Latest news with #RomanArmy
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What did ancient Rome smell like? BO, rotting corpses and raw sewage for starters ...
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The roar of the arena crowd, the bustle of the Roman forum, the grand temples, the Roman army in red with glistening shields and armor — when people imagine ancient Rome, they often think of its sights and sounds. We know less, however, about the scents of ancient Rome. We cannot, of course, go back and sniff to find out. But the literary texts, physical remains of structures, objects, and environmental evidence (such as plants and animals) can offer clues. So what might ancient Rome have smelled like? In describing the smells of plants, author and naturalist Pliny the Elder uses words such as iucundus (agreeable), acutus (pungent), vis (strong), or dilutus (weak). None of that language is particularly evocative in its power to transport us back in time, unfortunately. But we can probably safely assume that, in many areas, Rome was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. Property owners did not commonly connect their toilets to the sewers in large Roman towns and cities — perhaps fearing rodent incursions or odors. Roman sewers were more like storm drains, and served to take standing water away from public areas. Professionals collected feces for fertilizer and urine for cloth processing from domestic and public latrines and cesspits. Chamber pots were also used, which could later be dumped in cesspits. This waste disposal process was just for those who could afford to live in houses; many lived in small, non-domestic spaces, barely furnished apartments, or on the streets. A common whiff in the Roman city would have come from the animals and the waste they created. Roman bakeries frequently used large lava stone mills (or "querns") turned by mules or donkeys. Then there was the smell of pack animals and livestock being brought into town for slaughter or sale. The large "stepping-stones" still seen in the streets of Pompeii were likely so people could cross streets and avoid the assorted feculence that covered the paving stones. Disposal of corpses (animals and human) was not formulaic. Depending on the class of the person who had died, people might well have been left out in the open without cremation or burial. Bodies, potentially decaying, were a more common sight in ancient Rome than now. Suetonius, writing in the first century CE, famously wrote of a dog carrying a severed human hand to the dining table of the Emperor Vespasian. In a world devoid of today's modern scented products — and daily bathing by most of the population — ancient Roman settlements would have smelt of body odor. Classical literature has some recipes for toothpaste and even deodorants. However, many of the deodorants were to be used orally (chewed or swallowed) to stop one's armpits smelling. Related: How did people clean themselves before soap was invented? One was made by boiling golden thistle root in fine wine to induce urination (which was thought to flush out odor). The Roman baths would likely not have been as hygienic as they may appear to tourists visiting today. A small tub in a public bath could hold between eight and 12 bathers. The Romans had soap, but it wasn't commonly used for personal hygiene. Olive oil (including scented oil) was preferred. It was scraped off the skin with a strigil (a bronze curved tool). This oil and skin combination was then discarded (maybe even slung at a wall). Baths had drains — but as oil and water don't mix, it was likely pretty grimy. The Romans did have perfumes and incense. The invention of glassblowing in the late first century BCE (likely in Roman-controlled Jerusalem) made glass readily available, and glass perfume bottles are a common archaeological find. Animal and plant fats were infused with scents — such as rose, cinnamon, iris, frankincense and saffron — and were mixed with medicinal ingredients and pigments. The roses of Paestum in Campania (southern Italy) were particularly prized, and a perfume shop has even been excavated in the city's Roman forum. The trading power of the vast Roman empire meant spices could be sourced from India and the surrounding regions. There were warehouses for storing spices such as pepper, cinnamon and myrrh in the centre of Rome. In a recent Oxford Journal of Archaeology article, researcher Cecilie Brøns writes that even ancient statues could be perfumed with scented oils. Sources frequently do not describe the smell of perfumes used to anoint the statues, but a predominantly rose-based perfume is specifically mentioned for this purpose in inscriptions from the Greek city of Delos (at which archaeologists have also identified perfume workshops). Beeswax was likely added to perfumes as a stabiliser. Enhancing the scent of statues (particularly those of gods and goddesses) with perfumes and garlands was important in their veneration and worship. RELATED STORIES —Roman-era 'fast food' discovered in ancient trash heap on Mallorca —How is Roman concrete still standing after 2,000 years? —Does charcoal toothpaste really whiten teeth? The ancient city would have smelt like human waste, wood smoke, rotting and decay, cremating flesh, cooking food, perfumes and incense, and many other things. It sounds awful to a modern person, but it seems the Romans did not complain about the smell of the ancient city that much. Perhaps, as historian Neville Morley has suggested, to them these were the smells of home or even of the height of civilization. This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Researchers reveal what Ancient Rome smelled like – and it's disgusting
The roar of the arena crowd, the bustle of the Roman forum, the grand temples, the Roman army in red with glistening shields and armour – when people imagine ancient Rome, they often think of its sights and sounds. We know less, however, about the scents of ancient Rome. We cannot, of course, go back and sniff to find out. But the literary texts, physical remains of structures, objects, and environmental evidence (such as plants and animals) can offer clues. So what might ancient Rome have smelled like? Honestly, often pretty rank. In describing the smells of plants, author and naturalist Pliny the Elder uses words such as iucundus (agreeable), acutus (pungent), vis (strong), or dilutus (weak). None of that language is particularly evocative in its power to transport us back in time, unfortunately. But we can probably safely assume that, in many areas, Rome was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. Property owners did not commonly connect their toilets to the sewers in large Roman towns and cities – perhaps fearing rodent incursions or odours. Roman sewers were more like storm drains, and served to take standing water away from public areas. Professionals collected faeces for fertiliser and urine for cloth processing from domestic and public latrines and cesspits. Chamber pots were also used, which could later be dumped in cesspits. This waste disposal process was just for those who could afford to live in houses; many lived in small, non-domestic spaces, barely furnished apartments, or on the streets. A common whiff in the Roman city would have come from the animals and the waste they created. Roman bakeries frequently used large lava stone mills (or 'querns') turned by mules or donkeys. Then there was the smell of pack animals and livestock being brought into town for slaughter or sale. The large 'stepping-stones' still seen in the streets of Pompeii were likely so people could cross streets and avoid the assorted feculence that covered the paving stones. Disposal of corpses (animals and human) was not formulaic. Depending on the class of the person who had died, people might well have been left out in the open without cremation or burial. Bodies, potentially decaying, were a more common sight in ancient Rome than now. Suetonius, writing in the first century CE, famously wrote of a dog carrying a severed human hand to the dining table of the Emperor Vespasian. In a world devoid of today's modern scented products – and daily bathing by most of the population – ancient Roman settlements would have smelt of body odour. Classical literature has some recipes for toothpaste and even deodorants. However, many of the deodorants were to be used orally (chewed or swallowed) to stop one's armpits smelling. One was made by boiling golden thistle root in fine wine to induce urination (which was thought to flush out odour). The Roman baths would likely not have been as hygienic as they may appear to tourists visiting today. A small tub in a public bath could hold between eight and 12 bathers. The Romans had soap, but it wasn't commonly used for personal hygiene. Olive oil (including scented oil) was preferred. It was scraped off the skin with a strigil (a bronze curved tool). This oil and skin combination was then discarded (maybe even slung at a wall). Baths had drains – but as oil and water don't mix, it was likely pretty grimy. The Romans did have perfumes and incense. The invention of glassblowing in the late first century BCE (likely in Roman-controlled Jerusalem) made glass readily available, and glass perfume bottles are a common archaeological find. Animal and plant fats were infused with scents – such as rose, cinnamon, iris, frankincense and saffron – and were mixed with medicinal ingredients and pigments. The roses of Paestum in Campania (southern Italy) were particularly prized, and a perfume shop has even been excavated in the city's Roman forum. The trading power of the vast Roman empire meant spices could be sourced from India and the surrounding regions. There were warehouses for storing spices such as pepper, cinnamon and myrrh in the centre of Rome. In a recent Oxford Journal of Archaeology article, researcher Cecilie Brøns writes that even ancient statues could be perfumed with scented oils. Sources frequently do not describe the smell of perfumes used to anoint the statues, but a predominantly rose-based perfume is specifically mentioned for this purpose in inscriptions from the Greek city of Delos (at which archaeologists have also identified perfume workshops). Beeswax was likely added to perfumes as a stabiliser. Enhancing the scent of statues (particularly those of gods and goddesses) with perfumes and garlands was important in their veneration and worship. The ancient city would have smelt like human waste, wood smoke, rotting and decay, cremating flesh, cooking food, perfumes and incense, and many other things. It sounds awful to a modern person, but it seems the Romans did not complain about the smell of the ancient city that much. Perhaps, as historian Neville Morley has suggested, to them these were the smells of home or even of the height of civilisation. Thomas J. Derrick is a Gale Research Fellow in Ancient Glass and Material Culture at Macquarie University This article was originally published by The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article
The Independent
02-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
Researchers reveal what Ancient Rome smelled like – and it's disgusting
The roar of the arena crowd, the bustle of the Roman forum, the grand temples, the Roman army in red with glistening shields and armour – when people imagine ancient Rome, they often think of its sights and sounds. We know less, however, about the scents of ancient Rome. We cannot, of course, go back and sniff to find out. But the literary texts, physical remains of structures, objects, and environmental evidence (such as plants and animals) can offer clues. So what might ancient Rome have smelled like? Honestly, often pretty rank. In describing the smells of plants, author and naturalist Pliny the Elder uses words such as iucundus (agreeable), acutus (pungent), vis (strong), or dilutus (weak). None of that language is particularly evocative in its power to transport us back in time, unfortunately. But we can probably safely assume that, in many areas, Rome was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. Property owners did not commonly connect their toilets to the sewers in large Roman towns and cities – perhaps fearing rodent incursions or odours. Roman sewers were more like storm drains, and served to take standing water away from public areas. Professionals collected faeces for fertiliser and urine for cloth processing from domestic and public latrines and cesspits. Chamber pots were also used, which could later be dumped in cesspits. This waste disposal process was just for those who could afford to live in houses; many lived in small, non-domestic spaces, barely furnished apartments, or on the streets. A common whiff in the Roman city would have come from the animals and the waste they created. Roman bakeries frequently used large lava stone mills (or 'querns') turned by mules or donkeys. Then there was the smell of pack animals and livestock being brought into town for slaughter or sale. The large 'stepping-stones' still seen in the streets of Pompeii were likely so people could cross streets and avoid the assorted feculence that covered the paving stones. Disposal of corpses (animals and human) was not formulaic. Depending on the class of the person who had died, people might well have been left out in the open without cremation or burial. Bodies, potentially decaying, were a more common sight in ancient Rome than now. Suetonius, writing in the first century CE, famously wrote of a dog carrying a severed human hand to the dining table of the Emperor Vespasian. Deodorants and toothpastes In a world devoid of today's modern scented products – and daily bathing by most of the population – ancient Roman settlements would have smelt of body odour. Classical literature has some recipes for toothpaste and even deodorants. However, many of the deodorants were to be used orally (chewed or swallowed) to stop one's armpits smelling. One was made by boiling golden thistle root in fine wine to induce urination (which was thought to flush out odour). The Roman baths would likely not have been as hygienic as they may appear to tourists visiting today. A small tub in a public bath could hold between eight and 12 bathers. The Romans had soap, but it wasn't commonly used for personal hygiene. Olive oil (including scented oil) was preferred. It was scraped off the skin with a strigil (a bronze curved tool). This oil and skin combination was then discarded (maybe even slung at a wall). Baths had drains – but as oil and water don't mix, it was likely pretty grimy. Scented perfumes The Romans did have perfumes and incense. The invention of glassblowing in the late first century BCE (likely in Roman-controlled Jerusalem) made glass readily available, and glass perfume bottles are a common archaeological find. Animal and plant fats were infused with scents – such as rose, cinnamon, iris, frankincense and saffron – and were mixed with medicinal ingredients and pigments. The roses of Paestum in Campania (southern Italy) were particularly prized, and a perfume shop has even been excavated in the city's Roman forum. The trading power of the vast Roman empire meant spices could be sourced from India and the surrounding regions. There were warehouses for storing spices such as pepper, cinnamon and myrrh in the centre of Rome. In a recent Oxford Journal of Archaeology article, researcher Cecilie Brøns writes that even ancient statues could be perfumed with scented oils. Sources frequently do not describe the smell of perfumes used to anoint the statues, but a predominantly rose-based perfume is specifically mentioned for this purpose in inscriptions from the Greek city of Delos (at which archaeologists have also identified perfume workshops). Beeswax was likely added to perfumes as a stabiliser. Enhancing the scent of statues (particularly those of gods and goddesses) with perfumes and garlands was important in their veneration and worship. An olfactory onslaught The ancient city would have smelt like human waste, wood smoke, rotting and decay, cremating flesh, cooking food, perfumes and incense, and many other things. It sounds awful to a modern person, but it seems the Romans did not complain about the smell of the ancient city that much. Perhaps, as historian Neville Morley has suggested, to them these were the smells of home or even of the height of civilisation.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeology student used a computer model to predict a Roman army camp's location — and it worked
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The remains of an ancient Roman army camp have been discovered in the Netherlands, beyond the empire's northern frontier, after researchers used a computer model to pinpoint its location. The "rare" find, at a site called Hoog Buurlo, shows that Roman forces were venturing beyond the Lower German Limes, the boundary that ran along the Rhine roughly 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) south of the camp. "For the Netherlands this is only the fourth Roman temporary camp, so quite a rare find," said Saskia Stevens, an associate professor of ancient history and classical civilization at Utrecht University and the principal investigator of the "Constructing the Limes" project that found the fort. "The fact that it was discovered north of the Lower Germanic Limes, beyond the border of the empire, tells us that the Romans did not perceive the Limes as the end of their Empire," Stevens told Live Science in an email. The fort was likely a temporary marching camp, which troops used for only a few days or weeks, according to a statement from Utrecht University. It's also possible that the camp was a stopover on the way to another camp about a day's march away. Constructing the Limes, a project led by Utrecht University, aims to understand how the Roman border functioned and to unearth temporary Roman camps north of the boundary. Related: Remains of 1,600-year-old Roman fort unearthed in Turkey As a part of the investigation, Jens Goeree, an archaeology student at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, developed a computer program to help predict the location of temporary Roman camps in Veluwe, a region of nature reserves filled with woodlands, grasslands and lakes. This program was based on probability and used data from elevation maps and lidar (light detection and ranging), a technique in which a machine shoots lasers from an aircraft over a site and measures the reflected waves to map the landscape below. "He reconstructed possible routes of the Roman army across the Veluwe area, calculating the number of kilometers an army could travel per day," Stevens said. The program also took into account roads and water availability, and looked for the "typical playing card-shaped camps" that Romans constructed, she said. The computer program didn't disappoint: It led them to the site in Hoog Buurlo within the Veluwe in 2023. In January 2025, the team visited the site to dig archaeological trenches and confirm that the site actually held an ancient fort, according to a statement. The fort was large — 9 acres (3.6 hectares) — and shaped like a rectangle with rounded corners. It had a V-shaped ditch that was 6.6 feet (2 meters) deep, a 10-foot-wide (3 m) earthen wall, and several entrances, Stevens said. However, the team found only a few artifacts at the site, including a fragment of Roman military armor. "The limited number of finds is not surprising as the camp was only in use for a short period of time (days, weeks) and the soldiers would have traveled light," Stevens said. Image 1 of 2 An outline of the newfound fort in the Netherlands. Notice that like many other Roman military forts, it's shaped like a playing card. Image 2 of 2 A lock pin artifact found at the temporary military fort. The small number of finds made it hard to date the camp. But by examining the armor and comparing the newfound site to a camp found in 1922 at another site in the Netherlands, the team dated the newly discovered temporary camp to the second century A.D., Stevens said. RELATED STORIES —1,900-year-old Roman legionary fortress unearthed next to UK cathedral —Possible 'mega' fort found in Wales hints at tension between Romans and Celtics —'Lost' 2nd-century Roman fort discovered in Scotland The finding shows that the Romans "were clearly active beyond the border and saw that area as their sphere of influence," Stevens said. The region north of the limes was likely an important place to take cattle, hides and even enslaved people. The people who lived in the area, the Frisii and the Chamavi, already had ties with the Romans. "The Frisians were generally on good terms with the Romans," as they traded with them, Stevens said. Historical sources mention a treaty in which the Frisians paid taxes in the form of cow hides, and they also provided soldiers for the auxiliary troops and members of Nero's (ruled A.D. 54 to 68) imperial bodyguard.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local Dog Trainer speaks about Cane Corso dog breed following deadly attack in Beulah
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – A Beulah woman has died after being attacked by her neighbor's dogs. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones say it happened around 5 p.m CT on Monday, February 24. Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton says Patricia Burt, 78, was pronounced dead at 10:21 a.m. CT on February 25, 2025, at Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown. Jones say the deadly attack occurred on Lee Road 356. He tod WRBL Burt walked over to visit her neighbor and say hello. When Burt went to hug her neighbor, the neighbor's two Cane Corsos escaped their enclosure and attacked Burt. As Burt's husband and the dog's owner tried to stop the attack, Burt's husband pulled out a gun and shot both animals. Abby Taylor, founder and owner of Family Dog Obedience and Training in Columbus, has trained Cane Corsos in her home, with her family. She says the Cane Corso or Dog Guardian, is a native mastiff from Italy, a descendant of the Canis Pugnax, or canine soldier used by the Roman Army. After the war, Cane Corsos became guardians for homes and livestock. Taylor says these guardian dogs are loyal and assertive. While she has no direct knowledge about the dogs in Beulah that attacked Burt, generally speaking, Taylor says guardian dogs need training early on. 'I do a lot of behavior modification work. A lot of that behavior modification work are aggressive dogs. If the dogs had had that early socialization, then it's a very high probability that we would not see that reactivity. Early socialization, especially for guardian breeds like the Cane Corso are very, very important,' said Abby Taylor, owner, Family Dog Obedience and Training in Columbus, Georgia. Taylor says she likes the Cane Corso for its intelligence and loyalty and that in her experience she has not heard of any attacks in her circle. As for the two dogs involved in yesterday's attack, they were shot by Patricia Burt's husband. Sheriff Jones calls this a 'horrific, tragic set of circumstances involving neighbors who are friendly.' In addition to teaching behavior modification in dogs, Family Dog Obedience and Training also trains service dogs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
