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Roman residence revealed
A remarkably preserved domus, dating to the late Republican period, has been excavated in Rome between the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.
First discovered in 2018, the site – which has been named the Domus del Vicus Tuscus – was recently excavated by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo. This revealed that the house had several floors and was probably built in three phases between the second half of the 2nd century BC and the end of the 1st century BC. The domus appears to have been luxuriously styled, includ- ing a specus aestivus, or large vaulted room resembling a grotto. It was found complete with water features and a ‘rustic’ mosaic made of various types of shells, Egyptian blue tesserae, flakes of white marble, and pozzolana pebbles. It would probably have been used for dining and entertaining in the summer months.
Royal Maya tomb found
Excavations at the site of Chochkitam – a medium-sized Maya city located in present-day Guatemala – have found the remains of an elaborate burial, luckily untouched by the looters who had ravaged other parts of the site.
The stone tomb was uncovered by a team led by Professor Francisco Estrada-Belli from the Tulane University, USA. They found the remains of a human skeleton, as well as an array of funerary goods including a spectacular jade mosaic mask, two engraved human femurs (belonging to individuals other than the main interment), several ceramic vessels, a stingray spine, and a collection of Spondylus shells, which were usually reserved for Maya royalty. The jade mask has now been pieced back together during conservation and, with its sharp teeth and spiral eyes, appears to depict the Maya storm god.
Surprising source for Scythian leather
A recent study, which was published in PLOS One (https:// doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294129), has identified the source of 47 samples of leather found at 14 Scythian sites across southern Ukraine, all dating from the 4th to 5th centuries BC. Using palaeoproteomics to identify animal-specific proteins from the artefacts, the team found that a variety of species had been used to produce the leather, including sheep, goat, cattle, and horse, as well as wild animals.
More surprisingly, however, two samples appear to have been made from human skin. Both came from the top parts of quivers, suggesting that there may have been some truth to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus’ claim that Scythians flayed their enemies and turned their skin into leather covers for these implements.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka
