Macella, specialized market structures built in various urban centers in Roman Italy and the provinces between the Middle Republic and the Late Antique period, have been interpreted widely as urban symbols of elite prestige and conspicuous consumption. While it is true that elites often acted as benefactors of these buildings and written sources emphasize the sale of luxury foods, documentary and archaeological evidence suggest that bureaucratic incentives played a crucial role in their initial establishment. This article presents a new interpretation of the development of macella and argues, in contrast to traditional views, that these markets were not primarily designed as spaces of luxury consumption catering exclusively to elite customers. Rather, they were conceived as physical and permanent institutional control mechanisms over urban food trade in an increasingly complex and integrated Roman economy.

This article presents a case of osteomyelitis variolosa from a skeleton excavated in the Western Cemetery at Cirencester (Corinium) in Britain, dated to the 3rd or 4th c. CE. This osteological condition is caused by the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, and is found in some individuals who have survived a childhood smallpox infection, the condition manifesting many years later. The significance of this discovery is that it indicates that smallpox had been introduced into the Roman world, and to Britain in particular, by the late 3rd or 4th c. CE. Rather than postulating a separate and unrecorded introduction of smallpox into the Roman empire, we suggest that this discovery strengthens the case for seeing the 2nd-c. Antonine Plague as an early form of smallpox.

Despite increased interest in dining as part of worship practices, accounts of cult meals often focus primarily on benefaction and consumption, ignoring or downplaying the practices of food preparation in and around sanctuaries. Synthesizing and analyzing kitchen spaces and their assemblages in sanctuaries dedicated to Mithras for the first time, we argue that the labor of food-making was also central to group-making in ancient cult. The display of kitchens and cooks, and the entailments of cooking installations, emphasized meat dishes and worked to create vertically stratified worship communities. At the same time, the diversity of food-production practices in Mithraic sanctuaries also suggests significant variety in how practices might have structured cult groups.

This study examines the emergence of 35 agricultural gardens that were newly created or expanded in Pompeii after the earthquake of 62 CE, focusing on 24 of these gardens in Regions I and II alone. Building on Wilhelmina Jashemski’s (1990) estimate that 9.7 percent of Pompeii’s urban area was dedicated to agriculture, this research reveals an elite-driven, opportunistic response to crisis and increasing commercialization in the mid-1st c. CE. Through a novel methodological approach, this study demonstrates how landowners adapted urban spaces for cash crops, balancing economic opportunity with local food security. These gardens were not developed through state intervention but were rather the result of private enterprise, playing a key role in urban resilience and socio-economic adaptability. Beyond profit, they contributed to improved nutrition and infrastructure. By reconstructing Pompeii’s final years through its green spaces, this research reframes agriculture as integral to the city’s economy, crisis response, and urban transformation in the lead-up to 79 CE.

This article furthers our understanding of commercial fishing on the lower Tiber during the Republic and Principate, arguing for a robust industry in the center of Rome. Literary references to the lupus fish and a fishing site “between the bridges” direct attention to the area of the river around the Cloaca Maxima and Tiber Island. Situating intensive fishing there requires reconciliation with other commercial uses of the river, a common-pool resource shared by users with divergent and competing needs. Epigraphic evidence offers insight into professional associations and attendant relationships that were leveraged in favor of the interests of both fishermen and barge operators. I contend that two separate navigation zones existed, to the north and to the south of Tiber Island, and that transport barges venturing inland from Ostia did not navigate beyond Rome’s southern wharves. This system enabled fishing and barge traffic to coexist, protecting numerous interests and allowing for the unimpeded transportation of goods.

This article addresses a notable gap in the scholarship on rural settlement in northeastern Noricum (today’s Lower Austria/AUT), an area often overlooked despite its extensive archaeological sources. Employing underutilized data, the study scrutinizes settlement patterns in the Danube limes hinterland from the mid-1st to the late 5th c. CE. It identifies key centers – Arelape, Favianis, Augustianis, and Cetium – as essential nodes of functional regions in a diverse landscape of “integrated Roman rural complexes.” However, there was a shift from diversity to more centralized settlement in Late Antiquity, signaling the extensive decline of rural structures. The article examines several factors contributing to this decrease within a “system of ups and downs,” including demographic changes, geopolitical crises, and climatic fluctuations. Crucially, it situates these developments within a broader systemic framework, positing a multi-causal, long-term decline. The study’s findings provide vital insights into volatile societal changes and their implications for current global crises.

In a series of articles published between 1982 and 1993, Margareta Steinby put forward the hypothesis that brick stamps produced in Rome, especially those dating from Hadrian to Septimius Severus, constituted an abbreviated form of a locatio conductio, or contract for letting and hiring. According to Steinby, the hypothesis could also be used to explain the productive cycles represented by the stamps of other types of instrumenta domestica. This study builds on Steinby’s thesis to analyze Dressel 20 amphora stamps and the organization of Baetican figlinae. It explores oil amphora production in southern Spain through legal frameworks, focusing on lease and hire contracts. Case studies of public and private facilities demonstrate diverse production models. The analysis shows Steinby’s theory is broadly applicable, highlighting Roman law’s flexibility in shaping various industries beyond amphora manufacturing.

The Portland Vase, housed in the British Museum, is the most important surviving example of “cameo glass,” datable to the early years of the Roman Empire. Until 1909, there was no doubt regarding the provenance of the vase. It was said to have come from the sarcophagus with scenes from the story of Achilles discovered in 1582 inside a large burial mound, the so-called Monte del Grano, which still stands at the fourth mile of the via Tusculana. However, in 1909, Henry Stuart Jones ruled out this provenance. The re-examination of the monument, which should be identified as the tomb of Alexander Severus, shows that the report of the provenance of the vase from the Monte del Grano sarcophagus is authentic. Similar conclusions can be reached from a re-examination of the vase itself, which suggests the two myths it depicts should be identified as the wedding of Peleus and Thetis and the afterlife of Achilles.

The lessons of ancient rhetoric teachers encompassed not only the art of effective content and delivery, but also the skill of utilizing gestures and facial expressions to maximize the emotional impact of speeches. In this study, we present the outcomes of an analysis examining the visibility of rhetorical hand gestures performed at the speaking platforms of the Forum Romanum during the Late Roman Republic and the reign of Augustus. We consider the visibility of gestures as a proxy for the capacity of the speaking platforms, enabling us to delve into the oratorical taskscape of the Forum Romanum and its transformations. The results not only relate to specific events but also illuminate general trends. Our analysis reveals that the changes in the built environment of the Forum between the Late Republican period (ca. 54 BCE) and Augustus’s era reduced the number of individuals able to perceive the speakers’ gestures. The same changes led to a greater spatial division between audiences at the various venues at the Forum, potentially explaining the shifts observed in the oratorical taskscape there. Our methodology has the potential to contribute to comprehensive analyses of public rituals and ceremonies regardless of their location in space or time.

This article explores the ancient city of Terracina, its strategic location, and its significant Roman sanctuary dedicated to Iuppiter Anxur. This youthful Jupiter, known for his beardless depiction, oversaw a sanctuary on Monte Sant’Angelo, which remains an important archaeological site. The location of the temple of Iuppiter Anxur, however, despite extensive study over 150 years, has not been precisely identified. The site includes three terraces with structures such as the Great Temple and Terrace A, which features notable architectural and functional elements. Ongoing research since 2021 has aimed to uncover more about the site’s development and its cultural importance. The article examines various hypotheses about the temple’s location and the role of Iuppiter Anxur within the sacred landscape of Terracina. For the first time, a comprehensive architectural reconstruction of the sanctuary has been proposed, offering new insights into its design and cultural significance. This reconstruction suggests a sophisticated architectural complex with important religious and cultural roles in ancient Terracina.

This paper investigates the chronological and geographical evolution of the practice of recarving sculpture in the first three centuries CE, assessing the impact it had on ancient viewers, as well as the agency of sculptors and patrons. After considering the reasons for the higher or lower frequency of reworking during specific periods, the paper presents an overview of the geographical distribution of recarved portraits of Roman emperors throughout the Empire, showing that the practice was not connected with the location of main sculptural centers, but rather followed its own logic, connected with local preferences and resources. Lastly, the paper considers how thoroughly imperial portraits were reworked, to investigate the agency and technical choices made by ancient makers.

This analysis focuses on a young female portrait enclosed within an eight-pointed frame, located in the upper zone of a wall fragment discovered among a substantial assemblage of painted plaster within the fill of the torcularium of the Domus del Larario in the Municipium Augusta Bilbilis. The wall to which this fragment originally belonged likely formed part of a cubiculum within the same domus. The portrait is dated to the last quarter of the 1st c. BCE, making it the earliest known example of its kind to date. This study examines the potential significance of the portrait within one of the most prominent domus of the site, as well as its role in the broader figurative program of the wall it once adorned. In the middle zone of the composition, a couple is portrayed in a highly schematic manner. Together with the young female – likely their daughter – this may represent one of the earliest Roman depictions of a family group in a non-funerary context.

This article maps and analyzes the presence and non-presence of four classes of fineware ceramics in Late Roman Spain. It begins by mapping each of the classes spatially, before comparing their relative frequency in 15 specially constructed regions. It shows the inverse relationship between the presence of African Red Slip Ware and its local Spanish imitators; it then posits possible routes for Gallic imports and demonstrates that eastern Mediterranean imports were primarily restricted to the coast. It then analyzes the chronological pattern of ARSW imports across five horizons, showing a decrease in the number of sites that received these African imports in the mid-5th c. (60%) and the mid-6th c. (40%), especially inland and in the Guadalquivir Valley. The late 5th and early 6th c. was a period of stability and even expansion. By the late 6th c., however, few residents of post-Roman Spain had access to Roman-style dinnerware.

Excavations at the Agora of Amathous, Cyprus, were carried out between 1977 and 2003, initially under the auspices of the Department of Antiquities and the direction of Michael Loulloupis, and subsequently by the French School at Athens, under the direction of Jean-Paul Prête. While the plans and chronological phases of the Agora’s buildings have been successfully reconstructed, the rich assemblage of architectural decorations – exceptionally well preserved – has yet to be thoroughly studied. The remarkable state of preservation and completeness was the primary motivation for undertaking the current research, which aims to identify the fragments of architectural decoration with their respective stoas. The reconstructed decorative program significantly enhances our understanding of historical Cypriot architecture, illuminating the influence of Alexandria and other Mediterranean centers on architectural trends. It highlights how agoras were framed with colonnaded stoas that combined traditional elements with innovative designs, revitalizing the architectural landscape of Cyprus in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Late Antique Cyprus – autocephalous in relation to the Christian ecclesial systems of organization, with island ports accepting the traffic of continental Mediterranean cities, replete with beautiful mosaics, still echoing with the powerful voice of heresiologist-bishop Epiphanius – deserves even more attention than it has received of late. The two volumes under review attend to the island and inspire future directions for research. The collected papers in Cyprus in the Long Late Antiquity: History and Archaeology between the Sixth and Eighth Centuries (2023), edited by P. Panayides and I. Jacobs, and G. Deligiannakis's A Cultural History of Late Roman Cyprus (2022) come at a moment when academic inquiry into this region and period is actively raising new questions with new data, while also reevaluating points long considered.

This paper investigates the everyday use of coins at the Roman Red Sea ports of Berenike and Myos Hormos, challenging their conventional interpretation as mere indicators of trade prosperity. Adopting a contextualized approach, the paper analyzes coin finds alongside non-numismatic evidence – including ceramics, botanical and zoological remains, and epigraphic records – to uncover their role in daily economic activities. The study demonstrates how coins functioned across diverse settings such as marketplaces, industrial zones, religious sites, and residential areas, highlighting their integration into the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the ports. Beyond serving as a medium of exchange, coins played crucial roles in taxation, service payments, and religious offerings. By reconstructing the transactional dynamics of the ancient ports, the paper provides new insights into the interactions between residents and visitors, enriching our understanding of daily life in these vibrant hubs through a holistic archaeological perspective.

Monkeys kept as exotic pets by wealthy Romans have hitherto been determined as African species exclusively, specifically Barbary macaques, in the few documented cases of monkey skeletons. This has now been revised following the discovery of three dozen burials of Indian macaques from the first two centuries CE at the animal cemetery of the Red Sea port of Berenike. The special status of these primates among other buried companion animals, mainly cats and some dogs, is suggested by grave goods including restraining collars, apparent status markers like iridescent shells and food delicacies, and kittens and a piglet as the monkey’s own pets. The Berenike material is the most comprehensive source to date for the socio-cultural context of keeping exotic pets. It suggests a resident Roman elite, possibly associated with Roman legionary officers posted at the harbor. The monkey burials from Berenike also provide the first zooarchaeological evidence of trade in live animals from India.

Undoubtedly, the imperial coinage of Faustina the Younger is the largest surviving primary source for the portraiture and public image of the empress, and excellent work on the subject has already been done.1 Martin Beckmann (B.) sets out to reevaluate the coinage, portraits, and public image of Faustina the Younger, primarily based on a die study of her gold coinage (aurei) from the imperial mint in Rome.2 Die studies are a time-consuming and tedious task, but the results often allow us to better understand the workings of the mint and the (relative) chronology of coins and the images they carry. This is of primary importance for the coins of imperial women, as they are not dated. Moreover, the attribution and chronology of the sculptured portraits almost entirely depends on the coins. Only a correct interpretation of the numismatic evidence allows us to securely establish the relative and absolute chronology of Faustina’s portraiture.

The study of lead artifacts and anthropogenic lead exposure in human remains can provide valuable insights into health, migration, trade, and societal instability. This review examines the uses of lead and its impacts on ancient Roman populations by exploring and integrating evidence from the textual, archaeological, and bioarchaeological records. Considering written texts and material evidence together challenges some of the persistent modern notions that sapa and adulterated wine were key sources of lead exposure during this time. Using a matrix-based framework to examine domestic lead exposure helps us to assess the frequency of and risk associated with lead objects recovered in published domestic assemblages. We provide a comprehensive synthesis of the bioarchaeological evidence for enamel and bone lead concentrations in Roman populations and conclude with recommendations for future research in this area.