Filed under: Jerusalem, Julius Caesar, Maya, Near East, Nehemiah, Romans, Villa of the Papyri, archaeology, ireland
European Archaeology
Ancient Roman throne found
Archaeologists today announced the discovery of a wood and ivory throne in the villa thought to belong to Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus (the father-in-law of Julius Caesar). Caesoninus’ villa, known to archaeologists as the Villa of the Papyri because of the thousands of scrolls found there during excavations, was preserved along with the rest of Herculaneum when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 and buried the area under meters of volcanic ash. Only the back and legs of the throne were preserved and feature bas-relief carvings depicting mythological figures such as Attis and Dionysis. The throne was found 25 m below the present ground surface, which illustrates how deeply the city was buried (the chair would have been on the surface when the eruption began).
Wire story in Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071204.wthrone1204/BNStory/Science/home
Pictures from the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7128553.stm
Grotto of Roman legend revealed
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