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​Stop-Motion Animation Explains How Ancient Romans Built Trajan’s Column

Trajan’s Column in Rome commemorates Emperor Trajan’s victory over Dacian Wars in 155 bas relief scenes. This stop-motion video outlines the current theory on how the towering structure was built. National Geographic put this animation together with director Hans Weise and art director Fernando G. Baptista. You can read more background on the column and … Continued

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Why Does February Have Just 28 Days, Anyway?

February gets the shaft when it comes to days in the month. While other months last 30 or 31 days, February has 28 or 29, depending on the year. Why? Well, this video explains all of the fiddling that Romans did to the calendar, and how that resulted in a single short month. In the … Continued

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Skeletons Found In Ancient Cemetery Still Have Shackles On Their Necks

Archaeologists working in southwest France have discovered hundreds of Gallo-Roman graves dating to the second half of the 2nd century AD, with some of the skeletons featuring shackles still strapped around their necks and ankles. The site, which may have been part of an important Gallo-Roman necropolis, is situated near the amphitheatre of Saintes. The … Continued

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Just How Did The Ancient Greeks And Romans Cut Marble?

Watching marble being extracted from a modern quarry is an impressive sight, one that requires a tricky combination of skill, coordination, and advanced machinery to achieve. But, without the aid of bulldozers and power tools, how did the ancient miners manage it? The question popped up again and again, after observing the oddly-mesmerizing process by … Continued

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People Have Suffered From Gluten Intolerance For At Least 2,000 Years​

Analysis of the skeletal remains of an affluent young woman who lived in Tuscany some 2,000 years ago shows that celiac disease has existed since ancient times — as has the practice of avoiding certain foods. The woman’s remains were found in an ancient tomb at the Cosa archaeological site on the Tuscan coast in … Continued

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No, Rome’s Collapse Wasn’t Caused By Lead Poisoning

Rome was the first city on the planet to have an extensive and efficient municipal water system, thanks to the empire’s ambitious aqueduct system that’s still found throughout Europe. But that infrastructure was also pumping ancient Romans with lead—up to 100 times the amount of lead found in local spring water. A new study reported … Continued

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Looter caught trying to sell a hoard of Roman gold and silver

An amateur archaeologist — or more accurately, an opportunistic ass-wipe with a metal detector — recently uncovered a treasure trove of gold and silver artifacts in Germany. But he was promptly caught after trying to sell the rare items on the black market. The items, which date to the early part of the fifth century … Continued

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Ancient Roman funeral masks made from wax were freakishly lifelike

Ancient Roman funeral processions were led by professional mourners who wore masks of the recently deceased’s ancestors. But because the masks were made from wax, none survived. Recently, a group of archaeologists created their own wax masks using their own faces, and the results were stunning. The researchers, who study at Cornell University, recently presented … Continued

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​The 11 Most Sexually Depraved Things the Roman Emperors Ever Did

The emperors of Rome could be wise, just and kind. They could also be vindictive, cruel and insane. And most of all, they could be the worst perverts the world has ever seen — at least according to ancient historians like Suetonius, Pliny, and Cassius Dio. Here are nearly a dozen of the most immoral, … Continued

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Could the Ancient Romans Have Built a Digital Computer?

The Romans were undoubtedly master engineers. They were experts at civil engineering, building roads, improving sanitation, inventing Roman concrete, and constructing aqueducts that adhere to tolerances impressive even by today’s standards. Perhaps the best evidence of their aptitude is the fact that many of those structures still stand today, almost 2000 years later. They even … Continued

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This interactive travel map of the Roman Empire is like Oregon Trail meets Civilization

Ever wondered how long it would take to travel from Rome to Constantinople at the peak of the Roman Empire? Or from Luna to Larissa? Or Parma to Thessalonica? This map of the Roman World created at Stanford University is awesomely realistic — all the ancient transportation lines on it actually existed 2,000 years ago. … Continued

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Ancient Romans carved winged penises to ward off the evil eye

Amateur archaeologists have been using metal detectors to uncover a trove of ancient Roman artifacts in Britain. Among the centuries-old goodies discovered in 2011 were a pornographic knife handle and a couple of winged penises. Their purpose? To protect the possessor from evil, especially evil wielding a penis of its own. Images below might be … Continued

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Scientists Use Radar to Unearth Incredible Roman Gladiator School

Forty miles outside out Vienna, a crack team of European scientists have managed to discover the ruins of a Roman gladiator school using only radar. It is one of most well-preserved finds of its kind, and it even rivals the Colosseum in scale. The ruins will remain underground as the scientist try to reach an … Continued

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Gladiator’s tombstone complains about bad refs 1,800 years ago

For as long as there have been sports, there have been fans complaining about referees whose terrible calls rob their team of victory. The oldest – and most brutal – example of this can be found on a gladiator’s epitaph. About a hundred years ago, a stone was unearthed in Turkey which served as a … Continued

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A surprising discovery about how ancient Romans used lead pipes for food

The wreck of a Roman ship was discovered 25 years ago, and nobody could explain why a large lead pipe was smashed through the hull. Now we know it’s just another example of Roman engineering prowess. Specifically, it’s a fish tank. It’s easily taken for granted, but the idea of transporting foods over long distances … Continued

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How many groups reached the Americas before Christopher Columbus?

In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in what is now the Bahamas, changing the world forever. But was he first non-indigenous person to reach the Americas? Vikings got there before him, and possibly Polynesians too…and those are just the sane theories. Before we get started on this, I want to make one thing clear – this … Continued

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6th Century B.C. Palace Proves That To Destroy Something Is To Preserve It

Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery: The remains of a palace that belonged to Rome’s last royal family before the rebellion that created the Republic. But what rebels did to destroy this symbol of monarchy ironically preserved it. Researchers at the dig believe that the palace was destroyed in the Roman revolt of 510 B.C., … Continued