🛀💎🏛️ Da Ancient Romans Dropped Their Bling Down Da Drain, Too: Archaeologists Recover 36 Gemstones from an 1,800-Year-Old Bathhouse in England
Yo, yo, yo! Archaeologists in England just found 36 semiprecious stones in a bathhouse dat was built almost 1,800 years ago. Da stones was found in da stone drains in da bathhouse at da site of a Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall in Carlisle, England. Da intaglios, dat’s da fancy word for gems with incised carvings, are believed to have fallen out of signet rings worn by wealthy third-century bathers. Dis is da same place where Roman soldiers would chillax after a long day of fighting. 😎
Da engraved stones were made from different types of rocks like amethyst, jasper, and carnelian, and range from 5 millimeters to 16 millimeters in diameter. Da carvings on da stones include Roman deities like Apollo, Mars, Bonus Eventus, and Ceres. Dey also include Sol (the sun), Mercury (commerce), and Venus holding either a flower or a mirror. Some stones even have a satyr seated on rocks beside a pillar. 🔨🔱🌞🏺
Da discovery of da stones gives an insight into what life was like for wealthy Roman bathers back in the third century. Classicists have debated how and why these precious stones were lost. After six years of digging, Frank Giecco, da technical director of da Carlisle project, believes he and his team have solved the mystery.
Historically, two kinds of engraved gems were worn mounted on finger rings: intaglios and cameos. Da tradition of intaglios dates back to the Sumerian period in Mesopotamia. Figures were gouged by hand into softer stones, and from about 3400 B.C., stamp seals and cylinder seals were pressed and imprinted into damp clay. Dey became popular in Minoan and Mycenaean Greece, Persia, Egypt, and Rome, where people wore portraits of their favorite philosophers on their rings, a tradition dat hasn’t survived on today’s QVC Network. 💍🌎📜
Da excavation at da Carlisle Cricket Club began in 2017 and quickly revealed a colossal bathhouse, “was truly colossal in scale,” Mr. Giecco said. Da bathhouse was built along the river Eden and near da Roman fort of Uxelodunum, also known as Petriana, which was safely situated behind Hadrian’s Wall, the empire’s northern border. Da main building of da bathhouse, constructed around 210 A.D., had sandstone walls three-and-a-half feet thick. Da baths were rebuilt in the fourth century and were still in use in the fifth. Da region remained strategic. Da site was quarried for building materials in the 12th century. In the early 20th century, the site was turned into tennis courts. 🎾🛁🏢👷
In da third century, wealthy bathers who entered da bathhouse had their first stop at da apodyterium, or changing room. Dey removed everything except for their bath sandals, needed to protect their feet from the heated floors. Prosperous patrons had slaves to guard their belongings, while poorer bathers paid da attendants. Some may have held onto their baubles in the pools to prevent theft. “Bathers knew da risk of gems falling out,” Mr. Giecco said. “But theft from da lockers was so great dat they kept valuables with them regardless.”
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🛀💎🏛️ The Ancient Romans Also Dropped Their Bling Down The Drain: Archaeologists Recover 36 Gemstones From An 1800-Year-Old Bathhouse In England
Hey, check it out! Archaeologists in England just found 36 semiprecious stones in an old bathhouse that was built almost 1,800 years ago. The stones were discovered in the stone drains of the bathhouse located at the site of a Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall in Carlisle, England. The intaglios, or gems with incised carvings, are believed to have fallen out of the signet rings worn by wealthy third-century bathers. This is the same place where Roman soldiers would unwind after a long day of fighting. 😎
The engraved stones were made from different types of rocks like amethyst, jasper, and carnelian, and ranged from 5 millimeters to 16 millimeters in diameter. The carvings on the stones include Roman deities like Apollo, Mars, Bonus Eventus, and Ceres. They also include Sol (the sun), Mercury (commerce), and Venus holding either a flower or a mirror. Some stones even have a satyr seated on rocks beside a pillar. 🔨🔱🌞🏺
The discovery of these stones gives insight into what life was like for wealthy Roman bathers back in the third century. Classicists have debated how and why these precious stones were lost. After six years of digging, Frank Giecco, the technical director of the Carlisle project, believes he and his team have solved the mystery.
Historically, two kinds of engraved gems were worn mounted on finger rings: intaglios and cameos. The tradition of intaglios dates back to the Sumerian period in Mesopotamia. Figures were gouged by hand into softer stones, and from about 3400 B.C., stamp seals and cylinder seals were pressed and imprinted into damp clay. They became popular in Minoan and Mycenaean Greece, Persia, Egypt, and Rome, where people wore portraits of their favorite philosophers on their rings, a tradition that hasn’t survived on today’s QVC Network. 💍🌎📜
The excavation at the Carlisle Cricket Club began in 2017 and quickly revealed a colossal bathhouse, “was truly colossal in scale,” Mr. Giecco said. The bathhouse was built along the river Eden and near the Roman fort of Uxelodunum, also known as Petriana, which was safely situated behind Hadrian’s Wall, the empire’s northern border. The main building of the bathhouse, constructed around 210 A.D., had sandstone walls three-and-a-half feet thick. The baths were rebuilt in the fourth century and were still in use in the fifth. The region remained strategic. The site was quarried for building materials in the 12th century. In the early 20th century, the site was turned into tennis courts. 🎾🛁🏢👷
In the third century, wealthy bathers who entered the bathhouse had their first stop at the apodyterium, or changing room. They removed everything except for their bath sandals, needed to protect their feet from the heated floors. Prosperous patrons had slaves to guard their belongings, while poorer bathers paid the attendants. Some may have held onto their baubles in the pools to prevent theft. “Bathers knew the risk of gems falling out,” Mr. Giecco said. “But theft from the lockers was so great that they kept valuables with them regardless”.
