#ancient artifacts

[blueiscoool]

Ancient Roman Horse Cemetery Discovered in Germany

An ancient Roman cemetery uncovered in southern Germany has revealed more than 100 horse skeletons, shedding new light on the role of animals in ancient military life, and one burial is drawing particular attention.

Archaeologists began excavating a site in Stuttgart in the summer of 2024 ahead of a planned construction project. Stuttgart, located in southwestern Germany, is about 400 miles southwest of Berlin.

Based on earlier finds in the area, including scattered horse bones, experts expected to uncover remnants of a Roman cavalry presence. What they discovered went far beyond expectations.

The State Office for Monument Preservation at the Baden-Württemberg Regional Council announced on April 16 that a vast Roman graveyard had been unearthed.

Dating back around 1,800 years, the cemetery contained over 100 horse skeletons, making it one of the largest known Roman military horse burial sites in the region.

Graveyard linked to a Roman cavalry unit

Archaeologists believe the horses belonged to a Roman cavalry unit stationed in the area during the second century A.D.

Historical records suggest the unit had about 500 riders, which would have required a herd of at least 700 horses to support daily operations, travel, and military campaigns.

Most of the horses appeared to have died from natural causes, injury, or illness. There were no signs of a mass death event, such as battle or disease, said Sarah Roth, the site’s lead archaeologist. The burials were generally simple, with no special markings or artifacts.

One burial reflects a personal connection

A single horse was found buried with two ceramic jugs and an oil lamp placed near its leg – items commonly associated with human graves in Roman culture.

Roth said the burial appeared to mimic that of a person and pointed to a strong emotional bond between the animal and its owner. “Even after around 1800 years, the mourning over the death of this one animal is still evident,” she explained in the statement.

The human skeleton raises social questions

The team also uncovered a lone human skeleton at the edge of the site. Officials believe the individual may have been an outsider, excluded from formal Roman burial grounds.

The contrast between the simple human grave and the symbolically rich horse burial has raised new questions about the social values of the time.

Further research planned as site closes

Although excavations at the site are now complete, researchers believe the cemetery may be larger than currently documented.

Further analysis of the remains is underway to better understand the Roman military’s dependence on horses and the cultural practices surrounding their care and burial.

By Nisha Zahid.

[theantonian]

Greek Gold diadem with Hercules knot (250–150 BCE),

Gold, garnet, carnelian, sardonyx

3×9 1/8 in. (7.6 × 23.1 cm).

On loan to the Metropolitan Museum.

[theantiquariansarchive]

Roman-Christian vandalism of Greek & Roman statues

in early 4th century AD, with emperor constantine's conversion to christianity, and the edict of milan (which gave freedom of religion to roman citizens, and legalised christianity) christianity had begun to overtake rome. under Constantine’s reign the suppression of paganism began, pagan places of worship lost funding, some were repurposed for christian use and some were destroyed. Constantine and his successors authorised and encouraged the burning of pagan books and the destruction and defacement of pagan temples, statues, sacred sites, art works, and anything else they believed was ‘challenging christianity’. By the late 4th century christianity had overtaken Rome, and polytheistic religion was a thing of the past.

1. defaced statue of unknown goddess, 2nd - 1st century BC, Archaeological Museum of Samos 2. bust of roman general, Germanicus, 14-20 CE, the British Museum 3. head of Aphrodite, 1st century AD, National Archaeological Museum of Athens 4. bust of Emperor Augustus, n.d, the Ephesus Museum

[the-cricket-chirps]

Octopus vase from Palaikastro

c. 1500 BCE, painted stone

[the-mandolorian]

beautiful things

Egyptian craftsmen;

Scarab Bracelet of Tutankhamun, made of (gold, lapis-lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, colored glass), (c.1567-1320 BC), Tomb of Tutankhamun, Valley of the Kings, West Thebes.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Witness to a Tragedy: The Discovery of the Polyxena Sarcophagus

In 1994, during a rescue excavation at the Kızöldün Tumulus near Biga in Çanakkale Province, Türkiye, archaeologists unearthed a remarkable artifact: the Polyxena Sarcophagus.

Dating back to approximately 520–500 BCE, this marble sarcophagus is considered the earliest known example in Anatolia featuring figural reliefs.

The sarcophagus is adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes from the life and tragic death of Polyxena, the youngest daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy.

One side illustrates her sacrifice by Neoptolemos, son of Achilles, at the tomb of his father — a poignant moment rooted in Greek mythology.

Another panel portrays Queen Hecuba mourning beneath a barren tree, while additional sides show ceremonial processions with musicians and dancers.

Interestingly, despite the sarcophagus's association with Polyxena, it contained the remains of a 40-year-old man, suggesting it may have served a symbolic or commemorative purpose rather than being her actual tomb.

Today, the Polyxena Sarcophagus is prominently displayed at the Troy Museum in Tevfikiye village, near the ancient city of Troy.

The museum, inaugurated in 2018, houses over 2,000 artifacts that chronicle the rich history of the region.

In a contemporary reflection on the themes depicted, the museum covered the sarcophagus with a black cloth on 25 November 2024 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

This act aimed to highlight the enduring issue of violence against women, connecting ancient narratives to present-day concerns.

[ea-nasir-my-beloved]

A Hittite cuneiform tablet declaring the first surviving recorded peace treaty in history between Ramesses II and Ḫattušili III respectivly rulers of the New Kingdom of Egypt and the empire of the Hittites. The tablet is written in the Hittite language and their cuneiform.

This is one of three known relics of the treaty. Also known as The Treaty of Kadesh.

Circa 1259 BC

The tabelt is displayed at the Museum of the Ancient Orient in Turkey

[dunmeshistash]

Do we know anything about dwarven technology and/or magic? They are said to have the lowest magical potential, but I remember a picture of dwaves using a stationary phone of some kind and it seemed like there was an undine in one of the mechanisms and a dwarf having ancient magic markings in daydream portraits. They seem to have a lot of technology and magic things going on, but I can't find any info on it.

We only see a little bit of it, I was also wondering about what seems like magic tattoos in the dwarf page, perhaps is another type of tattoo instead? Or maybe it has to do with why that dwarf has a strange look on his face

The other one with similar head tattoos has half of his body burnt

Could be a warrior thing? I don't think it's the same as the magic ones, they canonically have the lowest mana reserve so I doubt they can use much magic if at all?

The tech they use seem to have to do with the ancient war when apparently there was a tech boom, but most of it apparently was buried along with dungeons.

We only see these important guys messing with something similar

[shampaincoast]

Mayan croc vessel, Mexico AD 300-600, Los Angeles Country Museum of Art

[fmstonecarving]

Out of place artifact.

Hand carved sandstone, based on an ancient Assyrian Winged Genie, but with a twist.

[memories-of-ancients]

Credit Card Imprinters --- How were credit card payments made before instant electronic point of sale?

from Payment Village

[blueiscoool]

A Roman marble head of a Celtic hound Circa 2nd Century A.D.

[theantonian]

Gold armband with Herakles knot

Hellenistic period

3rd–2nd century BCE

Gold inlaid with garnets, emeralds, and enamel

3 1/2in. (8.9cm)

The Herakles knot on this sumptuous armband is enriched with floral decoration and inlaid with garnets, emeralds, and enamel. According to the Roman writer Pliny, the decorative device of the Herakles knot could cure wounds, and its popularity in Hellenistic jewelry suggests that it was thought to have the power to avert evil.

from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

[the-cricket-chirps]

Bronze statuette of a dog

Roman

2nd-3rd century CE

[stoptheworld-please]

this is also a png blog now. carved artifacts from the Penn Museum.

[nihalsthings]

Some other artifacts from Ephesus.

What's so significant about this location is the fact that it was home to many different, great civilizations including ancient greeks, imperial romans and early christians, and it is said to be founded by Amazonians. It was first built in 10th century BC, but recent excavations stretched the timeline all the way back to 6000 BC. The intricate works made out of stone, ivory, clay, marble, copper and gold carry the fingerprints of so many different cultures. It's hard not to feel amazed by such a big piece of human history while walking around.

Tiny cups with powder are make-up containers. Just imagine the greek or roman woman who use these to have her make-up done, and go out to see the play in the great theatre nearby, which had the capacity of 20k people! Right below them are surgical tools, crafted in great detail.

Tiny egyptian priest statute is a bonus and was a lovely surprise to see here. It was naturally a low-light environment so the photos aren't excellent, but I did my best.