Latest news with #Romans
Miami Herald
13 hours ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Students locate ancient Roman army camp beyond empire's northern border. See it
A team of university students sifted through chalky dirt in the Netherlands looking for artifacts or other traces of ancient Roman activity. For years, they'd been piecing together the site's history, and this dig offered the final confirmation. They'd located a 'rare' ancient Roman military camp — beyond the empire's northern border. But the project didn't start in the field. It started at a desk when Jens Goeree, a student with Saxion University of Applied Sciences, 'developed a computer model' to predict the location of ancient Roman military camps, Saskia Stevens, an archaeologist and professor with Utrecht University, told McClatchy News. Goeree's model predicted a Roman camp might exist near Hoog Buurlo, so professors and students with the Constructing the Limes research project decided to investigate. The team, led by Stevens, involved students from Saxion University of Applied Sciences and Utrecht University, according to a May 26 news release. First, students took aerial photos of the Hoog Buurlo area and scanned the site with laser pulses, a process known as a LiDAR survey, Stevens told McClatchy News via email. Sure enough, the scans and photos showed traces of ancient Roman walls, a moat and several entrances. Next, the team searched the area 'using a metal detector' and excavated 'several trial trenches,' Stevens said in the release. Photos show the dig process and a military harness fragment uncovered at the site. 'Few artefacts were found,' Steven said, but the traces confirmed Hoog Buurlo had once served as a temporary ancient Roman military camp, likely around 1,800 years ago. 'What makes this find so remarkable is that the camp lies beyond the northern frontier of the Roman Empire,' Stevens said in the release. The empire's northern border, known as the Limes, was roughly 15 miles south of Hoog Buurlo. Utrecht University described the newly found campsite as 'rare.' Dozens of temporary camps have been found in Germany and hundreds have been found in the United Kingdom, but 'only four such temporary Roman camps are known in the Netherlands,' Stevens said. Roman soldiers typically stayed at temporary camps for a few days or weeks before continuing marching. The Hoog Buurlo camp may have 'served as a stopover en route to another camp at Ermelo-Leuvenum, about a day's march away,' the university said. 'Through the (Constructing the Limes) project, we are particularly interested in these kinds of camps because they provide valuable insights into Roman military presence and operations in frontier regions,' Stevens said. 'They help us understand the routes taken by Roman troops and show how the Romans made extensive use of territories beyond the formal boundaries of their Empire.' Hoog Buurlo is in the central Netherlands and a roughly 50-mile drive southeast from Amsterdam.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gladiators brought to life in new exhibition
A touring exhibition exploring the world of Roman gladiators has opened in Northamptonshire. Northampton Museum & Art Gallery is hosting Gladiators of Britain, which offers insight into the gladiators who lived in the county and the wider country. Local finds included two Nene Valley vessels depicting gladiators, fragments of an engraved glass from a Roman villa near Nether Heyford, and a clasp knife discovered in Piddington. Jill Birrell, curator at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, said: "[The items] show us the Romans who did live here engaged in spectacle culture... they made objects that have gladiators depicted on them and bought them, used them and lost them in the county." Gladiators are traditionally associated with arenas like the Colosseum in Rome, but many fights took place across Britain. There was no amphitheatre in Northamptonshire, with the closest being at St Albans - formerly known as Verulamium. There were 25 artefacts in the exhibition, including the Hawkedon Helmet - the only confirmed piece of gladiatorial armour from Roman Britain. It was possibly plundered from Colchester - known then as Camulodunum - during Boudica's rebellion of AD60. According to the British Museum, the heavy bronze helmet originally had a tinned surface, and the wearer's face would have been encased in a hinged mask with eye guards. Another key exhibit is the Colchester Vase from AD175, discovered in a Roman-era grave in 1853. Anna Willi, the curator for ancient Mediterranean life at the British Museum, added: "There are misconceptions about gladiatorial fights... we are trying to dispel some of these myths. "For example, there were rules to the fights, there were umpires, and people didn't always fight to the death. In fact, a bout would last around 15 minutes because a dead gladiator was much more expensive than a wounded one that could fight more." Gladiators of Britain is at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery until 7 September. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. The real gladiators of Britain revealed Vote to decide gallery's 100th local object Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
New European
2 days ago
- New European
Reform can't resist Liverpool conspiracy theories
Within two hours of a car driving into a crowd at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade, Merseyside Police announced they had arrested a white British man, aged 53. At that point, police also said that the incident was not being treated as terrorism, hoping to stop any wild speculation leading into unrest, as happened last year. Police on Merseyside, keen to avoid the vacuum which allowed the far right to decide who was responsible for the murders of three children in Southport last year, were much quicker to put information in the public domain following last night's horrific incident in Liverpool. Not that this stopped some of the right's more dedicated conspiracy theorists. Ant Middleton, former TV presenter and putative Reform candidate for Mayor of London in 2028, weighed in on, inevitably, X, urging his 427,000 followers not to 'believe anything that comes from police statements or the msm… Corruption runs deep and lessons were well and truly learnt from the not too distant past! 'God bless all the scousers and to all involved in this terrible 'terror type' incident, may strength be with you! You are in my prays [sic] this evening! Romans 8:26,' he added. Pointed out to him that the suspect was a white Briton, Middleton – who himself has spent time in prison for the unlawful wounding of a male police officer and common assault on a female PC – responded: 'It doesn't matter his skin colour, it's the motive behind why he done [sic] it. Which could be a number of things. 'This tactic being used multiple times as confirmed terror attacks who suggest it comes from that handbook and terror attack or not this should be treated primarily as suspected terrorist activity until proven otherwise.' Meanwhile, Middleton's Reform colleague and fellow noted national security expert Darren Grimes – formerly of GB News, now a Durham councillor – was irked by an initial BBC report that, with confirmation of the nature of the incident yet to come, labelled it a road traffic collision. 'Road traffic collision? Do the BBC know we've all seen the awful videos? I hope to Almighty God there is an explanation for what's happened in Liverpool,' he wrote on X. When it emerged that the suspect was white and British, Grimes complained: 'Tonight has proven that the police can give out identifiable characteristics such as skin colour pretty damn fast when it suits the approved narrative.' All very distasteful when people are still seriously injured in hospital. Still, those lucrative likes and reposts won't harvest themselves.
Times
2 days ago
- Times
10 of the best villas in Italy with a pool
Whether you're dreaming of golden vineyard views from a Tuscan terrace, your own briny beach house on a far-flung Sicilian island, or a cool modernist monolith on the shores of Lake Como, the one thing most of us can probably agree on when it comes to a summertime villa is that it's better with a pool. We've picked some of the best, from a curvaceous cave house with a palm-fringed infinity pool on the sands of Panarea to an architect's crisp Le Corbusier-style getaway north of Siracusa that brings the water in — plus a noble villa in the north that not only comes with three swimming spots, but a driver to transport you between them. Enjoy. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue £££ | Sleeps 8 No slapdash modern builders here: the Romans made the pool at Zu Nillu, and it has been a fixture ever since, in this labyrinthine stone quarry in the Egadi Islands off Sicily's western flank. The theatrical tufa house descends from ground level into the void, furnished with tasteful antiques and surrounded by a vibrant Mediterranean garden. Roof spaces afford jaw-dropping views over the bay of Cala Rossa, with a barbecue for long, lazy lunches. There's an alfresco bathroom out among the carob trees, and a gate from the garden to a private path that takes you down to the sea. • Read our full guide to Sicily ££ | Sleeps 8 At the heart of a sprawling olive grove in Puglia, Tenuta Fonte reminds you that the deep roots of the south are as Greek as they are Roman. Yet the interiors of this neat white cube are all Italian in style, with mid-century classic furnishings and bold colours the backdrop to your stay. The saltwater pool is just one highlight in the secluded grounds: there's also an outdoor kitchen, pick-your-own vegetable garden and plenty of shady spaces to eat and lounge. The sandy beach at Torre Canne is ten minutes away by car. • Discover our full guide to Italy £££ | Sleeps 12 Nowhere in Italy is a rental more likely to break the bank than Capri, but if you're in the market for an off-season oasis with views out across the Tyrrhenian Sea from its smart little pool, Villa Platani is 'The One'. Glued dramatically onto the cliffside, this modernist 12-bedder is an exercise in restrained luxe — all white linen, bleached wood and basketweave within, bougainvillea, roses and jasmine on the terraces without. A private funicular connects you to La Piazzetta, Capri's main square, for the ritziest passeggiata you'll ever see, and a chef is available on request to add to the sense of occasion. • More of the best luxury villas in Italy ££ | Sleeps 20 Halfway between Florence and Siena, in the sleepy Val di Pesa, Villa Chiantisol offers the classic Tuscan dream: a vast honey-stone farmhouse at the end of a sloping drive, with lush green hills and low vineyard terraces as far as the eye can see. Interiors are a cool mix of traditional terracotta, oak and linen — the decorator got funky with the bedroom finishes — but it's the outside spaces that thrill. A knockout sunken pool and Jacuzzi promise lazy afternoons in the sun, while a series of smart loggias offer far-reaching views and some welcome afternoon shade. • Best vineyard hotels in Tuscany £££ | Sleeps 10 A brand-new lakefront build on Como's western shore, Villa Audace is a stunner. This modern five-bedroom masterpiece has all the design boxes ticked: wraparound windows, timber cladding, poured-concrete floors, stainless-steel kitchen and classic furnishings from the school of Poltrona Frau. From the waterside infinity pool you get views out to pretty Isola Comacina, while a hot tub and sauna offer alternative lounging possibilities. Extras include cookery lessons, yoga classes and spa treatments; you can order up a private chef; and a skippered boat is available to get you over to Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on the nights you don't want to cook. • Best hotels in Lake Como ££ | Sleeps 10 Antika has an illustrious pedigree: this curvaceous seafront villa was designed and built by architect Paolo Tilche, who created the starry Hotel Raya on this smallest of the seven Aeolian Islands back in the 1950s. In addition to three white-cube guesthouses — Cactus, Wisteria and Bougainvillea — dotted about the volcanic gardens, Antika sleeps ten, with guests sharing a series of panoramic terraces and a meandering split-level living space. The decor is typically Aeolian: lofty cane ceilings, creamy plasterwork and weathered woods embrace built-in seats and recessed beds for an atmosphere of calm and cool. The palm-fringed infinity pool gives directly onto the sea. £££ | Sleeps 20 Less fly-and-flop, more stand-to-attention smart, Villa Sigurta, in the Veneto, boasts a liveried staff and three on-site pools — with a dedicated driver to transport you and your beach bag between them. This Palladian house — with three guest lodges — has hosted Napoleon III and our own King Charles in lavish splendour, yet the decor has a sense of fun, with trompe l'oeil frescoes and fantastical sculptures dotted about the place. Neighbouring Borghetto sul Mincio is a member of the Borghi piu Belli d'Italia — a club of Italy's most beautiful villages. It more than lives up to the billing. £ | Sleeps 4 Six miles south of the ancient Greek city of Siracusa, Villa Gadir could not look more modernist. It's hard to see where this Le Corbusier-style build ends and the saltwater pool begins, so skilfully do the two intertwine. The open-plan living and dining areas, and two bedrooms, all open onto the water, giving this bright white box a floating Tardis feel. The villa stands 50 metres from the sea, the Plemmirio marine reserve is a five-minute drive away and Sicily's baroque highlights of Ragusa, Noto and Modica are all within easy reach. ££ | Sleeps 6 Part of the Borgo Smeraldo resort, Villa Fichi d'India is one of seven new rentals, each with its own private pool, in the grounds of a boutique hotel between the Sardinian hotspots of Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo. Suite-based accommodation is split between two low stone houses supported by chestnut beams — in the style of the local stazzi farmsteads — with a shared kitchen and living space styled in shades of green and grey. Guests can access the spectacular three-tier hilltop pool attached to the hotel, with views of the turquoise waters and silver sands of the Costa Smeralda nearby. • Discover our full guide to Sardinia £££ | Sleeps 10 This delightfully chic retreat on the Monte Argentario coast — described as 'the new Amalfi' — is owned by the decorator to Italy's coolest crowd. Sandwiched between the workaday fishing town of Porto Santo Stefano on one side, and the absurdly glamorous Hotel Pellicano and Porto Ercole on the other, Cacciarella is a villa for those in the know. Interiors are mid-century chic, finishes of the highest quality, and the garden pool and gym provide ample workout — and relaxation — opportunities. • Lake Como v Lake Garda: which one should you visit?• Best villas on the Amalfi Coast
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Chilling secret of mass ‘gangland-style executions' finally revealed as experts analyse over 50 Iron Age skeletons
ANCIENT MAFIA Chilling secret of mass 'gangland-style executions' finally revealed as experts analyse over 50 Iron Age skeletons Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MASS grave of more than 50 skeletons has cast light on tribal warfare in Iron Age Britain, where gangs engaged in bloody turf wars. Historians previously believed mass slaughter events involving hill fort tribes in the west country were caused by invading Romans. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays Credit: BournemouthUniversity 4 When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans Credit: BournemouthUniversity But radiocarbon dating of human remains unearthed in 1936 have revealed the victims were actually killed a century before the Romans arrived. Researchers believe "localised gangland infighting" was actually behind the killings, which happened to be at one of Europe's biggest hill forts, the Daily Mail reported. "We can now say quite categorically that these individuals died a long time before the Romans arrived and over a long period of time, not in single battle for a hill fort," Dr Miles Russell, principal academic in prehistoric and Roman archaeology at Bournemouth University, said in a statement. The Romans didn't arrive in Dorset until 43AD. Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by "lethal weapon injuries" - and in very public displays. Experts say their deaths could have acted as a warning to others not to fall out of line. Dr Russell, who has spent several years researching the burial site at Maiden Castle near Dorchester, added: "The deaths were a series of gangland-style executions. "People were dragged up there and put to death as a way of one group exerting control over another." The executions took place between the late first century BC to the early first century AD - suggesting the violence was lethal across multiple generations. "These were Mafia-like families. Game of Thrones-like barons with one dynasty wiping out another to control trade links and protection rackets for power," Dr Russell continued. "What we are seeing is the people who lost out being executed. "Most of them had cranial trauma with no sign of defensive wounds. They were repeatedly struck with a sword to the head with the skulls smashed to oblivion. "You are talking overkill, not a single death blow. These were gangland executions carried out in a very prominent and obvious way as a warning to others." The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain. When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were "the marks of battle" with the Romans. The misinterpretation of the Maiden Castle site, dubbed the "war cemetery", brings into question how other archaeological cemeteries across the south west have been understood.
