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Gareth Harney

@OptimoPrincipi142k followers

Historian and author celebrating the endless wonders of the classical world. My book 'Moneta: A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins' is OUT NOW.

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1Jan 23, '25An ancient marble head of a classical goddess, defaced and carved with a Christian cross around the year 500 AD, Archaeological Museum of Samos.599×25.9M59k4.4k10k
2Oct 12, '23A tidal wave of new primary sources from the ancient world could very soon be on its way - enough to keep scholars busy for decades! The first words have being read from digitally 58.4×2.5M13k2k1.4k
3Mar 7, '23The sound that once sent a shiver down the Roman legionary's spine! The bellow of a reconstructed carnyx - a war trumpet used by Iron Age Celts, Gauls, and Germans to incite troops55×2.4M26k3.7k4.2k
4Jul 31, '24'Spartan law demanded that the young men stand naked in public for inspection every ten days. They were commended if their bodies were solid, strong, and well honed by exercise. Bu45.4×2M9.5k8082.7k
5Aug 1, '23Emanuele Biggi's photograph 'Gladiator Crab' shows one of the resident freshwater crabs that live beneath Trajan's Forum in Rome. The river crabs choose not to inhabit the Tiber, b29.2×1.3M9.2k1.5k781
6Nov 23, '231) One of the most ambitious classical construction projects anywhere in the world is now in the final stages of its decoration. On a Caribbean island, the classical architecture f27.8×1.2M7.9k7892k
7Aug 29, '23Roman portable sundial in the shape of a cured ham. The whimsical yet precision-crafted bronze timepiece was unearthed in Herculaneum in 1760 and quickly identified as a rare pocke23.4×1M6.1k1.1k777
8Jul 29, '23What did wealthy Romans smell like? In 2019, a resident of the Spanish town of Carmona was digging a swimming pool when they broke through into an underground chamber. Archaeologis22.1×954k6.3k1k479
9May 6, '23The Coronation Chair was carved from oak between 1297 and 1300 by the carpenter Walter of Durham - the oldest dated piece of English furniture made by a known artist. Most of the g20.6×890k8.5k1.3k438
10Jul 10, '201) A stranger than fiction Roman ring mystery thread: this enigmatic Roman gold ring was found in a ploughed field near Silchester in 1785. The square bezel has a portrait of the p17.8×036k13k4k
11Aug 8, '231) A 20th century Roman temple to transportation. The demolition of New York's original Pennsylvania Station in 1963 has been called 'an American tragedy' and 'an act of monumental17.8×768k4.7k745666
12Aug 20, '23Rhyton drinking cup in the shape of a dog's head. The beautiful vessel is attributed to the prolific ancient Greek potter, Brygos, who was active in Athens between 490-470 BC and w15.8×685k6.4k1k445
13Feb 12, '241) On 10 May 1889, a pair of marble sarcophagi were unearthed on the banks of the Tiber during construction of Rome's Palace of Justice. Concerned the contents of the graves might 14.3×619k5k8871k
14Dec 29, '221/5) The hydraulis of Dion, an incredibly rare and complete pipe organ from the ancient world. The organ, powered by a system of pumps and compressed air regulated by a water tank,13.6×590k4.5k770379
15Aug 2, '23Roman grave monument for a beloved horse, with a moving epitaph: 'You once outran the wandering birds and beat the northwest winds, now you graze no longer in Tuscan woods and Sicu13×561k5k853382
16Aug 16, '23Ancient marble gravestone for a dog named Parthenope, shown on the memorial relaxing on a fine couch. The epitaph tells us that: 'Here an owner has buried his playful dog, Partheno12.6×546k4.3k810434
17May 22, '23Incredibly sad to hear of the passing of Ray Stevenson, whose brilliant performance as Titus Pullo made him the heart and soul of HBO's Rome. 'Thirteen!' forever. ⚔️12.3×531k5.6k59171
18Feb 9, '23How did the Romans lift marble drums weighing from 25 to 77 tons into place on Trajan's Column? Pure engineering genius... (Clip from National Geographic)11.5×497k5k987650
19Jan 28, '23Coming in to land, 4th century AD. (Aerial view of ancient Rome by UrbanVFX)10.6×456k3.8k491365
20Jul 25, '23The most eastern Roman inscription ever found: In the late first century AD, the centurion Lucius Julius Maximus of the Twelfth 'Thunderbolt' Legion carved this inscription into a 10.5×454k3.2k521192
21Mar 26, '25An astonishing hoard of 39 Roman gold aurei has been unearthed in Suffolk! The coins of the 'Hartismere District Hoard' date from the reigns of Augustus to Nero (c.19 BC-55 AD) and9.8×422k5.3k887374
22Aug 6, '23An astounding circular panel portrait of two young men from Roman Egypt – sometimes called the 'Tondo of the Two Brothers', though the identity of the men and nature of their relat9.7×418k3.9k529318
23Jan 25, '23The Colossus of Constantine has been reconstructed to its full 13-metre height in Milan's Fondazione Prada! The surviving fragments of the Colossus in Rome's Musei Capitolini were 9.5×409k4k756208
24Dec 9, '22After she was publicly flogged and her daughters raped by Roman soldiers, Boudica destroyed three entire cities. Camulodunum burned with such ferocity that a blackened scorch-layer7.8×026k2k2k
25Aug 26, '23Another Egadi ram sees the sunlight again for the first time in 2,263 years – the 26th ancient bronze warship ram raised from the seabed near the Egadi islands. The Battle of the A7.3×317k3.3k481129
26Aug 21, '23A remarkable Roman mosaic showing a children's choir or Schola Cantorum, who would have performed sacred choral music at religious ceremonies. Fifteen young singers are depicted – 7.3×316k3.7k598254
27Nov 26, '221) During construction work on Amphipolis Archaeological Museum in 1976, workers uncovered a cist tomb cut into the bedrock, still sealed and unlooted. Curiously, the burial was lo5.9×017k3k1.3k
28Dec 22, '24Recreation of a Persian rider from 500 BC, wearing a fur-lined and highly decorated gaunaka coat as an indicator of wealth and status, worn exclusively by the Achaemenid elite. Bri5.9×255k5.3k818990
29Apr 27, '20A dizzying drone flight around a deserted Roma5.5×015k3.7k542
30Mar 20, '22A 16th century German 'oath skull' (a human skull on which defendants swore their oath in Vehmic courts) - engraved with the 'magical' Roman 'Sator square', mysterious palindromic 5.2×014k2.1k1.4k
31Jul 13, '251) Excellent ancient Greek humour: a large bronze battering ram – one of very few to survive from the ancient world – dedicated as an offering to Zeus at Olympia ...and decorated w5.1×221k5.4k296390
32Jan 21, '22This Roman blue glass bowl has been unearthed perfectly intact (!) at an archaeological dig in Nijmegen.4.9×016k2.3k319
33Aug 14, '23Take a moment to appreciate the sets and costumes of HBO's Rome.4.8×206k3.5k261160
34Sep 29, '24An excellent model in Lincoln Museum helping to visualise the massive scale of a single Roman legion in formation. The model accurately shows 5000+ men of the legion though the rea4.7×204k3.4k475365
35Jan 26, '24Reminder that there is no CGI in this image. Production still from the filming of 'Rome' at Cinecittà Studios, 2004.4.0×172k3.3k350283
36Aug 29, '20Don't look into her eyes! Spectacular opus-sectile mosaic of the Gorgon Medusa covering the entire orchestra of Kibyra Roman theatre in south-west Turkey - unearthed in 2009, the m3.8×010k2.8k450
37Jan 28, '22Roman rock crystal gaming die, marked one to six just like modern dice. 1st-2nd century AD3.8×012k2.1k248
38May 3, '24Demonstrating the size of the Pantheon's granite columns ...but really just giving the Pantheon a hug because it is the greatest building in the world. Don't judge me.3.7×161k3.4k17796
39Nov 27, '24Still a good boy after two thousand years. A Roman marble head of a loyal hound, gazing up at his master. 2nd century AD, Bonhams Antiquities, December 2024.3.7×160k6.7k785439
40Mar 9, '24A 2000-year-old Roman blue glass bowl unearthed in pristine condition at an archaeological dig in Nijmegen in 2021.3.5×152k3.9k394152
41Feb 8, '21Well done to whoever designed this brilliant phone case based on a miraculously surviving Roman shield (scutum) from the 3rd century.3.1×010k1.3k304
42Oct 25, '24The sharpening stone used by the Welsh archers of Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt, on this day in 1415. Henry mustered 500 Welsh archers to assist him in the battle and this sto3.0×132k3.7k475221
43Jun 5, '25Moneta is out today in paperback! "Riveting ... An utterly original history of Rome that compels from start to finish. A wonderful read." ― Mail on Sunday "An excellent 1,000 year 2.9×123k3985396
44Nov 9, '22The bronze statues discovered in the hot springs of San Casciano dei Bagni are tremendously exciting ..but look at all the Roman coins being found too - wow!2.8×09.6k1.2k203
45Feb 24, '21A tiny (48mm) Greek owl carved in purple flourite. The owl was the symbol of the goddess Athena and by extension the city of Athens. The small precious stone sculpture was likely c2.8×07.5k1.7k284
46Jun 17, '21Roman rock-crystal icosahedron (20-sided dice) used in fortune-telling. Each face has a Latin letter on it and a corresponding Roman numeral. Such polyhedral dice were thrown to ob2.5×06.2k1.7k352
47Jul 13, '22Roman crocodile-skin armour; this astonishing helmet and cuirass was likely worn by a distinguished soldier during parades and cult processions in Roman Egypt. Perhaps a personal t2.5×07.9k1.1k316
48Oct 22, '221) Let's take a tour of the spectacular sets of HBO's 'Rome' (2005-2007) at Cinecittà Studios..2.4×07.1k875820
49Feb 13, '21The head of the 'Osterby Man', a Germanic warrior of the Suebi who died around 100 AD. He was struck by a blunt object before being decapitated and his head thrown into a bog. His 2.4×07.3k1.1k267
50Jan 11, '21No these are not photographs ..but astounding oil paintings of the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum (c.1895) - by the absurdly talented Italian artist Luigi Bazzani (182.4×07.2k1.3k236
51Oct 5, '22Man topples two ancient Roman busts in the Vatican Museums 🤬2.3×06k883226
52Apr 29, '21Marble head of Augustus unearthed today! Discovered in excavations at Isernia (Roman Aesernia) in the southern Italian region of Molise. Incredibly exciting!2.1×06.8k1.1k99
53Jan 17, '25The glorious red changing room of a luxurious private baths, newly unearthed in Pompeii.2.1×90k3.7k392187
54Jun 19, '221) The Roman Capitolium of Brescia (ancient Brixia). Fortuitously buried by a landslide in the Middle Ages, the remains of the Capitol temple are a wonder in themselves - but what 1.9×04.8k1k585
55Nov 21, '22'Cato paused a speech he was giving in the Senate when he saw that Julius Caesar had been passed a note. He challenged Caesar to read it aloud, sure it contained details of some co1.8×06.2k507242
56Feb 22, '22Wow, the largest Roman mosaic discovered in London in over half a century, unearthed in the shadow of The Shard, Southwark.1.7×05.8k83094
57Jun 30, '20Roman clay tile with footprint left by a toddler as it dried 2000 years ago, Vaison-la-Romaine (ancient Vasio Vocontiorum) #roman #archaeology1.7×05.2k1.1k87
58Dec 28, '21Archaeologists unearthing a Roman marble statue of Venus, goddess of love, at Villa Salar, Granada in 2018. So rare to see an ancient statue being excavated.1.7×05.7k74097
59Aug 12, '221) The Corinth Canal is one of history's greatest engineering feats. The 4-mile canal cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth allowing ships fast access between the Ionian and Aegean S1.7×04.7k835480
61Mar 29, '21Roman gold ring with openwork inscription 'ANIMA DVLCIS VIVAS MECV' - "May you live with me sweet soul." 4th century AD1.7×05k940188
62Aug 22, '18New discovery of a Roman marble statue of Venus at Villa Salar, Granada. So rare to see a new statue being unearthed. Pictures from Anticae Viae #roman #archaeology1.6×04k1.5k20
63Sep 26, '201) An ancient Roman-dinosaur-monster-bones thread! Yes you read that right - did you know the Romans were keen fossil hunters, fascinated by the bones of ancient "monsters". August1.6×03.6k1.2k273
64Feb 23, '22Layers of Londinium.1.6×05.7k57770
65Aug 29, '22A perfectly preserved section of the Via Flaminia Roman road, discovered at a depth of 0.90m during planning of a new water pipeline in Riano. The Flaminian Way struck north from R1.6×05.3k643119
66Feb 17, '211) The best preserved Roman military diploma to survive from the ancient world: These highly prized bronze legal documents were issued to retiring non-citizen soldiers upon success1.5×04k1k285
67Jul 1, '22‘PIG LATIN’ by Grant Snider.1.5×04.2k1k255
68Jul 29, '22Beautiful helicoidal staircases (1557) in the cloisters of the Convent of Christ in Tomar - headquarters of the Knights Templar.1.5×04.9k612197
69Nov 22, '21Memorial plaque to “Alexander, a sausage seller at the market. He lived 30 years. He was a good soul and everyone’s friend. May he sleep among the righteous” The tombstone is carve1.4×03.9k808198
70Oct 21, '20An unbroken Roman glass bottle of olive oil from Pompeii, still sealed with its cork stopper. Though solidified after being buried since 79 AD, the contents apparently still smell 1.3×04k75871
71Nov 14, '22The town of Palmanova is a striking example of a Renaissance ‘ideal city’. Built by the Venetian Republic in the 16th century following the ‘star fort’ plan, the town takes the for1.3×04.1k618200
72Dec 17, '21Ancient mosaic glass bowl, made with opaque yellow spirals fused in a translucent cobalt-blue matrix and cast over a drape mould to form a spectacular hemispherical bowl, 3rd-2nd c1.3×03.9k730135
73Jan 13, '22Roman paving with large phallic graffito carving, displayed in-situ under Zadar Archaeological Museum, Croatia #phallusthursday1.3×03.4k554138
76May 12, '22Roman glass perfume bottle with a golden lid in the form of a woman's head, still connected by its gold chain. With a long spike on the underside, the precious perfume could be rem1.2×03.8k565112
77Jun 5, '22Funerary portraits of a man and woman from Roman Egypt, 1st - 2nd century AD. Denmark National Museum1.2×04.2k45368
78Jul 17, '22'I find antiquity a rewarding study, if only because, while I am absorbed in it, I am able to turn my eyes from the troubles which torment the modern world.' - Livy writing around 1.2×03.5k632165
80Dec 6, '22Dacian cap still being worn after 2,000 years, as seen in this incredible photo of a Transylvanian shepherd - also dressed in an amazing ‘cojoc’ sheepskin coat. The ‘Dacian’ or ‘Ph1.1×03.7k416204
81May 28, '221) In April 1992 the IRA detonated a one-ton bomb outside the Baltic Exchange in the City of London, on what would later become the site of the iconic 'Gherkin', tragically killing1.1×03.4k501238
82May 27, '22Rome’s eleven aqueducts were a true engineering marvel. This reconstruction shows the Aqua Marcia making a wide loop and twice intersecting the Aqua Claudia just north of the city.1.1×03.6k485160
84Dec 18, '21Exeter Cathedral, begun in 1114 and completed around 1350. The cathedral’s ceiling or ‘vault’ measures almost 100m, the longest continuous medieval stone vault in the world.1.1×03.6k49189
86Feb 1, '22The heart-stopping artistry of the bronze head of Seuthes III, 4th cent BC - found in the Valley of Thracian kings, near Kazanlak, Bulgaria (Image: Ann Wuyts)1.1×03.4k499109
87Jun 3, '21When Boudica destroyed Roman Camulodunum the city burned with such ferocity that a scorch layer can still be seen under modern Colchester, named by archaeologists the 'Boudican des1.1×03.1k56685
88Jan 27, '22Flat arches with 'hanging' masonry supporting the arena floor of the Colosseum; precise Roman construction using no mortar. Laid upon a frame that was then removed, the central key1.1×03.4k509107
89Jun 11, '221) An utterly delightful Roman statue of a hippopotamus, carved in sumptuous 'Rosso Antico' red marble. Let's take a closer look at this magnificent sculpture...1.1×03.4k475108
90Mar 23, '22Roman emerald-green glass bowl, early 1st century AD, Metropolitan Museum of Art1.0×03.5k46637
91Mar 17, '22Roman clay tile with footprint left by a toddler as it dried 2000 years ago, Vaison-la-Romaine (ancient Vasio Vocontiorum). Photo taken by me at the Théo Desplans Museum, Vaison-la1.0×03.4k47848
94Aug 13, '221/5) The only piece of Roman jewellery that can be matched to a known historical owner. This gold and carnelian signet ring was found on the skeletal finger of Scipio Barbatus (3371.0×03.3k418164
96Nov 24, '21An archaeologist holds a newly discovered fragment of a Roman bronze cavalry mask, unearthed at the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, near modern Eskipazar, Turkey.0.9×03.3k31350

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