Tag Archives: empire

Discover the Expansive Road Network of the Roman Empire through Digital Maps

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Mapping of the Roman road network by Itiner-e

itinerary-e

A new expansive map of the Roman road system reveals that the empire’s land transport network has effectively grown by nearly 60% and is accessible to all. You can explore it online.

The initiative, named Itiner-e, combines topographical mapping, satellite images, and centuries of historical documentation, and claims to be the first publicly available dataset of this nature.

“It emerged from significant frustration,” states Tom Bluemans of Aarhus University, Denmark. “This is among the most enigmatic areas in Roman archaeology. There’s a saying: ‘All roads lead to Rome.’ So why can’t we access a download of all the roads in Rome? Where are they located?”

Brughmans and his team constructed a representation of the road network around 150 AD, utilizing extensive evidence from research and outlining more accurate paths of previously identified routes. They also assigned confidence ratings to each road segment based on the reliability of the source.

Their findings indicate that the total length of the road network in that period was around 299,171 kilometers, significantly surpassing the government’s previous estimate of 188,555 kilometers from the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World.

The dataset reveals that even though there is compelling evidence for starting and ending points of many roads, only 2.8% of the entire network can be pinpointed accurately (within 50 meters in mountainous regions and 200 meters in flatter areas).

Roman route through mountains to Delphi in Ancient Greece

itinerary-e

For the Blueman family, this highlights the challenges associated with securing resources to excavate an entire Roman road, resulting in many efforts remaining unfinished. Additionally, major roads have undergone numerous reconstructions throughout history, complicating efforts to uncover the original paths.

While Roman roads are renowned for their straightness, it’s a misconception that they were always constructed that way. Katherine Fletcher from Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, who did not participate in the study, comments, “Straight paths weren’t always economical or practical, particularly through mountainous regions.” She adds, “In many instances, if a route already existed, the Romans adapted it instead of forging an entirely new one.”

Gaining a deeper understanding of the Roman road network could enhance our grasp of many pivotal events in European history. According to Blumans, developments like early Christianity, widespread migration, and continent-wide pandemics were all influenced by the Roman road system.

Despite their significance, roads are frequently overshadowed because they lack the allure of grand amphitheaters or gladiators, Fletcher notes. “It’s akin to that famous scene in Monty Python where they discuss what the Romans did for us, and they mention, ‘And roads…well, clearly roads! Not to mention roads.’

Explore Historic Herculaneum – Experience Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Ancient Naples

Join a captivating journey through the ruins at Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Herculaneum, where history and archaeology come alive.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Prosperity of the British Economy Following the Fall of the Roman Empire

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Excavations near Aldborough in the UK reveal insights into life after Roman occupation

RFellerby & MJ Millet

When the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain, it didn’t lead to chaos or total economic failure. Archaeological evidence reveals that metalworking pollution indicates the metal industry in northern England not only continued but thrived in the ensuing centuries.

“The prevalent theory was that the absence of state transportation systems and military equipment would cause the local economy to collapse,” explains Christopher LaBlack from the University of Nottingham, UK. However, archaeology tells a different story. “We see a significant increase in metal-contaminated products.”

La Brack is part of a research team that excavated Roman artifacts from Aldovallo, North Yorkshire, England. Under Roman rule, this area was known as Isurium Brigantum, where metals such as iron and lead were mined and processed.

The team found that aerosol contamination from metalworking practices was preserved in sediment layers accumulated in ancient riverbeds at archaeological sites. By analyzing these layers, they could chart the changes in pollution levels from 345 to 1779 AD.

“This extensive chronology allows for quite a comprehensive view of fluctuations,” notes Jane Carshaw from Oxford University, who did not participate in the research but has studied early medieval metal mining.

In the late 300s and early 400s, with the Roman Empire’s retreat from Britain, it was believed that all forms of government support would vanish, along with tax collection and new currency, leading to the withdrawal of military forces from the region,” says La Brack. Over the following centuries, few written accounts exist, and certain industries, particularly those producing wheel-thrown pottery, experienced a steep decline. This has often been interpreted as indicative of “the collapse of British society in the fifth century,” according to Loveluck.

However, the riverbed records paint a different picture. Lead pollution was minimal during the Roman era, slightly dipping in the late 300s to early 400s, but then increasing steadily until the mid-500s. Correspondingly, pollution from ironworking also saw a rise in the early 500s.

This points to the sustained large-scale production of essential goods, supporting Loveluck’s claims.

The uptick in metal production may have been spurred by internal conflicts, suggests Kershaw. “This was a time of consolidation among various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms,” she explains. “There was considerable fighting between these different factions,” with many fallen warriors buried with swords and knives.

Production levels of metal then sharply dropped in the mid-500s and remained low for several decades. The research team posits this could be linked to the Justinian Plague, which swept through the Mediterranean region between 541 and 549 AD. Ancient DNA evidence from cemeteries in East England supports the arrival of the plague in England. However, the extent and severity of its spread remain uncertain. “There isn’t a significant mass grave filled with plague victims, as we observe in later plague episodes,” explains Kershaw.

The resilience of metal production in Aldborough amidst the Roman retreat aligns with other findings that suggest economic and political continuity. “For instance, Droitwich in Worcestershire has maintained a continuous sequence of salt production from Roman times through to the present day,” notes La Brack.

The aftermath of Rome’s withdrawal has often been labeled the Dark Ages due to the scarcity of written documentation and assumptions of a decline in intellectual life. However, historians argue that this characterization is overly simplistic.

While certain practices, such as the manufacturing of wheel-turned pottery and stone structures, faded, this era also saw the production of copper metalworks, which were widely utilized. “If this period was truly so dire, why are there exquisite brooches and vibrant beaded necklaces?” inquires Kershaw.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

AI Aids in Restoring Damaged Latin Inscriptions from the Roman Empire

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Roman Temple in Ankara, Turkey

PE Forsberg / Alamy Stock Photos

Latin inscriptions from ancient times provide insights into the proclamations of the Roman emperor the voices of the enslaved for those who understand them. Today, advancements in artificial intelligence assist historians in piecing together often incomplete texts, even allowing for predictions about the origins and contexts of specific inscriptions within the Roman Empire.

“Analyzing history through inscriptions resembles solving an enormous puzzle. There are tens of thousands of them,” stated Thea Sommerschield during a media briefing at the University of Nottingham, UK. “This is everything that has endured through the centuries.”

The AI tools developed by Sommerschield and her team can identify missing characters in Latin inscriptions and indicate that they relate to the same individual or location as similarly styled inscriptions. They named the tool Aeneas, after the legendary hero reputed to have fled the fall of Troy, eventually becoming an ancestor to the Romans.

“Aeneas can help restore unknown lengths of text that are missing,” remarked Giannis Assael, co-leader of Aeneas’s development at Google DeepMind. “This versatility is beneficial for historians, particularly with heavily damaged materials.”

The team trained Aeneas using the most extensive dataset of ancient Latin texts, comprising over 176,000 inscriptions and nearly 9,000 accompanying images. This training enables Aeneas to propose missing phrases. Furthermore, when tested against a set of known inscriptions, researchers found that Aeneas could estimate inscription dates within a 13-year range and achieved a 72% accuracy rate in discerning the origins of different regions in Rome.

“Inscriptions are crucial for understanding the lives and experiences of those in the Roman Empire,” noted Charlotte Tapman, a researcher at the University of Exeter, UK, who was not directly involved in this study. “They encompass a variety of topics including law, trade, military affairs, political life, religion, death, and personal matters.”

Such AI technologies “are poised to be implemented for studying inscriptions from other eras and adapted for various languages,” according to Tupman.

In tests involving intentionally damaged inscriptions, Aeneas achieved a 73% accuracy in filling gaps of up to 10 Latin characters. However, when the total length of missing text was unknown, accuracy dropped to 58%. Nonetheless, the AI’s logic for its suggestions enables researchers to evaluate the legitimacy of its findings.

When nearly 20 historians evaluated AI-assisted restorations on intentionally damaged inscriptions, those using AI outperformed both the individual historians and the AI itself. Furthermore, historians reported that the comparative inscriptions highlighted by Aeneas served as valuable starting points for 90% of their research.

“Utilizing this technology accelerates work related to inscriptions, especially when seeking to build broader analyses of local or empire-wide patterns and epigraphic traditions,” stated Elizabeth Meyer from the University of Virginia. “However, it remains essential for human scholars to examine the results and ensure their plausibility within the given historical context.”

“Employing a generic AI model to assist in ancient historical tasks often yields unsatisfactory results,” commented Chiara Senati from the University of Vienna, Austria. “Thus, the creation of tools specifically catered to Latin epigraphy research is greatly valued.”

The ultimate vision is for historians to be able to “redirect their energies towards museums and archaeological sites,” Sommerschield shared during a press event.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ancient DNA Uncovers the Dietary Preferences of the Roman Empire

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Modern rendition of garum, a fermented fish sauce dating back to Roman times

Alexander Mychko / Alamy

Garum, a type of fermented fish sauce, was a favored condiment throughout the Roman Empire. Recent analyses of ancient DNA extracted from the production vats have uncovered the specific fish species used in this staple seasoning.

This Roman fish sauce was widely appreciated for its intense salty and umami flavors. However, philosopher Seneca famously remarked that one variant had a price “as audacious as that of rotten fish.” There were various types, including a liquid known as Garum or Liquamen, and a thicker paste called Allec. The preparation involved fermenting fish and plant materials, complicating the identification of the fish species used.

According to Paula Campos from the University of Porto, Portugal, “The small, fractured bones and the acidic conditions contribute significantly to the degradation of DNA.”

Campos and her team conducted DNA sequencing on bone samples dating back to the 3rd century AD, sourced from a Roman fish sauce production facility in northwestern Spain. They compared numerous overlapping DNA sequences against the complete fish genome, allowing them to confidently identify the species involved.

This analysis revealed that the remaining fish was predominantly European sardines, aligning with previous visual identifications at other Roman fish processing sites. Additional fish species such as herring, whiting, mackerel, and anchovy have also been identified in various garum production locales.

This finding indicates that “even degraded fish remains” can yield identifiable DNA, suggesting that “it could enhance our understanding of regional variations in the main ingredients of historical fish sauces and pastes,” noted Analisa Marzano, a colleague from the University of Bologna, Italy, who was not involved in the study.

The research shows a comparison of ancient and modern sardines, indicating less genetic mixing among sardine populations across different marine regions in ancient times. This knowledge “may help us gauge the impact of human-environment interactions over the centuries,” Marzano explained.

For future studies, Campos and her colleagues intend to analyze additional fish species from other Roman garum production sites. “We’re broadening our sampling to verify if the results are consistent throughout the Roman Empire,” she added.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Trump family expands their business empire with a new bitcoin mining venture

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Two of President Trump’s sons
made an announcement on Monday that they were investing in a new Bitcoin mining venture, further expanding the family’s business interests in the crypto industry.

Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. revealed their partnership with Bitcoin mining company HUT 8 to establish a new company called American Bitcoin. Bitcoin mining is a lucrative sector within the crypto industry, involving large companies that operate energy-intensive machines to process Bitcoin transactions.

“From the beginning, we have expressed our belief in Bitcoin both personally and through our businesses,” stated Donald Trump Jr. “But merely purchasing Bitcoin is only part of the equation; mining it with favorable economics opens up even greater opportunities.”

HUT 8 will oversee 80% of the new venture, with the remaining 20% held by a business entity named American Data Centers Inc., which includes investments from the two Trump sons. The announcement on Monday by HUT 8 named Eric Trump as the co-founder of the mining venture, where he will serve as the chief strategy officer.

This mining project marks the third major crypto venture launched by the Trump family in the past year. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump and his sons introduced World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company offering various digital currencies, including the recently announced “stubcoin.”

Subsequently, just before Trump’s inauguration, he and Melania Trump launched Memocoin, a cryptocurrency inspired by online jokes and mascots.

These business endeavors have raised concerns among government ethics experts due to potential conflicts of interest. Since taking office, Trump has relaxed regulations in the crypto industry and proposed the establishment of government reserves for Bitcoin and other digital currencies.

Four years ago, Trump was critical of Bitcoin and dismissed it as a “scam.” Now, he frequently touts plans to make the United States the “crypto capital of the world.”

Bitcoin mining has drawn significant criticism within the crypto industry. While Bitcoin initially attracted amateur investors, the process now requires substantial computing power, leading to the operation of large data centers by companies like Hut 8 to facilitate Bitcoin transactions.

The Trump family’s mining venture traces back to February when investment firm Dominali Holdings announced the creation of American Data Centers Inc. At that time, Eric Trump, a member of Dominari’s advisory board, stated that the venture aimed to develop computing infrastructure for the artificial intelligence industry.

However, the immediate focus has shifted to Bitcoin mining. The Trump family’s venture will concentrate on operating Bitcoin mining machines and amassing a significant cryptocurrency reserve, as disclosed in the announcement. In a recent
post on the X platform, Eric Trump mentioned plans to present a “vision and strategy” for American Bitcoin in a live stream.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Ancient 1,900-Year-Old Papirus Uncovers Criminal Case in the Roman Empire.

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This Papirus, written in Greek, visited the area in 129/130 AD, and in front of Jewish or Roman officials in Arabia in the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, before the revolution of 129/130 AD. This is a memorandum of hearing. The rebellion of Bar Coffba in 132. Papyrus includes the unofficial record of the hearing. This is related to many individual prosecutions, including specific Gadarias and Sauros. Avoid the empire Finances (Ministry of Finance dominated by the emperor).

1, 900 years ago Papil Scotton. Image credit: Shai Halevi.

Papyrus in question was found in the 1950s in one of the Nahal Haber caves in the Jewish desert.

Initially, this document, which had been misaligned as a Nabatea, remained unnoticed until Hanna Cotton Pargi of Hebrew University was rediscovered in 2014.

Currently, Papirus, which is called Papir Scotton, is the longest Greek document in the Jewish desert because it exceeds the 133 lines.

Professor Cotton Parciel, Austrian Science Academy, Vienna University, and Hebrew's colleagues say that this document says the prosecutor in front of the Roman officials (132-136 CE) of the Roman officials (132-136 CE) the night before the bar. I judged that it was represented. A transcript that was rapidly drafted by the judicial hearing itself.

The language is full of lively and direct, and one prosecutor has advised another prosecutor on the strength of various evidence and predicts the objection.

“This papyrus is extraordinary to provide direct insights in preparing for trials in the Roman Empire,” said Dr. Anna Dorgano, Austrian Science Academy.

“This is the best documented Roman court lawsuit from Jews apart from Jesus' trial,” said Dr. Avenner Ecker at Hebrew University.

Papyrus detailed the incidents, which are almost compatible with modern Israel and Jordan, including forgery, tax evasion, fraudulent sales and slave abuse in Juda and Arabia.

The main defendants, Gadarius and Sauros, are accused of corrupt transactions.

Gadaria, the son of a notary public and probably Roman citizen, had a crime, including violence, terrifying tor, counterfeiting, and rebellion.

His collaborator, Sauros, adjusted the fictitious sales and slaves principles without paying the necessary Rome taxes.

In order to hide their activities, the defendant counterfeited documents.

“Falculation and tax fraud have suffered severe penalties under the Roman law, such as intense labor and death penalty,” said Dolgonov.

The criminal case was deployed between the two major Jews uprising to Rome's rule: Jewish Diaspola rebellion (115-117 CE) and Barcova rebellion (132-136 CE).

In particular, this text involved Gadarias and Sauros in rebellious activities during the visit by Emperor Hadrian (129/130 AD), and when Bar Coffba Revolt began, Tanius, the governor of Juda, Tanius.・ It is named Rufus.

With his previous anxiety, the Roman authorities probably have seen the defendant with doubt and linked their crimes to a wider conspiracy against the empire.

“Whether they were actually involved in the rebellion remain unresolved, but the flirting is talking to the charged atmosphere at the time,” said Dolgano.

“The nature of the crime makes a question because it doesn't seem to be a profitable business model,” said Dr. Ecker.

“The origin of the slaves is unknown, but this case may include the Bible's duty of the Jews of illegal trafficking or reimbursing the slaves. “

Papyrus provides new insights on the Roman method of the East Empire speaking in the Greek, referring to the governor of the Jewish Assazazi Tour and the Forced JU Service.

“This document indicates that the Core Roma institution, a documented in Egypt, is being implemented throughout the empire,” Mitthof said.

“Papyrus also introduces the ability to regulate private transactions in Roman in remote areas.”

“In the Kokhba Revolt, the caution was a mystery, which is likely to have been born from a hideaway cave in the Jewish desert, and the results of the trial may have been interrupted by rebellion.”

Team paper Published in the journal Thai。

______

Anna Dolgano et al。 2025. Falculation and fiscal fraud in the night before the bar: A memorandum of Roman officials (P.Cotton) and the minutes of trial. Thai 38; DOI: 10.25365/tyche-2023-38-5

Source: www.sci.news

‘Incredible Valor’: The Legacy of Grace Hopper in Nvidia’s Monumental $2 Trillion Chip Empire | Computing

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I
In the demanding technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, hardcover book-sized processors stand out. Nvidia’s H-100. On Friday, the Santa Clara, Calif., company was valued at more than $2 trillion. The next step will likely be a chip named after U.S. Navy Rear Adm. “Amazing Grace” Hopper, who was instrumental in designing and implementing the programming language.


Nvidia supplies about 80% of the global market for chips used in AI applications. The company’s H-100 chips (the “H is for hopper”) are now so valuable that they have to be transported in armored vehicles, and demand is so great that some customers have to wait 6 months to receive it.

Hopper’s importance to Nvidia, and to AI computing more generally, was reinforced last summer when Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Fan announced the next generation accelerated computing and generation AI chip, the GH200 Grace Hopper. It was emphasized when they named it a Super Chip.





Admiral Grace Hopper in 1985. Photo: Associated Press

Hopper was born in New York City in 1906, graduated from Vassar College in 1928 with degrees in mathematics and physics, and joined the Navy after the United States entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

According to a biography from Yale University, Initially rejected by the Navy because of her age and small stature, she was commissioned and assigned to Harvard University’s Ship Bureau Computation Project, where she worked on the Mark I, America’s first electromechanical computer, calculating the rocket’s trajectory and reaction force, aircraft gun range table, and minesweeper calibration.

After the war, Hopper joined the Eckhart-Mauchly Computer Corporation (later Sperry Rand), where she pioneered the idea of automatic programming. In 1952, she developed the first compiler, a program that translated written instructions into computer code.

“What I was looking for when I started learning English [programming] was to bring in another whole group who could easily use computers. I kept asking for a more user-friendly language. Most of what we have learned from academics and computer science people has never been adapted to humans,” Hopper explained in a 1980 interview.

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Hopper retired as a rear admiral at age 79, making her the oldest active duty officer in the U.S. military. The year before her death in 1992, she was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President George H.W. Bush. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, in 2016.

In a 1983 interview on “60 Minutes”, Hopper was asked if the computer revolution was over. Hopper replied: “No, we’re just getting started. I got a Model T.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Discover the Thrills of Prince of Persia: Lost Crown – Conquer a New Gaming Empire

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FA gigantic statue, frozen at the moment of destruction, is fixed above the entrance to Mount Kahu. In mid-autumn, fragments of shattered granite heads hang. In the castle’s intricate, trap-filled hallways, some characters haven’t aged a day in 100 years, while characters who arrived hours before you have already died of old age. Time does not follow normal rules in the Fortress’ cursed halls. If you want to complete Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, you’d better learn that lesson quickly.

These quirks of time lend themselves well to a game that reimagines and combines multiple generations of a series dating back to 1989. Developer Jordan Mechner’s original Prince of Persia was his 2D platformer that had you navigating a castle filled with fake floors, guillotines, and swords. -Swirl the guards around to fight the Grand Vizier. Meanwhile, in the hands of developer Ubisoft, later reimaginings of the series saw the titular hero gain the ability to control time, suspending and reversing time to solve puzzles in 3D worlds, and more. I was able to avoid the trap. With The Lost Crown, Ubisoft returns to the side-view perspective of early games while incorporating the time-lapse powers of later titles, creating a vast labyrinthine world littered with enemies and traps to overcome. is created.

Labyrinth…Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Photo: Ubisoft

You play Sargon, one of Persia’s legendary defenders, as you hunt down Prince Ghassan and his captors. You follow the group up to Cuff Mountain. The kidnappers aim to force the prince to abdicate there. You must reach the prince before they do. Sargon can jump through holes, swing from pillar to pillar, and jump between the walls of narrow shafts to climb the levels of the Calf, but even this athletic ability only allows him access to a small portion of the fortress. In many cases, you will be faced with gaps that are too large. Ledges too high to jump, ledges too high to grab, locked doors too far to attack with your sword. But as you discover the secrets of the mountain and defeat more bosses, you learn how to run through the air, double jump, and fix your body to a point in space from which you can teleport back. Combine these powers and you’ll be able to perform intricate aerial acrobatics and explore all-new districts of Calf.

The Lost Crown is a reimagining of Prince of Persia as a Metroidvania, and the series feels at home in the genre’s ever-expanding universe. You repeat the same areas of the map over and over again, discovering new secrets in old rooms thanks to the powers you acquire. Treasure chests that were previously out of reach will fall into your hands, locked doors will open before your eyes, and bosses that were too fast or too strong will also become vulnerable to your attacks.

That said, The Lost Crown has a tough difficulty curve, with later platforming sections and bosses requiring you to memorize tough attack patterns and develop the reflexes to pull off complex combinations of jumps, dodges, and parries. is required. Hitting these skill walls can be a frustrating experience, especially in a game where the joy comes from putting together uninterrupted acrobatics and combos of attacks.

However, the moment you encounter a frustrating blocker, you can explore other parts of the calf. Finding new power usually opens up opportunities across the mountain, not just one area. You can also upgrade Sargon’s weapons to make them more powerful, purchase health potion upgrades, and change the configuration of your amulet. These unlockable items allow you to enhance your hero’s abilities, for example increasing his health when he is at low health or reducing the damage he takes from poison attacks. If you find a boss that you can’t defeat, it’s comforting to know that you can make the fight easier by replacing some of the amulets you bring into battle.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is not a sequel or prequel to other games, but a new journey for the series, and its first step is a leap of faith. Not only are the most notable elements of the series’ various iterations (setting, traps, time forces, combat) all naturalized in this new form, but they are also the best of the newly selected games. That means you can play it like one of the games. This genre is as good a game as Metroid Dread or Hollow Knight, not an imitation of them. It’s been 13 years since the last completely new Prince of Persia game. If this is a new direction, I’m excited to see where it lands.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will be released on PC, PS4/5, Switch and Xbox platforms on January 18th for £50.

Source: www.theguardian.com