!

There are said to be around 150 different azulejo designs throughout the palace, one of the largest collections in the world,  all displaying a mesmerising variety of abstract, floral and geometric patterns.

The patio is also decorated with a style of intricate stucco carving, known as yesería, which was first introduced to Spain by the Moors.

The palace has a superb collection of antique statues. Of the four lifesize figures in the main patio, three are from ancient Rome (the goddesses Minerva and Ceres and a dancing muse) and one is from ancient Greece (the goddess Athena, dating from 5th century BC). Their shapely classical forms make a wonderful juxtaposition with the dazzling, lacy patterns of the yesería.

More statues surround the lower gallery. Looking down from the walls of the arcade are twenty five busts of Roman emperors and other illustrious figures from antiquity, plus one 16th century Spanish king – Carlos V – who in his time presided over his own vast, global empire with Seville as its bustling economic hub.

This monograph from 1850 shows how little the patio has changed in over 150 years. The palace clearly had plenty of admirers, even then

A husband and wife from two of Seville’s most distinguished aristocratic families, Pedro Enríquez de Quiñones and Catalina de Ribera, first began work on the palace in 1483. Later generations (in particular their son, Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera, and grandson, Per Afán de Ribera) – gradually made their own additions and refinements.

In 1520, Fadrique, an ardent Italophile, returned from a two-year grand tour of Italy and the Holy Land. Inspired by the new styles of Renaissance art he had encountered, he began hiring skilled Italian artisans and assimilating their work into the palace’s design – the  columns and fountain in the main courtyard, as well as the arch at the main entrance, were all imported from Genoa.

It was from Don Fadrique’s trip that the Casa de Pilatos is said to have acquired its quirky name. On his return from Jerusalem, the story goes, Fadrique arrived in Seville bearing the floor plans of Pontius Pilate’s Praetorium, which were then adopted as the model for the layout of palace.

Over time, rooms have acquired names in honour of this legend. The Praetor’s Room is another example of fine Mudéjar craftsmanship, lavishly adorned with azulejos, with a coffered ceiling carved with Don Fadrique’s ancestral coats of arms.

As you wander around the palace, there seems no end to its artistry and splendour. Each room contains a new, exquisitely rendered detail, such as these wooden marquetry shutters.

Or this ceiling, whose ten-pointed golden stars represent the celestial vault.

And here is the marble staircase that leads to the upper floor of the palace, one of the most admired in Seville.

The palace has two delightful gardens which are among the city’s best kept secrets. Abundant with palms and orange trees, with Spanish Jasmine, wisteria, magnolia, rosebushes, leadwort and bougainvillea, they are worthy of a visit any day of year, but the best time to come is from March to May when the air is full of the heady citrus and floral scents of Seville in the springtime.

As in the palace itself, the attention to detail in the gardens is wonderful – tiny azulejo tiles can be found embedded in the stone walls, and even in the terracotta flooring.

The Jardin Chico (small garden) contains a little rectangular pond surrounded with flowerpots. For centuries this was the reservoir that supplied the palace with freshwater (a luxury afforded to only the most prestigious residences). During the palace’s heydey, water was channelled directly from Seville’s Roman aqueduct, known as Caños de Carmona, which was still in use up until 1912. The pond also features a playful bronze statue of Bacchus.

A 16th century architect from Naples, Benavenuto Tortello, was hired to design the Jardin Grande (large garden). He built beautiful Italian style loggias at either end and an arcaded pavilion down one wing.

The loggias make the transition from interior to exterior seem effortless and organic –  wherever you are in the palace you are never far from an elegant portico or window offering enticing glimpses of the gardens beyond. Architecture and nature work in perfect harmony.

The loggias also display many of the classical statues that the palace has acquired over the centuries.

Also on display are artifacts excavated from the nearby archaeological site of Italica – a long vanished city of Hispania (Roman Spain), birthplace of Emperors Trajan and Hadrian.

These intriguing ancient fragments add a quiet note of melancholy to the overall effect. The white marble contrasts eye-catchingly with the bright ochre paintwork.

Though it maybe overshadowed by the city’s most famed palace – the Alcázar, the Casa de Pilatos is without doubt one of our favourite buildings in Seville.  Its evocative architecture and incredibly lovely gardens make for a joyous visit, and one definitely not to be missed.

The Casa de Pilatos, Spain