iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Anthony Majanlahti @anthonymajanlahti.bsky.social · 9h

Necessity is spolia's iron law. For #SpoliaSunday we examine a C4-C2 BCE Etruscan nenfro sarcophagus in Viterbo. Likely unearthed during C13 works, it was reused for a papal potentate, much like Pope Alexander IV, then ruthlessly reused again until its identity was lost. #AncientBluesky 🏺

ETRUSCAN SARCOPHAGUS, C4-C2 BCE, REUSED IN THE C12-C13 CE. MUSEI DEL COLLE DEL DUOMO, VITERBO

In an excavated corridor in a building beside the Duomo of Viterbo, an ancient Etruscan sarcophagus lies in situ. Roughly carved from nenfro, a local grey volcanic stone, it features a massive gabled lid designed to imitate a pitched roof. In this case the peak of the lid has been abraded away, probably to fit the available space, and the lid itself is broken and partially missing, revealing a human skull and some scattered bones. Originally carved between the C4 and C2 BCE, it was likely unearthed on the cathedral slopes during medieval building works. Since a similar nenfro sarcophagus famously concealed the corpse of Alexander IV in 1261, this box was probably initially repurposed for a mid-C13 papal official. Yet necessity is spolia's iron law. No one dead is important enough to resist the requirements of the living. The tomb was ruthlessly reused, breaking the lid in the process, and the skull inside belongs only to its final, unknown occupant.

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Chapps @chapps.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

These fragments from a Roman villa in Spain are not from a mosaic but from a fresco. If you look closely you’ll see a grid of lines, many following the contour of the figures, much as tesserae do on mosaics. This trompe-l’oeil technique simulates mosaics. 1/ 🏺 1st-2nd c. Museo de Málaga 📸 me

Fragment of a fresco depicting part of a human face, mostly the eyes. Thin lines form a grid pattern, simulating the edges of tesserae.

Fresco fragment showing a naked torso of a woman, her legs and pubic area covered in a red himation (cloak). Her right hand carries a basket laden with fruit, which look like giant globes of grapes. Grapevine leaves appear in the background. A Dionysian scene. The faux tesserae grid lines follow the curves of the body.

Fresco fragment depicting some sort of half-human creature with wild hair and bare torso, gesturing upwards with his right hand and holding a branched stick with his left. The faux tesserae grid lines follow the curves of his garment and body.

Fresco fragment with the torso of perhaps a god with golden skin, a red himation flowing outwards and partially covering his or her legs. Perhaps Dionysos?

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Lindsay Powell FRHistS @lindsaypowell.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Model recreating the appearance of the amphitheatre at Calleva Atrebatum with scale ground plan. In the collections of @readingmuseum.bsky.social. Photo is my own. #RomanSiteSaturday

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

"I am she that is the natural mother of all things, mistress and governess of all the elements, the initial progeny of worlds, chief of powers divine, queen of all that are in hell, the principal of them that dwell in heaven, the manifested uniform of all gods and goddesses." See Alt 👀

A fresco of a priest wearing a mask of Anubis. From the temple of Isis at Pompeii.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Roman #glass - flask found at Caerleon (Isca Silurum) 1st Century AD . 📷 My own. On display at Caerleon Legionary Museum. #Roman #Archaeology #FindsFriday #artwork

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ambrosen @ambrosen.eurosky.social · 02/10/2026

Lovingly restored in a fashion similar to the ancient Welsh practice of Arŵldait, an epoxy technique my own Welsh grandmother occasionally used.

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Ornate Saxon copper disc brooch decorated with gold and garnets, AD 650-670. It must have been a treasured possession! From Floral Street, Covent Garden, once the heart of ‘Lundenwic’, the early Saxon town of London. Museum of London 📷 by me #FindsFriday #Archaeology

My photo shows a circular Saxon brooch made of copper, the front of which is ornately embellished with gold and garnets. There are five raised, circular, gold bosses which are outlined with inlaid garnet slabs, and each set with a central, round garnet. Four of the gold bosses are arranged around a fifth, larger, gold boss in the centre of the brooch. The central boss sits within a star-like, four-pointed geometric shape composed of a mosaic of inlaid garnet slabs. The outer edge of the brooch is decorated with two rows of tiny inlaid polished garnets. The eight gold sections at either side of the four smaller bosses are decorated with raised gold filigree which looks like looped, braided cord. Parts of the brooch are worn, with some chipped edges, and missing garnet stones. The brooch measures approximately 7 cm in diameter. It is displayed on a clear glass surface. It was excavated from a woman's grave by AOC Archaeology in 2000 ahead of development construction works. This type of brooch was a fashionable status piece amongst wealthy aristocratic Anglo-Saxon women in the AD 600s. The woman's grave also contained glass beads and silver rings.

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Becky Wallower @bwallower.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#FindsFriday 🏺 Superb bronze chimera: likely emblem (episema) on C6 BC warrior's shield w lion's head on flame-like mane + scaly fierce snake striking from centre. From high status tomb w arms, tools, ceramics + iron wheels of chariot excavated in Melfi, Basilicata. Melfi Nat Archaeological Museum.

A large thin bronze decoration probably displayed on a 6th C BC warrior's shield. At the top the head of a beast with a stylised lion's head and snout, on a long neck with incised flame-like mane, emerges from a scaly circle. This serves as the body of a fierce snake (which probably wrapped round the lion's body), which extends to the top right with a long head and open mouth, with wing below lower jaw.
The culture in Melfi at the time was in flux, with native Daunian cultures interacting with Lucanians from the north.

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Sistory History Podcast @sistoryhistory.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This intricate statuette of #Herakles - shown with his club and lion skin is exquisite and a wonderful way to start the weekend on this #findsfriday Hellenistic period bronze. 📸 Us, Archaeological Museum of Corfu #skystorians #ancientbluesky #AncientGreece #archaeology #classicsbluesky #Hercules

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Hannah @bcnbabe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I don’t know what is more impressive. The workmanship on the vessel itself, or the tireless efforts of the restorer to piece it all back together. Stunning! Thanks for sharing Jon!

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Roman #glass - flask found at Caerleon (Isca Silurum) 1st Century AD . 📷 My own. On display at Caerleon Legionary Museum. #Roman #Archaeology #FindsFriday #artwork

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🐭Figurine of a mouse, Roman Period 30 BCE–395CE. Find spot, Egypt. Copper alloy, 5cm length. AN1933.696

While about the size of a real mouse, this bronze one actually weighs at least three times as much, clocking in at over 60 grams. 💪

Ashmolean Museum Collection

Figurine of a mouse, Roman Period 30 BCE–395CE. Find spot, Egypt. Copper alloy, 5cm length. AN1933.696

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🐭Figurine of a mouse, Roman Period 30 BCE–395CE. Find spot, Egypt. Copper alloy, 5cm length. AN1933.696

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Scale armour from the Roman Fort at Carlisle (Luguvalium) which was found in the fort workshop. Now part of the collections at Tullie House Museum in Carlisle. 📸 My own. #RomanFortThursday #RomanBritain #Carlisle

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Fabulous fragment of an ancient Egyptian wall relief with three bears and an oil jar. The paint has survived some 4,500 years! Limestone relief from the Pyramid Temple of Sahure, Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, c. 2496-2483 BC. Neues Museum, Berlin 📷 by me #ReliefWednesday #Archaeology

My photo shows a circa 4,500-year-old limestone relief with some well-preserved paint in places, from the funerary temple of Sahure at Abusir, measuring 39 × 35 × 8.5 cm. It shows three bears (partial view only) and a tall one-handled pottery vessel, across two registers. The upper register at left, shows the two leds and hindquarters of a bear, and at right, a bear’s lowered head, chest, and foreleg, painted mid-brown. The lower register at left shows a tall, dark-reddish-brown pottery vessel with a long neck and single handle, and at right, the lowered head, neck, shoulder, and top of foreleg of a dark-brown bear. The bears wear collars tethered by ropes to looped fixtures in the ground. The fragment comes from a wall scene depicting tributes from the Levant. Bears were not native to Egypt. The bears represented are Syrian brown bears (Ursus arctos syriacus), which were quite common in Levantine mountain regions in antiquity. They were kept as exotic animals in enclosures by Egyptian kings, and also hunted.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#HillfortsWednesday Maiden Castle in England is one of the largest hillforts in Europe. Photograph taken in 1935 by Major George Allen (1891–1940). #Archaeology

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andrew phillips @herfst.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Cuneiform Hittite, like Akkadian, also made full use of Sumerograms, determinatives and phonetic syllables, for example Kurunta’s title

Detail of Hittite cuneiform on bronze tablet. The translation reads "Kurunta, king in the land (of) Tarhuntašša"

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andrew phillips @herfst.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Yes, they were originally there, the text is carefully arranged around them. It is thought that the chains had clay seals at their ends, similar to wax seals attached to legal documents to authenticate them, though the chains may have been used to hang the tablet itself so that it could be displayed

Illustration of the reverse side of the Hattusa Bronze Tablet, two chains hang from it from circular perforations, each chain has a clay seal attached to it.

Detail of Hattusa bronze tablet, the lines of text are arranged around the circular perforation

Title deed from 1452 with six pendant seals.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#HillfortsWednesday Maiden Castle in England is one of the largest hillforts in Europe. Photograph taken in 1935 by Major George Allen (1891–1940). #Archaeology

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David G.W. Birch @dgwbirch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It's a deal, it's a really great deal. It's big beautiful deal between Tudhaliya IV and Kurunta of Tarhuntassa, it's way better deal than stupid Tudhailya III had, it's a deal that Tarhuntassa was begging to make.

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Statue base with a dedication to the spirit of the Emperor and the god Mercury which was discovered at Birrens Roman Fort (Blatobulgium) in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Now part of the collections at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. 📸 My own #EpigraphyTuesday

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#MosaicMonday Mosaic of the capture of Europa, found in a #Roman villa at Torre tre Teste, on a road from Rome to Paestum (Palestrina), Italy - 1st/2nd century AD - Ny Carlsberg, Copenhagen. #ancient #artwork #art #History

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#MosaicMonday The #Roman mosaics of Villa del Tellaro near Noto, Syracuse, #Sicily. The villa, dates from the 4th C AD. The floors of the three rooms are taped with mosaics depicting mythological, hunting and dancing scenes. #Archaeology #History #Art

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Anthony Majanlahti @anthonymajanlahti.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The ALT text for this photo:

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Anthony Majanlahti @anthonymajanlahti.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

For this #MosaicMonday we look up into the spectacular presbytery vault of San Vitale in #Ravenna. To me, the Ravenna #mosaics are an astonishing collection, the last magnificent product of late antiquity. But whose empire does this shimmering C6 CE ceiling actually represent? #AncientBluesky 🏺

PRESBYTERY VAULT MOSAICS, C. 547 CE. BASILICA OF SAN VITALE, RAVENNA

A view looking straight up into the vaulted ceiling of the presbytery. At the apex within a starry medallion is the Lamb of God. The central wreath is supported by four white robed angels, a visual inheritance from classical winged Victories. They stand upon blue globes, an ancient symbol of cosmic dominion. The vault sections are filled with a lush paradise of acanthus vines and birds, echoing Augustan imagery of abundance. This shared classical vocabulary reflects the complex political reality of C6 CE Ravenna. The basilica was begun under Ostrogothic rule, a regime using Roman art to present themselves as theoretically still part of the empire. When Justinian consecrated the church in c. 547 CE he did not have to replace the Ostrogothic aesthetic. The Gothic kings' official style was already Roman, allowing this final flowering of late antiquity to bridge two competing empires.

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Brittunculus @brittunculus.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A triton or giant certainly seems most likely. In line with the odd African influence on British mosaics, the beast hunt scenes at Villa del Casale, Sicily, seem a key point of reference. Interestingly, there are anguipede giants there among all the animals. 😮 1/2

Leopard bringing down a gazelle.
Villa del Casale, Great Hunt mosaic, detail, CCA-SA 3.0 by Jerzy Strzelecki

Man transporting an ostrich up a gangplank to a waiting ship. Neck and wingtip highlighted by me.
Villa del Casale, Great Hunt, detail - public domain, wikimedia.org

Two hunters with a netted wild board slung from a pole, accompanied by their dog.
Villa del Casale, Little Hunt, detail, CCA-SA 3.0 by Jerzy Strzelecki

Five anguipede giants injured by arrows.
Villa del Casale, Giant mosaic, Wikimedia public domain

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Dr Pat Witts @wittspat.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

For #MosaicMonday enthusiasts, the scene at lower left is closely paralleled (save for prey animal) in the East Coker mosaic serendipitously posted today by @forestcollectiv.bsky.social

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Becky Wallower @bwallower.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Lively #MosaicMonday from posh C4 #Roman villa at Horkstow Lincs once featured wheel w Orpheus in centre enchanting animals including this bear, elephant (yes really) + 6 others in panels around him. Now over Humber in Hull Museum of Archaeology 🏺 For painting of mosaics after 1797 discovery see 2/.

A partial survival of an interesting mosaic of Orpheus (who would have been in now missing centre of wheel like device) and 8 animals, 2 of which remain. In left remaining section is a part of a bear pouncing forward from hind legs. On right is an elephant, missing its trunk, with long legs. Below the wheel to the left a figure can be seen in the corner of the mosaic.
Two wide bands that would have bounded the mosaic are seen - one guilloche and one floral vault variation - with rows of triangles pointing up and down on a white line between them. Colours throughout the mosaic are shades of red/brown plus black, white and grey.

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Michael @dux-britanniarum.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Oddly moving that we, 1600+ years later, can see the effort taken by some late-Roman tesserae-layer to convey the essence of a horses' nuts.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

One of several mosaics from the Roman Town House at Dorchester in Dorset. 📸 My own. #MosaicMonday #RomanBritain #Dorchester #Dorset

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Dr Toby Driver @drtobydriver.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#StandingStoneSunday A flying visit today to the stunning C9th-10th AD Nevern high cross, very likely standing on or close to its original spot on an early Christian site. One the great treasures of Pembrokeshire 🤩 📷 My own

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Carausius @carausius286.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A Roman mosaic of snails escaping a basket. 🏛️ Basilica Patricale, Aquileia 🇮🇹 🕰️ 4th century AD #MosaicMonday

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#RomanSiteSaturday The Roman Temple of Évora. The temple is believed to have been constructed around the 1st century CE, in honour of Augustus, who was venerated as a god during and after his rule.

The Roman Temple of Évora (Portuguese: Templo romano de Évora), also referred to as the Templo de Diana (albeit wrongly, after Diana, the ancient Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity) is an ancient temple in the Portuguese city of Évora (civil parish of Sé e São Pedro). The temple is part of the historical centre of the city, which was included in the classification by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It represents one of the most significant landmarks relating to the Roman and Lusitanian civilizations of Évora and in Portuguese territory.

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lyra tasis🪬🧿✡︎ @tribhuwana.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Photo doesn’t do justice to how it’s right in the middle of the city! Beautiful place.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#RomanSiteSaturday The Roman Temple of Évora. The temple is believed to have been constructed around the 1st century CE, in honour of Augustus, who was venerated as a god during and after his rule.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Tang Dynasty, Ca. AD 618 - 907. 🐂 A hollow-moulded earthenware bull standing four-square on a rectangular plinth, with the head raised in a bellowing pose.

It features a powerful barrel-shaped body, a pronounced dewlap with incised folds, a short switch tail, and cloven hooves neatly blocked in. Long arcing horns and pricked ears frame a sharply modelled muzzle with drilled nostrils. The piece is coated in red slip, with traces of white and pink pigments.

For similar see: Bonhams, 2 October 2012, Lot. 1036. Size: 470mm x 420mm; Weight: 5.86kg Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong. This piece has been precisely dated using a thermoluminescence analysis carried out by Ralf Kotalla. The report will accompany the lot. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database

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Carausius @carausius286.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Macedonians preserved the Mycenaean tradition of burying elites with gold masks. This was made for a priestess. The decoration is detailed & exquisite, including animals on the headband. However, the disks on the eyes & plate on the mouth are confronting & final 🕰️C6thBC 🏛️📷Pella Archaeological Museum

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Durotriges Dig @durotrigesdig.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The masonry footings to a 4th century Romano Celtic temple Preserved within the sheep-gnawed grass of Maiden Castle hillfort #Dorset Excavated by Tessa Wheeler in 1934-5 Visiting with @buarchanth.bsky.social Sept 2026 #RomanSiteSaturday

The low masonry walls of a Roman temple building, one square room within another, preserved in the grass with people approaching and blue cloud flecked sky behind

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Ca. AD 300 (or later). A nicolo intaglio engraved with winged Victoria driving a biga. The goddess stands in the chariot behind the horses, holding the reins in her left hand and a whip in her right. The horses are depicted in motion with lifted forelegs, all on a groundline.

The intaglio is set in a possibly later gold ring with an elaborate vegetal hoop, openwork shoulders, and scroll ornament. Size: D:17.12mm / US: 6 3/4 / UK: N; Weight: 12g Provenance: From a private London collection; earlier held in an old family collection formed over the period 1960s 2000. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

ROMANO-EGYPTIAN PLASTER MASK OF YOUTH Ca. 30 BC - AD 200. A plaster mask of a youth with a rounded face and slightly prominent cheeks. The almond-shaped eyes are framed by raised edges, with white sclera and large black irises.

Description
Ca. 30 BC - AD 200. A plaster mask of a youth with a rounded face and slightly prominent cheeks. The almond-shaped eyes are framed by raised edges, with white sclera and large black irises. A straight nose with a narrow bridge and slightly flared nostrils leads down to small, closed lips that curve subtly at the corners. The hair is rendered with linear grooves extending from the forehead to the crown. Mounted on a custom-made display stand. Reviewed by Simone Musso, consultant curator for Egyptian antiquities at the Stibbert Museum, Florence, Italy, member of the Nuri Archaeological Expedition.

For similar see: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Object Number: 00.2.37. Size: 240mm x 140mm; Weight: 1.2kg Provenance: Private UK collection, acquired on the Dutch art market; Ex. Hans Kamps (1953 - 2023), acquired in 2008; formerly in a German private collection. Mr. Hans Kamps was one of the Dutch foremost art collectors, he was chairman of the ABU from 1999 to 2014. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.

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PCA @pcaarchaeology.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today we have a very special #FindsFriday ... a timelapse of the micro-excavation of the Iron Age Norfolk Carnyx Hoard. It’s pretty amazing to see the micro-excavation process and get a glimpse of the carnyx, boar standard and shield bosses as they're revealed. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI9L...

youtube.com

Micro-excavation of the Iron Age Norfolk Carnyx Hoard

YouTube video by PCA archaeology

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Dr Tess Machling @tessmachling.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

All I can say is it's a damn good job he's in Edinburgh, or there would be fisticuffs... Gaudy Bauble?? How very dare he! #Archaeology 🏺 #NotEastAnglianTat #Torcs

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"oh look and there's Jon & another unproductive week gone! Yes but it's Friday" 👀 Part of a votive relief from the sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, known as the 'relief of the #Gods'. Zeus seated with Leto & Apollo. (5th C BC Brauron Museum) #FindsFriday #artwork #art #History

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