Ancient Rome

Interest in gymnastics soared during the Cold War, when the Olympics emerged as a cultural battleground for Western and Eastern nations.

A History of Gymnastics, From Ancient Greece to Tokyo 2020

The beloved Olympic sport has evolved drastically over the past 2,000 years

The road appears to have run along a sandy ridge between the northern and southern ends of the lagoon.

Traces of Submerged Roman Road Found Beneath Venetian Lagoon

New research suggests the Italian city was settled earlier than previously believed

The sandstone relief is the first of its kind found at Vindolanda, a Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall.

Rare Carving of Nude Horseman Found at Roman Fort May Depict Mercury or Mars

A pair of amateur archaeologists discovered the sandstone relief at Vindolanda in northern England

Officials unveiled the hypogeum—a system of underground tunnels beneath the Colosseum—during a ceremony on Friday.

The Tunnels Beneath Rome's Colosseum Are Open to the Public for the First Time

The chambers are finally on view after a $29.8 million restoration

Authorities have returned the illegally transported artifacts to their home country of Italy.

Officials Seize 782 Ancient Artifacts Acquired Illicitly by Single Belgian Collector

The trove of treasures, including a funerary slab, amphorae and pottery dated to pre-Roman times, is worth an estimated $13 million

Officials posted a video showing the statue's excavation on Twitter.

Headless Statue of Ancient Woman Discovered in Turkey's 'Mother Goddess City'

The 1,800-year-old sculpture dates to Metropolis' Roman era

Researchers found the charred remains of wooden furniture at the site of the former Astra cinema in Verona.

'Miniature Pompeii' Found Beneath Abandoned Verona Cinema

In the second century A.D., "a calamitous event, in this case a fire, suddenly marked the end of the complex," notes a statement

The 2,000-year-old civic building is set to open to the public following an extensive restoration project.

Enormous Roman Basilica Dated to King Herod's Reign Revealed in Israel

At its height, the public building boasted opulent marble columns and sculptures

Researchers rarely discover physical evidence of slavery in the Roman Empire.

Shackled Skeleton Reflects Brutal Reality of Slavery in Roman Britain

An enslaved man buried in England between 226 and 427 A.D. was interred with heavy iron fetters and a padlock around his ankles

View of the remarkably well-preserved wall of a Roman-era bath complex—one of many remarkable discoveries recently announced by the University of Cádiz in southeastern Spain

Sand Dunes Preserved These Roman Baths in Spain for Thousands of Years

Archaeologists found a bathing complex, an intact tomb, medieval pottery and more at sites along the country's southern shore

“I am not setting out here to rehabilitate Nero as a blameless man,” curator Thorsten Opper says. “But I have come to the conclusion that almost every single thing we think we know about him is wrong.”

Was Emperor Nero Really as Monstrous as History Suggests?

A new exhibition at the British Museum introduces visitors to the man behind the mythical Roman ruler

Though the intaglio dates to the days of Roman Britain (43 to 410 A.D.), the silver seal that holds it was likely made in the 13th or 14th century.

Silver Medieval Seal Featuring Engraved Roman Gem Unearthed in England

The rare artifact depicts war god Mars and Victoria, the mythological personification of victory

One of the six recovered frescoes depicts a dancing cherub.

Six Stolen Frescoes Returned to Pompeii

Between the 1970s and 2012, looters stole elegant artworks from two villas neighboring the famed ancient settlement

This 1822 painting by John Martin envisions the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. New research suggests a skeleton found in Herculaneum, a seaside town neighboring Pompeii, belonged to a Roman soldier sent to rescue victims from the volcano.

Vesuvius Victim Identified as Elite Roman Soldier Sent on Failed Rescue Mission

The man may have been a Praetorian Guard dispatched by Pliny the Elder to save Herculaneum's residents from the volcanic eruption

The oddly shaped oil lamp is the first of its kind found in Jerusalem.

This Grotesquely Shaped Lamp Brought Luck to Jerusalem's Ancient Residents

The 2,000-year-old artifact, which resembles a face cut in half, was buried in the foundations of a Roman building

A view of the marble head discovered last week in Isernia, a town in south-central Italy

Archaeologists in Italy Unearth Marble Bust of Rome's First Emperor, Augustus

Researchers identified the sculpture based on the ancient ruler's signature hairstyle and facial features

Curators reattached the sculpture's missing digit using a "non-invasive, reversible and invisible system."

Colossal Bronze Statue of Roman Emperor Reunited With Its Long-Lost Finger

Curators at the Louvre had mistakenly categorized the missing digit as a toe. An eagle-eyed researcher noticed the mistake in 2018

The ancient amphitheater dates to around 200 A.D., when the Severan dynasty ruled the Roman Empire.

In Ancient Turkey, Gladiators Fought at This Colosseum-Like Amphitheater

The 1,800-year-old arena housed up to 20,000 spectators eager to bet on the bloody battles

Currently, tourists can only view the archaeological site from street level.

Site of Julius Caesar's Assassination Will Be Transformed Into Open-Air Museum

Rome's "Area Sacra," a sunken square home to the ruins of four ancient temples, doubles as a sanctuary for stray cats

The villa's unique layout includes a central circular room and a bathhouse.

Archaeologists Unearth Sprawling Roman Ruins Unlike Any Found in the U.K.

An ancient complex in Yorkshire may have been a luxury villa, a religious sanctuary or a mixture of both

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