Great Discoveries in Roman Archaeology

This book contains 14 stories of archaeological discoveries that changed our understanding of ancient Roman culture – but you’ve likely never heard of any of them. To uncover the secrets of ancient Roman culture, one archaeologist had to dive to the bottom of the Mediterranean in search of lost warships. Another peered through a microscope at pollen spores, while yet another dressed modern athletes in gladiatorial armor, provided them with weapons, and studied what ensued. Great Discoveries in Roman Archaeology tells the story of these and other projects that changed what we know about the Roman world. Each chapter introduces archaeologists whose work took the field in new directions and reveals the developments in archaeological methods that made their research possible. Readers get their chance to try their hand at some of these methodologies, such as identifying causes of trauma in gladiator bones, recognizing the purpose of excavated surgical tools, and reading and translating coded curse tablets. Roman archaeology is not just about the discoveries and methods, however, it is ultimately about the people of the past. Chapters introduce us to real ancient Romans: from a military officer on the eve of war, to a witch fleeing a volcanic eruption, to a family mourning the loss of their daughter, and farmers making a desert bloom. Meet the Romans who are lost to history, but whose stories remain in the artifacts they left behind.