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Rare Priapus Figurine and Head of Mithras Found at Roman Fortress in Bulgaria
A rare bronze figurine of Priapus and a sculpted head identified as the god Mithras have been found at Novae, a Roman legionary fortress beside the Danube in northern Bulgaria. The discoveries came during an excavation season that also revealed more of a vast building that may have housed the commander of the legion. The…
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Rare Inscription Shows How Romans ‘Buried’ Lightning at Hadrian’s Villa
A marble inscription discovered at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli has revealed how Romans responded when lightning struck the imperial residence. Rather than treating the event as ordinary damage, they apparently buried its physical traces, separated the affected ground and placed it within the divine realm. Archaeologists found the inscription in the area traditionally known as…
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The Vestal Virgins Held Extraordinary Power but Lived Under Rome’s Absolute Control
At the eastern edge of the Roman Forum, a small fire carried the symbolic weight of an empire. Its flames belonged to Vesta, goddess of the hearth, but Romans believed they represented something far greater: the security, continuity and divine protection of Rome itself. Keeping that fire alive was entrusted to the Vestal Virgins, a…
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A 4,000-Year-Old Burial Mound Became a Roman Sanctuary — Then Came the Medieval Gallows
A prehistoric burial mound in Suffolk was repeatedly drawn back into human activity over thousands of years, eventually becoming the center of a Roman sanctuary filled with ritual deposits before the surrounding landscape was associated with medieval executions. New research published in the journal Britannia traces the remarkable history of the site at Red Lodge,…
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Roman Guardian Spirit Found Beneath a Vindolanda Barrack Floor After 1,600 Years
A carved Roman guardian spirit has been discovered face down beneath the floor of a fourth-century barrack at Vindolanda in northern England. The sandstone relief, probably once displayed in a small shrine, had later been reused as a paving stone, preserving its carved surface for more than 1,600 years. Dr Andrew Birley, director of excavations…
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A Tiny Shrine to Minerva Was Carved Into a Roman Quarry in Spain 1,800 Years Ago
A Roman quarry in central Spain has yielded an unusually intimate trace of worship: a tiny rock-cut shrine to Minerva, carved directly into the same sandstone face where workers once extracted building material. The sanctuary, found near Campos del Paraíso in the province of Cuenca, dates to the late second century A.D. It stands about…