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romansites1.bsky.social
RomanSites1
@romansites1.bsky.social
150 followers 320 following 39 posts
Online account that conveys our love of Roman history and archaeology, Roman sites and the pleasures of visiting them.
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romansites1.bsky.social
For #EpigraphyTuesday, part of a monumental #Roman inscription from 25BC to Augustus as the son of the divine Caesar and Consul for the tenth time. Found being reused as a fountain in the complex of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, it lies in the newly re-opened #Archaeological Park of the Caelian. #AltText
The huge block of pale stone shows the recesses originally carved for metal letters to be inset. Top row preserves the letters “V G V R” and the lower row “A V G V S”. In the background a glimpse of the beautiful archaeological park and the typical dark green trees against a brilliant blue Rome sky.
June 17, 2025 at 9:48 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
We visited the Caelian Hill recently - huge improvements are happening there already and the Museum of the Forma Urbis (the marble map of Ancient #Rome) is a must-see
View from the new café terrace of the huge outdoor lapidarium, a massive collection of ancient #Roman stone fragments including columns and architectural ornamentation from public buildings, memorials, milestones and much more, displayed on a grassy terrace in the sunshine with trees beyond.
June 11, 2025 at 6:52 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
The massive outer wall of the mausoleum at the #villa complex built beside the Via Appia in the early 4th Century by the #Roman Emperor Maxentius. The mausoleum was built to honour his son Valerius Romulus who died in his adolescence.
The image is dominated by a massive wall constructed of alternating rows of then reddish-brown Roman brick and small stones. There is a large gateway obliquely in the wall and more Roman ruins visible beyond. The bright sunlight shines on the wall and on the lush green grass.
June 10, 2025 at 5:04 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
We were lucky enough to see these two #Roman altars at the Great North #Museum Hancock when a coloured projection showed how they may originally have been coloured. #AltText
The details of the stone carving on the left hand altar dedicated to Neptune are picked out in shades of cream, orange and reddish-brown with a blue dolphin wreathed around Neptune’s trident. The right hand altar dedicate to Oceanus shows an anchor picked out in yellow against a dark brown background with lettering in red.
June 8, 2025 at 10:38 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
Lovely reconstruction painting of a #Lincolnshire saltern on the cover of this new BAJR publication. Not sure if this shows the #IronAge or #Roman phase of production. Anyone know the name of the #illustrator ?

More information from the book synopsis in #AltText
Beautiful painted image on the book cover shows a reconstruction of a small rural salt processing site surrounded by sheep pasture with sand dunes and salt marshes beyond. A woman stirs brine tanks over a fire. The book synopsis says: “The Iron Age witnessed the beginning of enclosures and activities, such as salt production, which would expand in the Roman period. Evidence of Roman settlement and salt-making was uncovered throughout the area with salt-making concentrated to the north, closer to the coastline. Four saltern sites were excavated with large deposits of briquetage and salt production features, such as tanks and kilns, providing evidence of all stages of salt production and the ceramic assemblages indicating contact with the wider Roman empire including samian and traded wares, from Argonne, Northern Gaul, and neighbouring counties seldom found on sites in Lincolnshire. The date of the salterns is a key discussion point with two sites potentially providing rare evidence of the continuation of activity into the late Roman period.”
June 6, 2025 at 5:50 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
We’re delighted to be being followed by the excellent @barpublishing.bsky.social who published “The Lexden #Tumulus: a re-appraisal of an #IronAge burial from #Colchester, Essex” by Jennifer Foster (BAR British Series 156, 1986) and other classic #archaeology reports
Typical bright blue BAR cover of “The Lexden Tumulus” with a black and white line drawing of one of the artefacts from the site.
May 16, 2025 at 9:35 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
For #HillfortWednesday, the entrance to Maiden Castle near Dorchester (Roman Durnovaria) in Dorset. Many C1stAD #Roman artefacts have been discovered near the entrance and in the centre of the #hillfort.
The grass-covered ramparts and earthworks at one of the main entrances to the hillfort entrance, made more complex through the addition of further earthworks, lengthening the approach to the site. Stormy grey sky in background.
April 9, 2025 at 1:59 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
As it’s #FingerpostFriday, here’s a favourite one from Segedunum #Roman Fort at Wallsend. #AltText
Against a background of bright sunny sky and a reconstructed Ronan building is a sturdy fingerpost sign on a black and white striped pole with roundel on top saying Segedunum and Wallsend. Signs pointing left (that is, eastwards) say Bowness on Solway 84 miles, Ravenglass 139 miles, and also Roman Baths. Signs to right say Rome 1110 miles, and also Segedunum Museum.
April 4, 2025 at 9:26 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
The #Roman army captured the #IronAge #hillfort at Hod Hill in Dorset in 43 or 44AD, sweeping away part of the earlier settlement and building their own defences in its north-west corner. #HillfortsWednesday
The altered defences of the Iron Age hillfort with a view of trees and the farmland and hills of North Dorset beyond. The single rampart of the Iron Age hillfort with the narrow footpath worn in the top of the fortification revealing its white chalky interior. Farmland visible in the valley below.
February 26, 2025 at 10:13 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
Reproduced in the site #museum at Corbridge #Roman Town, managed by @englishheritage.bsky.social, are photos from 1908 showing the discovery, excavation, removal and photography of the Sol Invictus inscription. #EpigraphyTuesday (Click to see full width of image)
4 black and white photos show contemporaneous images of Edwardian archaeologists and workmen handling and recording the stone.
February 25, 2025 at 9:17 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
An inscription from #Roman #Corbridge - a dedication to the god Sol Invictus by a vexillation of the Legio VI Victrix Pia Fidelis under the command of Sextus Calpurnius Agricola - for #EpigraphyTuesday (RIB 1137)
The buff-coloured sandstone slab has damaged pelta (shield profile) designs at each end. The elegant lettering of the central panel reads, in Latin, “To the Invincible Sun God, a detachment of the Victorious, Pious and Faithful Sixth Legion set this up, under the charge of Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, the Emperor’s pro-praetorian legate”. The first line of the inscription was probably erased in 193 AD after the death of the Emperor Commodus.
February 25, 2025 at 9:08 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
The objective of the atmospheric #Roman reconstruction at Pohl (SE of Koblenz) is to show what a complete ‘Klein Kastell’ (fortlet) would have looked like on the Upper German Limes (frontier) in Trajan’s era. We gave it 3 stars on our blog: romansites.blog?s=Pohl #RomanSitesSaturday
Looking from the adjacent reconstructed watchtower over the steep ramparts of the fortlet, you can see the two internal barrack buildings and a taller cross-hall, with a small courtyard between the barracks, these buildings fill the modest interior.
February 22, 2025 at 4:50 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
The #Roman Theatre at Emerita Augusta (modern Merida, Spain) is star attraction of the city and arguably best preserved theatre in the #RomanEmpire. Able to seat 6000, what makes it outstanding is the survival of the beautiful scaena (back scene). 5 stars #RomanSitesSaturday romansites.blog/2015/12/
Image shows the beautiful scaena (back scene), most of which is still in place including the statues and the columns of the tiered colonnades. The statues are of Ceres, Pluto and Proserpina, with others interpreted as imperial portraits. It is built according to the rules of Vitruvius and is, as a result, similar to other surviving theatres at Orange in Southern France and Dougga in Tunisia. Inscriptions show that the Theatre was begun by the remarkable Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’s right-hand man, in 16 BCE when he was campaigning in Iberia. It was modified over the centuries of use: the current scaena was erected under Trajan, and under Constantine (330-40CE) new decorative elements were added.
February 8, 2025 at 1:46 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
Remains of #Roman 3rd Century town wall and ditch at Venta Icenorum near Norwich. Size of town had been substantially reduced in the emergency. #RomanSites
January 26, 2025 at 9:13 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
Aalen Fort has a unique reconstruction of two-storey #cavalry barracks. This layout seems highly convincing: horses and weapons downstairs, troopers upstairs. There’s also a vast Exercise Hall for indoor practice. See our romansites.blog/2019/12/08/aal… for more information#RomanFortThursdayay
Reconstruction of ground floor of two-storey cavalry barracks includes two very sensitively preserved real horses, one with a reproduction Roman saddle, standing in the straw.
January 16, 2025 at 8:44 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
The goddess #Epona providing horse treats to the #cavalry horses. Capitoline Museum, Rome. In Gallo-#Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules
The goddess Epona appears to be standing behind a table and pressing in on her eagerly from either side are cavalry horses with their mounted riders. The relief is carved from a warm honey coloured stone.
January 15, 2025 at 9:48 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
Gilt bronze head of Sulis Minerva, probably from the cult statue of the goddess which would have stood within her Temple beside the Sacred Spring at #Roman Bath. #AncientBluesky #NewProfilePic
Close-up of the goddess’s face with her short curling hair parted in the centre above an elegant but unsmiling face with almond eyes, straight nose and a determined chin. The oblique light brings out the patina of the metal surface of the statue.
January 13, 2025 at 9:27 AM
romansites1.bsky.social
The five ditches outside the east gate of #Ardoch #Roman Fort north of Stirling, result of successive reductions in size of previous forts: 1st Flavian (AD80s) then up to 3 Antonine forts (AD140/50s). The southern “anchor” of the Gask Ridge Frontier, is it the best site (5-stars) in #RomanScotland?
The impressive heather and grass-covered rampart and multiple banks and ditches outside the east gate under a sunny and cloudy sky. In the distance a line of trees and beyond them, very faintly, distant low hills.
January 12, 2025 at 12:18 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
The princely burial from the Hochdorf tomb 500BC brilliantly preserved and restored in the #wurtemburglandesmuseum Stuttgart
December 1, 2024 at 4:25 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
Details from the Ladenburg doors #the hidden Länd
December 1, 2024 at 1:35 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
Visited fascinating exhibition “The Hidden Länd” in #Stuttgart including #Roman curation by @drnwillburger.bsky.social. Staggering survival of metalwork from the doors of #Ladenburg Forum.
The metalwork includes lions’ heads as door knockers, leopards as huge door handles, classical heads set on round bases and elaborate metalwork panels.
December 1, 2024 at 1:33 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
Haltern-am-See museum also has a complete scale 1:1 legion made up of Playmobil figures rescued from a German TV programme snaking around the building #RomanSiteSaturday
November 23, 2024 at 2:29 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
The site museum at Haltern-am-See is also 5 stars. Here’s a star find a decorated pugio
November 23, 2024 at 2:20 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
Wonderful reconstruction at Haltern am See, the #Roman Aliso, of Augustan-age legionary campaign base. 5-star reconstruction of the ramparts, site 3-star. #RomanSiteSaturday
Reconstruction of a long stretch of the timber rampart, gate towers and an interval tower, also in timber. Recut earth ditch in foreground. Sunny sky.
November 23, 2024 at 2:08 PM
romansites1.bsky.social
For our first #RomanFortThursday here in this account’s new home, these are the mighty ramparts of Burgh Castle, one of #Norfolk’s most significant #Roman sites, a Saxon Shore Fort.
Although many of the facing stones are missing, the substantial flint and Roman tile ramparts and bastions make an impressive sight in the sunshine.
November 21, 2024 at 6:16 PM