Archaeologists in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii have uncovered a richly decorated but uncommonly small house with finely preserved frescoes of mythological scenes, the site said on Thursday. The dwelling, called the House of Phaedra after the mythological queen of Athens who features in one of its wall paintings, sheds light on changing architectural styles in the first century AD, the Pompeii archaeological park said in a statement. A detail of a richly decorated but uncommonly small house with finely preserved frescoes of mythological scenes is pictured in the archaeological site in Pompeii, Italy, in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on October 24, 2024. Parco Archeologico di Pompei/Handout via REUTERS Unlike many of the houses excavated at the site, it was not built ...
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The remains of what appears to be a medieval palace where popes lived before they made the Vatican their home have been excavated in Rome prior to renovations for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, the Italian Culture Ministry said on Wednesday. Archaeologists in the square outside the Archbasilica of St John Lateran in the city centre unearthed a complex architectural structure including walls believed to have protected the Patriarchio, a monumental basilica envisaged by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, the ministry said in a statement. A recently unearthed complex architectural structure including walls which may have protected the Patriarchio, a monumental basilica envisaged by Emperor Constantine is seen in the square outside the Archbasilica of St John Lateran in R...
Read MoreThe return of water to Rome's ancient baths of Caracalla after more than 1,000 years was greeted on Friday by ballet dancers performing on a platform over a newly installed pool. One of the largest thermal complexes ever built, the baths were begun by Emperor Septimius Severus in 212 AD and completed four years later by his successor Caracalla. The ruins are now a popular tourist destination and host concerts and theatre. A view shows the new fountain of the ancient Roman public bath complex Baths of Caracalla (Terme di Caracalla) during its preview to the media, prior to the official inauguration, in Rome, Italy April 12, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli This month local authorities unveiled a project to re-introduce water to the site, installing a large, shallow pool which reflects t...
Read MoreA marble map of ancient Rome, that hasn't been put on public view for almost 100 years, is getting its very own museum within sight of the Colosseum. The Museum of the Forma Urbis, enclosed within a new archaeological park on one of Rome's famous seven hills opens on Friday -- the latest offering from a city that is eager to broaden its attraction for growing hordes of tourists. "This is a beautiful day. We are opening an archaeological park in an extraordinary part of the city and a new museum showcasing a masterpiece which has not been visible for about a century," said Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. Collection of epigraphic and architectural materials from the Forma Urbis museum is on display during the opening of the new Celio Antiquarium, near the Colosseum in Rome, Ita...
Read MoreArchaeologists have discovered a small bedroom in a Roman villa near Pompeii that was almost certainly used by slaves, throwing light on their lowly status in the ancient world, the culture ministry said on Sunday. The room was found at the Civita Giuliana villa, some 600 metres (2,000 ft) north of the walls of Pompeii, which was wiped out by a volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. It contained two beds, only one of which had a mattress, two small cabinets and a series of urns and ceramic containers, in which the remains of two mice and a rat were found. "These details once again underline the conditions of precarity and poor hygiene in which the lower echelons of society lived during that time," the culture ministry said in its statement. A small bedroom...
Read MoreArchaeological discovery under garden of future Four Seasons near Vatican Rome’s next luxury hotel has some very good bones: Archaeologists said Wednesday that the ruins of Nero’s Theater, an imperial theater referred to in ancient Roman texts but never found, have been discovered under the garden of a future Four Seasons Hotel steps from the Vatican. People walk in the excavation site of the ancient Roman emperor Nero's theater, 1st century AD, during a press preview, in Rome, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Archaeologists have excavated deep under the walled garden of the Palazzo della Rovere since 2020 as part of planned renovations on the frescoed Renaissance building. The palazzo, which takes up a city block along the broad Via della Conciliazione leadi...
Read MoreStudy shows how changing chemistry in Roman mortar strengthens the tomb over time Over time, concrete cracks and crumbles. Well, most concrete cracks and crumbles. Structures built in ancient Rome are still standing, exhibiting remarkable durability despite conditions that would devastate modern concrete. One of these structures is the large cylindrical tomb of first-century noblewoman Caecilia Metella. New research shows that the quality of the concrete of her tomb may exceed that of her male contemporaries’ monuments because of the volcanic aggregate the builders chose and the unusual chemical interactions with rain and groundwater with that aggregate over two millennia. “The construction of this very innovative and robust monument and landmark on the Via Appia Antica indic...
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