A friend of mine recently asked me if the categorization of Epona artifacts used on Epona.net was original to Nantonos and I. The short answer is that, no, every author who has studied Epona artifacts has created their own categories. It’s like organizing a pantry: each cook has a different way of arranging cans so they make the most sense to that cook. Nantonos did the majority of the analysis on the artifacts...
Continue reading...Epona.net
Epona.net: A Scholarly Resource
1895 catalog of Epona artifacts available at BNF
When I’m doing heavy research, I use JSTOR, Library of Congress, and the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (BNF). The BNF is a great resource. If you haven’t been to the library’s site, go visit. Imagine my surprise (and great delight!) to discover that they have an electronic copy of Salomon Reinach’s Epona, La Deesse Gauloise des Chevaux. Not only is the whole book available online, you can embed a copy of if on...
Continue reading...ORBIS: Google Maps for Ancient Rome
The science fiction blog / news aggregate site io9 has an article today about ORBIS, a Google Maps for Ancient Rome. Want to know how long it would take to travel between Roma and Londinium and how much it might cost in denarii? ORBIS, developed by Standford University, can tell you all you want to know about travel planning in the Roman empire circa 200 AD. ORBIS looks like great fun to play...
Continue reading...Back from vacation; Research update
Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written a real post (that wasn’t an article snippet or a copy of a joke). My coauthor was in town for a week, so I wasn’t on here much. We spent a lot of time at UNC’s Davis Library Epigraphy Room. What a wonderful resource! The Epigraphy Room has complete sets of two of the sources we rely on for inscriptions: L’Année épigraphique and Corpus Inscriptionum...
Continue reading...Chariot find at settlement site
Archaeologists have uncovered a small – but vital – clue to the use of a chariot in Moray. The presence of a chariot (or peices for one) indicates the high status of the people who lived 2,000 years ago in the two roundhouses currently being excavated. A few Roman coins were also found. read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...Remembering an Exhibit
A while back, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History had an exhibit about Stabiae, called In Stabiano. (Stabiae was a small resort town near Pompeii and Herculaneum when Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E.) The exhibit was widely advertised on television and online. I managed to be in Washington, DC, on a business trip shortly after the exhibit opened in 2005. The Smithsonian is supposed to be one of the best museums in...
Continue reading...Dinner with friends — good times
There are days like Sunday where so much happens it makes your head spin. I met two friends at Barnes and Noble in the evening. We sat in the book store for three hours taking about Roman archaeology, giggling over the “research” (or severe lack thereof) in several books, griping about lack of citations, and admiring sketches and artwork. One of my friends is working on a romance novel that has steamy sex...
Continue reading...Blogging in France
Blogging in France did not go as expected. I didn’t have consistent internet access, unfortunately. At the cottage we had an internet connection that was set up using an extended wifi antenna. The router was connected to the antenna with a wire through the living room window. For the first few days at the cottage, there was a windstorm. When we tried to connect the wifi network, the window kept blowing open. It...
Continue reading...Leavin’ On a Jet Plane…
In 10 minutes, I’m leaving work for a trip that I have been anticipating for months: I’m going to France on a research trip with my coauthor. We’re meeting in Paris and then will be staying at a house owned by an archaeology professor I know (awesome lady). This house is on an Epona find spot. So many things have come together for this trip. I’m so excited. My friends probably want to...
Continue reading...Recent Books on Equine Archaeology/History
I’ve been looking for current publications on equine archaeology and history. You would be surprised what is out there! I found four books that covered proceedings from the International Council for Archaeozoology meeting in Durham, UK, 2002. It sounds like it would have been an awesome conference. Equids in time and space, edited by Marjan Mashkour (2006). From the description: “There are methodological as well as historical chapters dealing with problems ranging from...
Continue reading...Cites for Northern Gaul
A friend of mine asked about book recommendations for Northern Gaul. I pulled together a brief bibliography and sent it to her. I’m also including it here in case other people find it useful. Cunliffe, B. W. (1988) Greeks, Romans, and barbarians : Spheres of interaction. New York, Methuen. ISBN 0416019919 Derks, Ton. (1998) Gods, Temples and Religious Practices: The Transformation of Religious Ideas and Values in Roman Gaul. Amsterdam Archaeological Studies 2....
Continue reading...Arabians and Numidians
Arabian horse owners often talk about the Arabian horse as being one of the oldest breeds. And they are, thanks in large park to the work of the Bedouin tribes preserving this lovely breed and recording the pedigrees. What if we turned the clock back two thousand years? Would someone like Caesar or Hannibal recognize the modern Arabian? I think they both would, because the ancestor of the Arabian horse, the Numidian or...
Continue reading...Book on Belgic Gaul and Aquitania
On a mailing list I’m on, one of the members posted a notice about the following book. It looks pretty interesting. Not too terribly expensive. I’m going to see if I can get the book through interlibrary loan. I am very interested in seeing the discussions on temple design. From the Oxbow Web site (UK version): Religious Acculturation and Assimilation in Belgic Gaul and Aquitania from the Roman Conquest until the end of...
Continue reading...Additional Roman Saddle Info
I emailed Deepeeka about their saddle. They are incredibly cheap (for a saddle, at least) — under $200 US. However, you have to order at least two. So very tempted! My coauthor suggested doing more research and sent me some good links to consider. I could end up with an expensive display piece. (Although I suppose that is what my side saddle is — it doesn’t fit my mare but it sure is...
Continue reading...Roman Cavalry Bibliography
I was going through some of my old emails and found a bibliography I had compiled for a friend on the Roman Cavalry. I attended a Roman re-enactment in October 2004 in Nashville. A Deepeeka representative had a reconstructed Roman cavalry saddle (Deepeeka item code AH6405). This really peeked my interest. Picture I took at the Roman re-enactment of the Deepeeka saddle (see the Photography section for additional pictures): One of the vendors...
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