Archaeologists unearth millennia-old lecture hall from 'impressive' ancient high school
The Free University of Berlin announced the find in a press release on April 9. The excavation took place in Agrigento, Italy, on the southwestern coast of Sicily.
Agrigento was founded in 580 B.C. as the largest Greek colony in Sicily. The settlement boasted both a high school and a grammar school – yet the lecture hall of the complex was only unearthed this past March.
University officials described the hall as "a small covered theater that could accommodate around 200 people on eight rising, semicircular rows of seats," said a statement translated from German to English.
It went on, "When the grammar school was built in the 2nd century B.C., no other currently known grammar school in the ancient world offered such a lecture hall. It was only 250 to 300 years later that the large high school in Pergamon (Turkey) received a theater-like auditorium."
The hall was primarily used for intellectual activities such as lessons, as well as educational demonstrations and competitions.
Schools in antiquity placed an emphasis on healthy minds and healthy bodies — and teachers ensured that young men were physically and intellectually ready for adult life.
"From the 4th century BC, [Greek] cities built large complexes with running tracks, bathing facilities and rooms where young men could train and learn," the press release said.
So far, the school in Agrigento is the only ancient structure in the western Mediterranean that offered a large swimming pool and 200-meter-long running tracks, according to officials.
Excavators also found a semi-circular section of the lecture hall, where "teachers and students once performed in front of an audience."
"[T]wo large blocks with a Greek inscription were found, the letters of which were engraved in the white-plastered soft limestone and highlighted with red paint," the press release noted.
Archaeologists also came across an inscription indicating that the gymnasium was financed by a citizen who dedicated the structure to Greek gods.
"Mention is made of a gymnasiarch, the head of the gymnasium, and the renewal of the roof of the apodyterium (changing room), which a generous citizen financed from his own resources and dedicated to the gods of the gymnasium, Hermes and Heracles," the statement read.
The inscription is highly unusual, experts say, and helps to "provide insights into the social life of the city."
"The letter form suggests that the inscription was engraved in the late 1st century B.C., when Agrigento had long been under Roman rule." the statement said.
"Nevertheless, the Greek language, Greek offices and traditions continued to be maintained, and the Greek high school continued to be used and maintained as a central training center for young people."
The site will be excavated again in 2026, according to the Free University of Berlin.
Archaeologists are hoping to "uncover more sports and teaching spaces north of the auditorium and find more inscriptions that will reconstruct life in the ancient high school of Agrigento."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Researchers discover 2,500-year-old honey residue in ancient bronze jars
Researchers recently made a sticky discovery. They found 2,500-year-old honey, sealed in a vessel and buried underground for nearly three millennia. The residue was found in bronze jars at an underground shrine in Paestum, an ancient Greek settlement in modern-day Campania, Italy. The artifacts date back to the 6th century B.C. The jars were first found by archaeologists in 1954, but the residue in them has eluded experts – until now. In a study published by the American Chemical Society on July 30, experts concluded that the waxy residue was once honey. Luciana Carvalho, a research associate at the University of Oxford, told Fox News Digital the substance bears little resemblance to the golden honey in most modern-day cupboards. "Ancient honey was quite different from the clear, smooth honey we buy today," she noted. "There was no ultra‑filtration, no pasteurization and no synthetic pesticides in the landscape." The chemical results "strongly" suggested that the jars held raw honeycomb, rather than a blended product like most modern honey. "If honey had been mixed with milk, for example, we would expect to see extra fatty acids in the residue – and we don't," she said. But the raw honeycomb has dramatically changed over the millennia. Along with fellow researchers Elisabete Pires and James McCullagh, Carvalho found that the sugar gradually became dark and acidic. "After 2,500 years, almost all the original sugars have broken down [and been] eaten by microbes, so the residue isn't sweet anymore." "[The] sugars slowly reacted with proteins in a kind of slow-motion browning process, similar to what happens when bread bakes, turning it darker and more acidic," she said. Because of that, the remaining residue isn't exactly pleasant to eat, according to the expert. "What survives now is a waxy residue with a slight tang and virtually no sweetness," Carvalho noted. "After 2,500 years, almost all the original sugars have broken down [and been] eaten by microbes, so the residue isn't sweet anymore." As for the vessels, Carvalho said the bronze jars have cork discs that seal their necks, which points to "careful storage of something valuable." The copper-alloy jugs were found in a sealed, underground shrine, suggesting that they were left there as part of a ritual. "Inside, the residue clung to the bottoms and sides, exactly what you'd expect if raw honeycomb had been placed inside and slowly dried out over centuries," she said. "We hope our approach will be used to identify honey residues in other museum collections so we can learn more about ancient beekeeping and the role of honey in diet, medicine and ritual life." Researchers in the 1980s previously believed that the honey was a mixture of wax, fat and resin, with Carvalho noting that past research was limited by less precise tools. "Those methods were great for detecting fats and waxes but couldn't easily pick up sugars or proteins without extra chemical steps," she said. "In our study we used multiple modern techniques designed to detect different types of molecules, including sugars and proteins, even if these are present at trace levels, with instruments far more sensitive than anything available in the 1980s." She also noted that the discovery had strong collaboration from multiple groups, including museum curators, conservators and specialized scientists. "We hope our approach will now be used to identify honey residues in other museum collections so we can learn more about ancient beekeeping and the role of honey in diet, medicine and ritual life," Carvalho said. The latest research adds to a number of ancient food-related discoveries this year, which are extremely rare occurrences. In Guam, 3,500-year-old rice was recently found, making it the earliest known evidence of rice in Remote Oceania. Earlier in 2025, archaeologists uncovered a well-preserved loaf of ancient bread in Turkey, dating back to the Bronze Age.
2 days ago
Former K-9 busy as a bee sniffing out threats to Michigan State University colonies
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Researchers at a Michigan State University facility dedicated to protecting honey bees are enlisting a four-legged ally to sniff out danger to the prized pollinators. The Pollinator Performance Center's wide range of projects includes developing a training program for dogs to use their sensitive noses to uncover a bacterial disease called American foulbrood that threatens honey bee larvae. Bees and other pollinators have been declining for years because of disease, insecticides, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply. A considerable portion of the human diet comes from plants pollinated by bees. Maple, who once served as a human remains detection dog for the St. Joseph County sheriff's office, has created quite the buzz. The panting 9-year-old English springer spaniel stood patiently on a recent weekday as Sue Stejskal, her longtime owner, trainer and handler, slowly placed the retired K-9 in a yellow protective suit. The garment includes a veil for her head and four booties worn on her paws in case Maple steps on a bee. 'Much like with humans, we recognize that if a dog is going to be in an active bee yard, they need to wear the same personal protective equipment as people do,' said Stejskal, a Michigan State graduate who has been training dogs over a quarter-century for law enforcement and other uses. 'You can't buy them on Amazon for dogs. So, there's been some altering and testing.' Maple suffered an injury while on a case in Ontario, forcing her to retire as a detection K-9 in 2024. But fate intervened. Meghan Milbrath, an MSU professor whose lab studies risk factors that affect honey bees' health, was working to establish diagnostic and screening tools for honey bee diseases. A veterinarian who participated in a training about honey bees put Milbrath in touch with Stejskal. They met, and the dog detection plan was born. Stejskal then set about teaching an old dog a new trick. New to Maple, anyway. Maryland's agriculture department has also used canine detection methods in beehives. Michigan State's objective is to train many more dogs to join the ranks. Milbrath said she is documenting Maple's training and plans to write a book with Stejskal to educate other teams about their strategy. Maple, clad in her yellow suit, raced between hive boxes during a recent demonstration. When she found the scent clue left for her, Maple stopped at the box and coolly looked up at Stejskal. 'Good girl. Yes,' Stejskal enthusiastically said, before removing Maple's veil and tossing a green, Michigan State-branded toy her way. Stejskal recognizes the work they're doing is important. 'It's a cool project,' Stejskal said. 'But I was over-the-moon excited, because my dog would still have joy in her life and would still be able to work.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Former K-9 Maple is busy as a bee sniffing out threats to Michigan State University colonies
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Researchers at a Michigan State University facility dedicated to protecting honey bees are enlisting a four-legged ally to sniff out danger to the prized pollinators. The Pollinator Performance Center's wide range of projects includes developing a training program for dogs to use their sensitive noses to uncover a bacterial disease called American foulbrood that threatens honey bee larvae. Bees and other pollinators have been declining for years because of disease, insecticides, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply. A considerable portion of the human diet comes from plants pollinated by bees. Maple, who once served as a human remains detection dog for the St. Joseph County sheriff's office, has created quite the buzz. The panting 9-year-old English springer spaniel stood patiently on a recent weekday as Sue Stejskal, her longtime owner, trainer and handler, slowly placed the retired K-9 in a yellow protective suit. The garment includes a veil for her head and four booties worn on her paws in case Maple steps on a bee. 'Much like with humans, we recognize that if a dog is going to be in an active bee yard, they need to wear the same personal protective equipment as people do,' said Stejskal, a Michigan State graduate who has been training dogs over a quarter-century for law enforcement and other uses. 'You can't buy them on Amazon for dogs. So, there's been some altering and testing.' Maple suffered an injury while on a case in Ontario, forcing her to retire as a detection K-9 in 2024. But fate intervened. Meghan Milbrath, an MSU professor whose lab studies risk factors that affect honey bees' health, was working to establish diagnostic and screening tools for honey bee diseases. A veterinarian who participated in a training about honey bees put Milbrath in touch with Stejskal. They met, and the dog detection plan was born. Stejskal then set about teaching an old dog a new trick. New to Maple, anyway. Maryland's agriculture department has also used canine detection methods in beehives. Michigan State's objective is to train many more dogs to join the ranks. Milbrath said she is documenting Maple's training and plans to write a book with Stejskal to educate other teams about their strategy. Maple, clad in her yellow suit, raced between hive boxes during a recent demonstration. When she found the scent clue left for her, Maple stopped at the box and coolly looked up at Stejskal. 'It's a cool project,' Stejskal said. 'But I was over-the-moon excited, because my dog would still have joy in her life and would still be able to work.'
