Ancient Roman mosaic of winged cupids fishing from two boats in front of a long villa building and trees.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Heritage

Mosaic of Fishing Cupids at the Villa Casale in Sicily, Discovered in 1959

Another witty mosaic from the same villa in Sicily: cupids fishing. The Villa Cozele (Villa Casale), where this mosaic was uncovered in 1959, is one of the richest monuments of ancient Roman art in situ

Mosaic of young women in two-piece outfits: above they run and hold a disc and weights, below they play with a ball and hold palm branches and a crown.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Humour

Mosaic from a fourth-century villa shows young women in bikinis at sport

A mosaic of girls in bikinis from a fourth-century villa. They run, lift weights and play ball. And judging by the tummies so carefully depicted, the aim of the exercise is weight loss. A girl in a toga presents a palm branch and a crown to the best of

A deep rectangular stone-lined pool among the ruins of an ancient city, with shrub branches hanging over it.

NB! · Archaeology · Observations

Ancient fish fermentation pools and the export of fish sauce from Chersonesos

Many ancient port cities have rows of such deep basins. They were used to produce a paste of fermented fish. From here, from Chersonesos, fish sauce was shipped to many countries

Three elongated terracotta amulets lying side by side on a light background.

NB! · Archaeology · The East · Humour

Three terracotta phallic amulets found during excavations at Omrit in northern Israel

Three terracotta penis amulets have been found at excavations in Omrit in northern Israel. A fairly ordinary find for ancient Rome, with its obsession with phallic imagery, which dominated public life

NB! · Archaeology · Humour

A stone lady from a fifteenth-century Cistercian monastery in Irish Newry knows that the weekend is very nearly upon us 🌚

Stone fragment with traces of soil lying on white cloth

NB! · Archaeology · The East · Humour

A small find beside a large pharaonic block unearthed nearby

Still, a mite like this is hardly likely to cause a sensation when a whole pharaonic slab is being hauled out of the ground next door. What is one to do?

Workers and onlookers stand in mud around an excavator bucket holding a silt-covered stone find.

NB! · Archaeology · The East · Observations · People

An 80-centimetre bust of Seti II with a cartouche found near the Ramesses colossus

An 80-centimetre bust of Seti II has been found close to the Ramesses. A rather interesting character, and the sculpture is labelled with his cartouche, unlike the giant, within an 8-metre radius of whom there is not a single inscription

NB! · Archaeology · Heritage · Science

For several years now, scholars from the University of Leipzig have been working at this site, and only half a year ago they were telling of a newly discovered fresco in which Ramesses prays to some gods or other, and here we have an entire Colossus!

NB! · Archaeology · Observations · Humour

An eight-metre statue has only just been dug out of a waterlogged layer, so I suspect it has not yet dried out from the groundwater, and you already know about it

A huge stone head of a statue lies on the ground, with men and women standing around it on a dug-up site.

NB! · Archaeology · The East

Giant statue found in Heliopolis is attributed to Ramesses II by its location

A giant statue of Ramesses II was found in Heliopolis today. That is to say, the sculpture itself bears no indication of whom it depicts, but it was found opposite the entrance to the tomb of Ramesses, from which it was concluded whose it is

White sculpted bust of a child with short fringe hair, wearing draped clothing, on a round base.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Humour

Bust of a Roman child with worn paint on the eyes and a comparison to Minister Oreshkin

The Roman child looks like Minister Oreshkin. Pay no attention to the alarming eyes, the paint has simply worn away

Ancient fresco of two nude figures on a couch beneath a drapery, set in a black border.

NB! · Archaeology

Erotic fresco from Pompeii created in the 1st century AD

Pompeii, 1st century AD. Apparatus