A few things that have caught my eye this week:
Amus, Bulgaria. A chunk of a high-quality marble gravestone tells the unusual and sad story of a high-ranking Roman legionary.
According to the lines of a Latin inscription on the gravestone, dating from the first century A.D., the soldier served 44 years in the Roman army, much longer than the usual 25-year term of service. The inscription records that the tombstone was created by the soldier’s slave, most likely in gratitude for having been granted his freedom along with the inheritance of his former owner’s property.
Valeri Stoichkov, an archaeologist at the Historical Museum of Lom, says the fragment contains the earliest inscription in the region to have been discovered in situ. Judging from other materials found at the Amus site, the stone was most likely reused as building material in the late third or early fourth century AD.
Vaucluse, France. The ancient Roman Theatre of Orange. The most well-preserved theatre in Europe.
Built in the reign of Emperor Augustus, it was the first theatre of its kind in France. There are three doors in the wall on the street level separated by arches: the royal gate and the guest’s doors leading directly onto the stage.
Conceived with the idea of spreading Roman culture and keeping the population's mind off any thoughts of political unrest, the theatre's interior could accommodate up to 9,000 spectators, seated according to their social status. Above the half-moon-shaped orchestra pit, the first rows of seats were reserved for the equites, or knights. Merchants and Roman citizens took their seats in the middle rows. The highest rows of seats were for prostitutes and slaves.
Pompeii, Naples, Italy. A large four-wheeled ceremonial chariot, with its iron elements, beautiful bronze and pewter decorations largely intact.
The Pompeii Archaeological Park announced the discovery of a large ceremonial chariot, found in excellent condition, just a few hundred meters north of the famous Italian cultural site at the Civita Giuliana excavation.
The chariot has iron components, beautiful bronze and tin decorations, mineralised wood remains and imprints of organic materials. It was discovered in a portico facing the stable where, in 2018, the remains of 3 Equidae, including a horse still in its harness, had already been found.
This is an exceptional discovery, not only because it adds an additional element to the history of Pompeii, but it also records the last moments in the lives of those who were buried by the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD.