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Roman Artifacts

Welcome to our section on Roman artifacts! Here you will find articles on the many fascinating and diverse objects produced during the Roman period. From finely crafted jewelry to impressive weaponry, Roman artifacts provide us with a window into the ancient world, revealing much about Roman life, culture, and society.

The fragment of pottery with the Virgil quote overlaid. Source: Iván González Tobar/Labex Archimède; University of Córdoba
22 June, 2023 - 18:54 Sahir

1800-Year-Old Roman Amphora of Olive Oil Contains Quote from the Legendary Virgil

A fragment of an amphora of olive oil, dated to the Roman period in southern Spain 1,800 years ago, has astounded the archaeological community at large. Plucked from the earth during prospecting...
Roman sculpture showing detachable head. Source: giorgio/ Adobe Stock
18 June, 2023 - 22:53 Cecilia Bogaard

Romans Cleverly Used Interchangeable Heads on Their Statues

Museums are filled with the captivating spectacle of bodiless heads and headless bodies dating back to Roman times. “Headless, these statues invoke a sense of mystery and fragmentation, allowing us...
Two Roman statue heads found at Carlisle Cricket Club Roman site. Source: Geraldine Moore/Cumberland Council
25 May, 2023 - 19:02 Sahir

Carlisle Cricket Club Bathhouse Site Reveals Colossal Roman Sculptures of Imperial Class

The site of a Roman bathhouse or mansion, the ruins at Carlisle Cricket Club have revealed more in the latest round of excavations – two exquisitely preserved head sculptures depicting Roman gods,...
Inscribed lead Roman curse tablet. Source: British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
1 December, 2022 - 21:50 Lex Leigh

8 Hilarious Curse Tablets from the Roman World

The Roman Empire was famous for many things, but did you know they were also famous for their curse tablets? These tablets, called defixiones by researchers, were a way for ancient Romans to express...
The silver artifact, dubbed a “paranormal paracetamol,” may date back to the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine. Source: Peter Beasley.
19 January, 2022 - 17:32 ashley cowie

Detectorists Find “Paranormal Paracetamol” in Fossilized Human Waste

A pair of metal detectorists in England have made the rare discovery of a solid silver Roman oddity dating back to the time of Roman Emperor Constantine (306 to 337 AD), remembered for making...
Research of Latin papyrus texts has allowed for a deeper understanding of the Roman world. Representational image of papyrus scrolls. Source: shaiith / Adobe Stock
12 January, 2023 - 21:51 ashley cowie

Latin Papyrus Texts Reanimate Fossils of the Roman World

The PLATINUM project claims to be a “Partnership for Learning and Teaching in University Mathematics.” The study began with the goal of analyzing existing Latin papyrus texts dating to the 1st to 8th...
The remains of the ancient Roman sandal found on the “thawing” Lendbreen ice patch, which has yielded numerous unusual artifacts, including the world’s oldest ski, over the last few years. Source: Arkeonews
18 April, 2022 - 14:59 Sahir

Trendy Roman Era Sandals Discovered on Norway Ice Pass

It might be a controversial statement, but despite the havoc that global warming and climate change are wreaking on the world’s ice cover, there is one community of people benefiting from this –...
Roger Tomlin deciphering one of the 405 Bloomberg Tablets found at the heart of Roman Britain, Londinium, which are the oldest written documents ever found in the UK.
10 July, 2022 - 14:59 Mark Brophy

2,000-Year-Old Bloomberg Tablets Reveal London Life Under the Romans

When archaeologists began excavations on the site of the demolished Bucklesbury House, little did they know that they would uncover the earliest written documents found in Britain. Dating from...
The 2,000-year-old silver penis pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist. Source: The Portable Antiquities Scheme
4 June, 2022 - 18:59 Sahir

Roman Penis Pendant Found in Britain Declared a “National Treasure”

A Roman “penis pendant,” or more accurately a phallic amulet, found in England 18 months ago, has been declared a national treasure. Described as a first-of-its-kind find, it was discovered by metal...
Newly Discovered Ancient Roman Writing Tablets Provide Snapshots of Roman-Era London
2 June, 2016 - 21:49 Mark Miller

Newly Discovered Ancient Roman Writing Tablets Provide Snapshots of Roman-Era London

Recently discovered ancient British Roman texts on wax-covered wood tablets with legal, correspondence, note-taking and accounting documents have been translated, and researchers are now releasing...
Wall fragment with Two Women Roman 1-75 CE Plaster and pigment fresco.
20 May, 2018 - 13:57 ancient-origins

Scientists Amazed to Discover 2,000-Year-Old Face Cream Still Containing Last Finger Imprints

When archaeologists came across a tin containing an unknown 2000-year-old ointment they were both pleased and bemused. It was not discovered in a home as one might think, but rather near an ancient...
Stylus with old Roman joke found in London.
30 July, 2019 - 01:57 Ed Whelan

Roman Pen Inscribed With Precursor to Modern Classic Joke Found in London

An expert on inscriptions has deciphered some Roman writing on a pen as a witticism left by its owner, with a sentiment remarkably similar to those found on tongue in cheek souvenirs of today...
Trajan's Column and The Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Trajan Forum, Rome, Italy.
3 September, 2019 - 17:37 Riley Winters

Trajan's Column: An Unyielding Pillar of Imperial Strength

A pillar of Emperor Trajan's military victories, the Column of Trajan is as much a benchmark of Rome's strength as an empire as it is a monument to Trajan's success as a leader. Situated at the...
Sumerian Artifact with the Tree of Life. (swisshippo / Adobe Stock)
6 February, 2020 - 04:28 Roberto Volterri

In Rome, I Saw Written On Top Of A Door

In Rome "I saw written on top of a door." ( Inferno , III, v. 11, Dante) In Rome, hidden a corner of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, one will find the last remnant of the Academia dell’ Arcadia , an...
Roman shipwreck artifacts found in the Spanish fish shop. Source: Civil Guard
23 July, 2020 - 23:00 Ed Whelan

Illegal Roman Shipwreck Artifacts Found in a Spanish Fish Shop

During a recent routine inspection of a seafood store, Spanish authorities came across a number of important historical artifacts that date to the Roman Empire . They found over a dozen storage...
Stav Meir, holding the 1,500-year-old Byzantine inscription that he discovered near Caesarea. Source: Karem Said/ Israel Antiquities Authority
22 January, 2020 - 22:56 Ed Whelan

13-year-old Israeli Boy Stumbles Upon Ancient Byzantine Inscription

Many important archaeological finds have been made by accident down the years. In Israel, a lucky boy came across a very important historic artifact while out searching for mushrooms. He found an...
Huge Roman Silver Hoard Unearthed in Augsburg, Germany
17 November, 2021 - 17:53 Sahir

Huge Roman Silver Hoard Unearthed in Augsburg, Germany

A massive stash of Roman silver dating to the first and second centuries AD has been discovered in the Bavarian city of Augsburg in Germany. The cache, which includes 15 kg (33 pounds) of silver...
A fragment of the Forma Urbis Romae map
7 March, 2016 - 03:40 mrreese

New Piece of a 2,200-Year-Old Roman Puzzle Emerges, Bringing Together Ancient Map of Rome

Maps are a useful modern tool, telling us how to get places, showing us where borders lie, and illustrating the distance between two places. While modern technology has made the creation of and...
Three of the Roman intaglios, engraved semi-precious stones discovered by archaeologists near Hadrian’s Wall. Source: Anna Giecco//Wardell Armstrong
30 January, 2023 - 17:59 Sahir

30 Stunning Roman Intaglios Discovered at Hadrian's Wall Bathhouse Site

Two thousand years ago, beautifully carved Roman stones taken into an ancient pool were lost by the bathers. Now they have been recovered during archaeological excavations in Carlisle, adjacent to...
The restored horse head is on view for the first time since its discovery in 2009
30 August, 2018 - 14:04 Alicia McDermott

Bronze Horse Head of Waldgirmes Emphasizes that Germanic Tribes and Romans Sometimes Played Nice

Last week a rare Roman bronze horse’s head made international headlines because it gained a German farmer a pretty penny. Now the sculpture fragment is back in the limelight because archaeologists...
Ryedale Roman Bronze Artifacts Found By Detectorists Head for Auction
23 April, 2021 - 14:52 Prisha Aug

Ryedale Roman Bronze Artifacts Found By Detectorists Head for Auction

A marvelous collection of Roman bronze artifacts that were unearthed in the year 2020 by detectorists in Yorkshire, England, is set to be auctioned next month. The rare Roman bronze collection,...
Selection of items from the Yorkshire Museum Collection including the mysterious Roman object.
24 October, 2018 - 22:54 Ed Whelan

Mysterious Roman Object Identified After 150 Years is One of Only 23 in the World

There are many curious and mysterious objects that have been unearthed by archaeologists down the years. Many of them have baffled experts for a long time. One of these enigmatic objects was a small...
Artifact Reveals People Were Fed To Lions In Roman Britain
12 August, 2021 - 18:47 ashley cowie

Artifact Reveals People Were Fed To Lions In Roman Britain

Archaeologists have presented gory visual evidence that problematic people were fed to lions in Roman Britain. Excavations at a Roman house in Leicester, England in 2017 unearthed a dirt-caked bronze...
Shot of an archaeologist holding the leather prank mouse found in the Roman fort of Vindolanda. Source: Vindolanda Trust
18 May, 2020 - 18:53 ashley cowie

The Romans’ Playful Side Revealed By Prank Mouse in Vindolanda

A 2,000-year-old ‘prank mouse’ has been discovered in a bag of Roman period leather offcuts in a collection of artifacts in Northumberland’s Vindolanda Museum. The life-sized leather mouse, measuring...

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