Romans in the news

Archaeologist, curator at the British Museum and leading expert in the field of Greco-Roman medicineAs an archaeologist, material culture specialist and expert on Roman Britain, Ralph Jackson, who has died from cancer aged 73, created an impressive body of work during nearly four decades as a curator at the British Museum.He was a leading expert in the field of Greco-Roman medicine, and one of very few scholars who specialised in its material aspects, specifically surgical instruments and paraphernalia recovered in excavation. His 1988 book Doctors and Diseases in the Roman Empire has sold thousands of copies across the English-speaking world. Continue reading…

Using cutting-edge methods, Alexandra Morton-Hayward is cracking the secrets of ancient brains – even as hers betrays herAlexandra Morton-Hayward, a 35-year-old mortician turned molecular palaeontologist, had been behind the wheel of her rented Vauxhall for five hours, motoring across three countries, when a torrential storm broke loose on the plains of Belgium. Her wipers pulsed at full speed as the green fields of Flanders turned a blurry grey. Behind her sat a small, black picnic cooler. Within 24 hours, it would be full of human brains – not modern specimens, but brains that had contemplated this landscape as far back as the middle ages and had, miraculously, remained intact.For centuries, archaeologists have been perplexed by discoveries of ancient skeletons devoid of all soft tissue, except what Morton-Hayward cheerfully described as “just a brain rattling around in a skull”. At Oxford, where she is a doctoral candidate, she has gathered the world’s largest collection of ancient brains, some as old as 8,000 years. Additionally, after poring over centuries of scientific literature, she has tallied a staggering catalogue of cases – more than 4,400 preserved brains as old as 12,000 years. Using advanced technologies such as mass spectrometry and particle accelerators, she is leading a new effort to reveal the molecular secrets that have enabled some human brains to survive longer than Stonehenge or the Great Pyramid of Giza. Continue reading…

‘Astonishingly preserved’ remains in Cambridgeshire give clues to substantial Romano-British industrial settlementThe Romans were remarkable engineers, thousands of years ahead of us on everything from underfloor heating to plumbing. But even they had their off-days and made mistakes, a new discovery reveals.Two wells built in the first century AD have been found in a field in Cambridgeshire by archaeologists from Mola (Museum of London Archaeology), and they reveal the trials and errors involved in a complex design and construction. Continue reading…

Site in Pembrokeshire suggests area was more militarised than previously thought, says expert who made discoveryA previously unknown Roman fort discovered in Pembrokeshire in Wales overturns assumptions that the area’s indigenous Celtic tribe was on peaceful terms with the Roman invaders.The site, which has excited archaeologists, had been hidden until now beneath an enormous, overgrown field. It explains why the land had been unsuccessful for farming: the farmer kept hitting stone. Continue reading…

Exclusive: Bronze age remains and Roman roads among 12,802 sites discovered using latest technologyBronze age burial mounds, Roman roads and deserted medieval villages are among almost 13,000 previously-unknown ancient sites and monuments that have been discovered by members of the public in recent months, it will be announced this week.Truck drivers and doctors are among more than 1,000 people who participated in Deep Time, a “citizen science project” which has harnessed the power of hobbyists to scour 512 sq km (200 sq miles) of Earth Observation data, including high-resolution satellite and lidar – laser technology – imagery. Continue reading…

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsA 12-sided, 1,700-year-old object with no known purpose was found in Lincolnshire last summer and has just gone on display at Lincoln Museum. What could it have been used for? Paul Elliott, by emailPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading…

Guardian readers speculate on the purpose of a mysterious object unearthed at Norton Disney, near LincolnI wonder if the object (Mysterious Roman dodecahedron to go on display in Lincoln, 29 April) could be some kind of puzzle (quite apart from being a puzzle to archaeologists). Unless some Roman puzzle book survived, it seems unlikely that a puzzle object would crop up in Roman literature. It is small enough to be held in the hand, and possibly the puzzle was to wrap a string around each protuberance and to go into or come out of one of the holes, without going in or out twice?Tom WilsonProfessor emeritus, University of Sheffield• The dodecahedron could well be the ancient equivalent of a dice: with the same purpose as our modern six-sided dice cube – to play games or use for gambling. In the ancient case, it may well have been based on the Egyptian 12-based counting system, with different-sized holes representing larger and smaller numbers.Pat JohnsonLytham St Annes, Lancashire Continue reading…

John Crace’s sketch | Falling hair | Too rich to stay | Dodecahedron use | Cat and mouseI have always enjoyed John Crace’s sketches and it is so good to see him back in good form (1 May). But he has made a misjudgment, I think, in comparing the lack of attachment among Tory MPs with bomber crews in the second world war. There are many documented instances of crews looking out for each other, including that of my husband, who circled for a long time in the hope of helping a friend who went down in the Channel.Eyke ShannonWestleton, Suffolk• There have been lots of letters from bald men (29 April). As a bald woman (albeit temporary), it’s regarded as freaky. If your hair starts coming out in chunks, first, embrace the inevitable and shave it off; and second, spread the trimmings around a garden or park for birds to line their nest with. Our rooks were very keen on it. It’s good to find an upside of chemo. Angela Brassley Ilsington, Devon Continue reading…

Suspicious neighbours | Museum of the year | Ofsted | One word for the Tories | Roman dodecahedronArwa Mahdawi can be assured that over-suspicious neighbours are not restricted to New York (It’s not stranger danger you should be afraid of, it’s video doorbell derangement syndrome, 1 May). A local Facebook page went into meltdown about a man who was seen driving down the road in the early hours, stopping regularly and running up people’s drives, clearly looking for easy access. We were urged to be ultra-vigilant. Shortly afterwards, it became clear that the milkman was getting an early start to his day. Anne Cowper Bishopston, Swansea• The museum of the year shortlist is dominated by “institutions that have undergone extensive renovations” (Report, 30 April). As my father used to say, “much gets more”. The winner will be awarded £120,000. Surely I am not alone in thinking that the prizes could be gifted to smaller museums fighting to survive.Christine WaltersBuxton, Derbyshire Continue reading…

A path forward through Judaism | Pedro Sánchez and Humza Yousaf | Tinned fish | Curator stereotypes | Dodecahedron mysteryAs an American Jew, I found Naomi Klein’s article deeply inspiring (We need an exodus from Zionism, 24 April). At a time when my faith feels mangled from the ongoing genocide that a nation is committing against an oppressed population, and my religion is levied as a weapon against my peace activism, Naomi reminds me that there is a path forward through Judaism. I hope conflicted Jews read her words and call for ceasefire and justice. Laura KandleAstoria, New York, US• In October 2023, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez and Scotland’s Humza Yousaf, who have both been under attack recently, were the only European leaders to unequivocally call for a Gaza ceasefire. Shame on the others, including Keir Starmer.Alastair McLeishEdinburgh Continue reading…