Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
#Roman & conflict archaeologist; Lecturer in Ancient History at Manchester Met University; University Teacher at the University of Liverpool; Early Career Research Fellow at the Centre for Integrative Research in Conflict Archaeology.
There are some fascinating now-lost inscriptions from #Roman Britain. This one, originally on a rock-face in Coombe Crag (near #HadriansWall) reads: "Apollonius; I, Daminius, did not want (to do it)" But what did he not want to do? And why take the time to carve it into rock? #AncientBlueSky
A bold #Roman glass bowl, with quarters in blue, yellow, red, & clear, & a floral garland decoration in each section. It is a really skilled piece of ancient glasswork, & looks amazing given that it was made more than 2000 years ago! 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology
The Hallaton helmet, a #Roman cavalry helmet from the C1st AD. It is a very ornate piece, originally covered in silver sheet & gold leaf, with a female goddess on the brow guard; it is one of the earlist known Roman helmets from Roman Britain... #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology
A #Roman tile marked with a child's footprints - they have really sunk their toes into the unfired clay here! There are also dog pawprints on the tile - a child & their beloved pet walking together, maybe, some 1700+ years ago... #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology
Temple of Venus Victrix and the spectator seats (cavea) of the Theatre of Pompey (Theatrum Pompei) in Rome in all its original splendour, c. 55 BC! Digital reconstruction by History In 3D. For #RomanSiteSaturday. #AncientBluesky
A toy ball from #Roman Egypt, made from linen with strips of reed (painted red & green), & with stone chips inside so it would rattle when used. First played with some 1600+ years ago... (📷 British Museum) #AncientBlueSky
The #Roman ancestor of the Swiss Army Knife - made of silver with folding elements including a knife blade (mostly eroded away), spoon, fork, spike, spatula, & curved pick, perfect for the Roman traveller! (📷 Fitzwilliam Museum) 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology
A #Roman mosaic depiction of a snake in a river scene - love the attention to detail in this piece, especially the patterning on its body, & the tongue sticking out 🐍🏺 #Archaeology #MosaicMonday #AncientBlueSky
A #Roman cobalt-blue glass cup with silver mounting decoration. The Greek letters around the top edge read 'congratulations' in English. It was found in a C3rd AD grave in Varpelev (Denmark) along with a range of other grave goods, probably the prized possessions of the deceased #AncientBlueSky
A #Roman lead tablet from Bath (Britain), which a woman named Lovernisca hoped to use to put a curse on whomever had stolen her cape. In a world where many ordinary people went without justice, curse tablets were an option to try & get it through divine means #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky
#MosaicMonday - Detail of Clio. Mosaic of the Muses, Vichten Roman Villa, 2nd-3rd c. AD. Clio was one of the nine Muses, the goddesses of music, song and dance. Luxembourg City History Museum. #Archaeology #Art #AncientBluesky
An absolute feast for #MosaicMonday. This C3-C4 #Roman fishing scene from #Utica now in the #BritishMuseum is a marvel of contrasts: the fishermen are stylized almost as caricatures, yet the sea life is rendered with magnificent, near-photorealistic detail. #imperialism #AncientBluesky 🏺
A depiction of The Odyssey in ancient art a day until the release of Christopher Nolan’s film #theodyssey 🏺 Roman oil lamp depicting Scylla, a monstrous sea goddess whom Odysseus faced during the long voyage. 2nd century CE Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich (8958599194)
“Clever, imaginative, flawed, Odysseus is, ultimately, the most human hero of the ancient Greek world.” — Daisy Dunn. #AncientBluesky www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
'A story of sex, strategy and power': How women shape the plot of Homer's Odyssey
The protagonist of the epic poem is a heroic male – but the story is shaped by the stratagems and seductions of the women, nymphs and goddesses he meets along the way.
bbc.com
New post this week! The first of two parts on Vindonissa (modern Windisch, Switzerland) starting with the history of the site as well as the amphitheater and a series of pottery kilns: www.roamintheempire.com/index.php/20... #RomanSiteSaturday #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology #AncientBlueSky🏺
A #Roman glass 'circus beaker' (so called because the animals portrayed on it - a lion & a big cat - would mostly have been seen in the arena), found in a burial in Himlingøje (Denmark) - did it get there through trade, as war booty, or a diplomatic gift, maybe..? #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky
A very distinctive #Roman chicken figurine, with some of his original enamel plumage still on show! #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky
A #Roman clay tile, on which someone wrote out in Latin cursive the first lines of the 'Aeneid' before it was fired - well, that's one way to get some handwriting practice in! It was found in Italica (Spain), where it was written about 2000 years ago #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky
An ancient Greek rhyton (drinking vessel), with a duck's head as the bottom of the vessel. A nice piece of whimsy for a drinking party, some 2500 years ago! 🦆🍷 #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky
A #Roman glass vessel, in a beautiful cobalt blue with yellow-gold & white grain decoration around the middle. A beautiful piece of ancient glass from Spain, made some 1700+ years ago #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky
A #Roman mummy portrait from Egypt, depicting a young women with large, deep brown eyes & brown hair. The level of detail is beautiful, down to a slight blush in her cheeks. We don't know her name, but from the style of her clothes & hair she likely lived & died about 1850 years ago #AncientBlueSky
A classic #Roman helmet, with decorated cheek-pieces & a large neck-guard for extra protection. Imagine what this piece of kit might have seen in its original military use-life... On display in the National Archaeology Museum in Madrid #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology #AncientBlueSky
A selection of greeny-blue #Roman glass vessels, all found in Denmark, mostly in the graves of the elite - perhaps luxury imports for the rich, souvenirs of mercenary service in the Roman army, or diplomatic gifts. They're beautiful, however they ended up in Scandinavia! #AncientBlueSky
A 2nd century CE shrine at the Roman quarry near Segóbriga (Spain) found! ⛏️“Roman religious practices extended beyond major urban temples & ceremonial centres. Instead, sacred spaces could also emerge in industrial landscapes [like a quarry!] where communities worked & extracted natural resources.”
Roman shrine dedicated to Minerva discovered in ancient quarry
Archaeologists have uncovered a rare Roman rock-cut sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Minerva in an ancient quarry near Campos del Paraíso, offering new insights into religious life and industrial ac...
heritagedaily.com
Two beautiful #Roman necklaces, made from gold with pearls & emeralds for decoration; these were originally worn by women in Roman Spain some 1700-2100 years ago, but their style is timeless! #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology
An absolutely stunning photo! The 35m-long #Roman shipwreck, along with its cargo of 6,000 (!) amphorae was discovered in 2019 off the coast of the Greek Island of Kefalonia. It’s one of the largest Roman shipwrecks found in the Mediterranean. 📷 Ionian Aquarium
A #Roman mosaic octopus, found in a villa at Villaquejida (Spain) - laid some 1800-1900 years ago, but still looking fabulous today #MosaicMonday #AncientBlueSky
Twelve #Roman lead sling bullets (glandes), found at the site of Cabezo de Alcalá in Spain, & probably related to a siege of the site during the Sertorian War (82-70 BC) #RomanArchaeology #AncientBlueSky
#FindsFriday 🏺 Looking for new summer sandals before heatwave hits - should've gone to #Vindolanda.... The wall of #Roman shoes in the brilliantly presented museum there offers a superb variety. All thanks to the legendary preservation of some damp, anaerobic conditions on site. A selection:
