All posts by Archaeology World Team

EUROPE, ITALY, WORLD

Archaeometry also confirms that the Curia Pompeia in Rome was built in several phases

Archaeometry also confirms that the Curia Pompeia in Rome was built in several phases

The Curia of Pompey was one of the great meeting rooms of profound historical importance during the Roman Republic. Located on the eastern flank of the ancient Portico of Pompey, within its walls the senators of ancient Rome discussed weighty political affairs in private meetings.

What is now a visible site for pedestrians who circulate through the Roman square of Largo Argentina, was actually constructed in several phases, ranging from the time of Pompey himself to the medieval era.

This is, at least, what has been corroborated by a study carried out by an Italian/Spanish research team on which the University of Córdoba participated.

Recreation of the Curia in its phase II

This fact had already been ascertained by stratigraphic studies carried out by the Spanish team that worked on the site between 2013 and 2017.

Now, these conclusions have been ratified from the point of view of archaeometry, a different scientific discipline used in Archeology that applies physical and chemical analysis techniques to archaeological materials.

Specifically, the work analyzed samples of mortar from the monument; that is, the conglomerate that was used to prepare the different construction elements. The results made it possible to establish an indirect dating method confirming that Pompey’s Curia did, in fact, feature several different construction phases.

Archaeometry also confirms that the Curia Pompeia in Rome was built in several phases
The site of the Curia of Pompey.

The first of them, according to the results of the study, was during the time of Pompey himself, around 55 BC. The samples analyzed indicate that the monument also had the second phase of construction, which must have been around 19 BC, under Augustus, the first Roman emperor.

Finally, a last stage of construction during the early medieval period has also been documented.

Tell me where you are from and I’ll tell you when

The dating of these stages was established indirectly thanks to the knowledge of the origins of the materials with which the monument was built. Analysis of the compositions of the samples analyzed allowed the authors, F. Marra, E. D´Ambrosio, M. Gaeta and A. Monterroso-Checa to ascertain the quarries from which they were extracted.

The compositions and dates of removal from the quarries revealed that there were different chronological phases in the use of these construction materials.

All of this is evident because there is a clear distinction between the composition of the samples attributable to the first construction phase and those of the Augustan and medieval ones.

For example, while in the initial stage of the monument’s construction a material known as pink pozzolana, extracted from volcanic deposits in the interior of Rome, was exclusively used, in the samples linked to the second phase of construction volcanic glass is found, which is characteristic of a different kind ofpink pozzolana that, due to the expansion of urban planning, was extracted from areas further away from the city’s monumental center.

In this way, the work, published in the University of Oxford’s prestigious journal Archaeometry, confirms, from a different perspective, the different construction phases of the building where Julius Caesar, one of history’s most important politicians and soldiers, died, a fact pertinent not only to Archeology but also to Roman History.

The study benefitted from collaboration with the Sovrintendenza Capitolina, the site’s managing body, the University of Cordoba, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Italy, and Sapienza University in Rome.

It was financed by two projects: HAR 2011 25705 and HAR2013 41818P, under the Spanish Science & Innovation Ministry’s National R&D Plan.

NORTH AMERICA, U.S.A, WORLD

The Ant People legend of the Hopi Native Americans and connections to the Anunnaki

The Ant People legend of the Hopi Native Americans and connections to the Anunnaki

The more you look at ancient texts and stories from around the world, you can’t help but see surprising patterns. Some are so glaring that it takes real effort to ignore them, but that’s what many people do. One example is from the Hopi Native American tribe and their beliefs in “Ant People.” The Hopi of the American Southwest is sometimes referred to as “the oldest of people” by other Native American tribes.

Once you learn about the Ant People, you can’t help but compare them to the ancient Sumerian texts of the Anunnaki. Why? Let’s take a simplified look, respecting the truth that only members of the Hope tribe could fully explain.

In ancient cultures, there is a common thread of worshipping extraterrestrial beings from the stars who will one day return. Animals symbolic of these beliefs appear frequently in ancient art.

The Hopi have a reverence for ants, similar to the way the Egyptians Sumerians and other cultures had a special reverence for cows. The cows may have represented our Milky Way galaxy, and in the case of the ants, they described beings from the stars known as the Ant People.

The Hopi words for the Ant People or Ant Friends (Anu Sinom) create a direct link to the stories of the Anunnaki. It could be coincidental, but it is quite striking. The Babylonian sky god was named Anu, which is the Hopi word for ant. The word, Naki translates to “friends.” Thus, Anu-Naki translates to “ant friends” in Hopi. In both languages, they are describing extraterrestrial beings, but the Hopi say these Ant People came from under the ground.

Another strikingly similar word is the Hopi word Sohu, meaning “star,” and the Egyptian word sahu means “stars of Orion.” This constellation is seen repeatedly across the globe. Ancient Astronaut theorists observe Orion and other systems such as the Pleiades appearing over and over in the layout of the pyramids and ancient structures. Another coincidence?

In the Hopi legend, these Ant People were their saviours, taking them underground and teaching them how to survive two extreme cataclysms. Once again, we see stories of a great flood like that described in Sumerian texts and the Bible.

Surviving underground with the Ant People, the Hopi ancestors learned how to grow food with little water and build dwellings in the rocks. They learned about the stars and mathematics and would put those skills to use when they founded a new civilization.

When it was safe to return to the surface, the Ant People instructed the building of incredibly complex habitations such as what is seen today at Chaco Canyon. From above, they might appear like a giant ant mound. The structures included Kivas, a Hopi word for round semi-subterranean ceremonial rooms that were entered by ladders from above.

According to the National Park Service:

“During ceremonies today, the ritual emergence of participants from the kiva into the plaza above represents the original emergence by Puebloan groups from the underworld into the current world.”

Petroglyphs depicting the Ant People appear still appear today, and the Hopi continue to tell the story in dances and rituals.

Below are some intriguing images of Hopi ceremonies taking place inside the kivas.

Priests of the Two-Horn Society via Wikipedia, Photograph of two “priests” of the Two-Horn Society sitting inside a kiva. Photograph by H.R. Voth, as seen in Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters, New York: Penguin, 1963.
Two-Horn Society image via U.S. History, Fewkes, Walter. “Fire Worship of the Hopi Indians.” Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institute. Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1920.

Ancient Origins elaborates on the legend:

“One of the most intriguing Hopi legends involves the Ant People, who were crucial to the survival of the Hopi—not just once but twice. The so-called “First World” (or world-age) was apparently destroyed by fire—possibly some sort of volcanism, asteroid strike, or coronal mass ejection from the sun. The Second World was destroyed by ice—Ice Age glaciers or a pole shift. During these two global cataclysms, the virtuous members of the Hopi tribe were guided by an odd-shaped cloud during the day and a moving star at night that led them to the sky god named Sotuknang, who finally took them to the Ant People—in Hopi, Anu Sinom . The Ant People then escorted the Hopi into subterranean caves where they found refuge and sustenance.”

Stories that giants and other strange beings have lived deep inside the Earth are seen around the globe. In the Hopi legend, these beings were benevolent and helped the tribe even to their own detriment.

“In this legend, the Ant People are portrayed as generous and industrious, giving the Hopi food when supplies ran short and teaching them the merits of food storage. In fact, another legend says that the reason why the ants have such thin waists today is because they once deprived themselves of provisions in order to feed the Hopi.”

The thin waisted ants with their elongated heads and antennae resemble some of the ancient petroglyphs. Across the globe, an African species of Ant called the Pharaoh Ant to remind some of a tiny version of Pharoah Akhenaten, famous for his strange alien appearance.

Pharoah Ant, Monomorium pharaonis

The History Channel’s Ancient Aliens series covers this subject in Series 4, episode 9 (See a clip below). In addition to depictions of the Ant, People are wall paintings that show an unmistakable similarity to cuneiform symbols from ancient Sumeria. These symbols are associated with the “WingMakers,” according to the show.


Just as in ancient Egypt, there were matriarchal dynasties, DNA findings from Chaco Canyon show a possible maternal dynasty that ruled for hundreds of years between A.D. 800 and 1250. Scientific American published a story on this in 2017 after researchers examined the remains of 14 people found a burial crypt that ended up at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.


The Chaco Canyon settlement had thousands of Anasazi inhabitants, who believed in protecting Mother Earth. However, the ancient Puebloans mysteriously disappeared, along with any signs of the Ant People. Today researchers believe that climate change drove them away as the growing population couldn’t sustain itself.

The Anasazi integrated with tribes like the Hopi, Zuni, and Rio Grande Pueblo. As the modern world faces extreme challenges from climate change today, the teachings of these tribes are more important than ever. Can we learn to respect the natural world and live in harmony with Mother Earth? Or are we headed for inevitable disasters, like those described in the Hopi legends?

Ancient Astronaut theorists often speculate if extraterrestrial beings could play a part in helping humans overcome impending future disasters. In the case of the Hopi legends, it appears they did just that. Could the Ant People return from deep in the Earth or from their home in the stars in our time of need?

ASIA, EUROPE, RUSSIA, WORLD

24,000-Year-Old Animal Found Alive After Being Preserved in Siberian Permafrost

24,000-Year-Old Animal Found Alive After Being Preserved in Siberian Permafrost

During the Upper Paleolithic era, a multicellular organism was frozen almost the time in history when humans first set foot into North America. About 24,000 years later, it has been found alive after sleeping for millennia. 

(FILES) In this file photo taken on April 12, 2019, Melting permafrost tundra at the town of Quinhagak on the Yukon Delta in Alaska. – As far back as he can remember, Willard Church Jr. has gone out ice fishing well into the month of April, chopping holes that were easily four feet deep into the Kanektok River near his home. But the waterway that runs along with the village of Quinhagak, in southwest Alaska, barely freezes now, a testament to the warming temperatures wreaking havoc on the state’s indigenous people and their subsistence way of life.

This turned out to be a very huge discovery and might have changed the theory of how long organisms and perhaps humans can be preserved for generations.

Discovery of Bdelloid Rotifer 

Bdelloid rotifer – a freshwater creature – is too tiny to see with the naked eye, measuring around 150 and 700 μm. The microorganism can be found in waters around the world. This animal survived being frozen for many years through a remarkable means of cloning itself multiple times through an asexual reproduction form called parthenogenesis, according to Accuweather.

This discovery, therefore, brought about questions on the reversible standstill lack of life theory or mechanism of the cryptobiosis.

These findings were done by researchers from the Soil Cryology Laboratory in Pushchino, Russia. It was discovered from a soil sample collected from permafrost in northeastern Siberian.

This age discovery was really surprising to the researcher as it felt really unbelievable that the animal was alive and doing well.

The permafrost sample of this creature was collected from the Alazeya River, which flows from Siberia into the Arctic. Researchers also confirmed that there was no movement of the bdelloid rotifer due to the icy nature of the ground.

Research Findings

“The takeaway is that a multicellular organism can be frozen and stored as such for thousands of years and then return back to life – a dream of many fiction writers,” Malvin, an author on this study stated.

He further talked about how big this discovery was and how it has totally changed the ideology of organism preservation.

This discovery might have been revolutionary and has added to the small number of organisms that have been found to be able to survive such extraordinary timespans but more are still yet to be uncovered.

The more complex an organism becomes, the more difficult it is to preserve alive, like in mammals, as per Smithsonian Magazine.

24,000-Year-Old Animal Found Alive After Being Preserved in Siberian Permafrost
The frozen carcass of a 39,000-year-old female woolly mammoth named Yuka from the Siberian permafrost is displayed for an exhibition in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo, at a press preview before the opening. The carcass will be shown to the public during an exhibition at Pacifico Yokohama.

Other Organisms That Survived Extraordinary Timespans

In Russia, a pair of prehistoric nematodes, also called roundworms, were discovered and successfully revived, it is said to have been between 30,000 and 42,000 years old.

Studies have shown that over the years, a lot of organisms have been revived from their frozen state but what makes this new discovery more interesting is that none of these past organisms is as complex as the bdelloid rotifer.

Additionally, there have been discoveries on the dead but frozen larger species like the 20,000-year-old woolly rhino that was discovered by a Siberian farmer in the area of Yakutia in 2021 and the 57,000-year-old Pleistocene grey wolf puppy, the most perfectly preserved animal of its kind.

More research is still to be made on this study. The hope is that insights from these tiny animals will offer clues as to how better to cryo-preserve the cells, tissues, and organs of other animals, including humans.

ASIA, ISRAEL, WORLD

Ice Age humans in Israel lived the good life while contemporaries starved — study

Ice Age humans in Israel lived the good life while contemporaries starved — study

Researchers in Israel recently uncovered remains that revealed the life of ancient humans that lived near the Sea of Galilee about 23,000 years ago. With this new discovery, experts were able to figure out how these residents managed to thrive amid the Ice Age.

A gazelle in southern Israel, July 14, 2017. Ice Age humans feasted on gazelle, along with smaller prey animals, according to a new Hebrew University study.

One of Israel’s leading academic institutions, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU), and its Institute of Archeology team and colleagues worked together to figure out how these ancient tribes thrived.

About Israel’s Ohalo II 

According to their research of the animal remains, the team found that ice age survivors lived a good life while most of their contemporaries were facing hunger and starvation. This is mainly because of the extremely cold temperatures on Earth at the time of their existence.

The Israeli site of Ohalo II was inhabited between 23,500 and 22,500 years ago, during the conclusion of the last Ice Age (“Last Glacial Maximum”). The brush huts and plant relics at Ohalo II have been preserved to an exceptional degree.

Excavation of the site by Prof. Dani Nadel of the University of Haifa in conjunction with HU Professor Rivka Rabinovich and HU doctoral student Tikvah Steiner allowed the researchers to learn more about the ancient occupants’ eating habits and widespread use of animal parts. 

Many parts of North America, Northern Europe and Asia were blanketed by ice sheets during the Last Glacial Maximum, as per Phys.org.

This caused severe drought, desertification and a significant drop in sea levels. Ohalo II was discovered in 1989 when the water level of the Sea of Galilee was reduced by several meters due to drought. There were two sets of excavations: one in 1989-1991 and the other in 1998-2001. 

About 9 kilometres south of Tiberias, on the southernmost part of the contemporary Sea of Galilee, lies this sprawling 2000-meter-long archaeological complex. An adult male’s burial and the ruins of six oval-shaped brush houses are among the many artefacts found on the site, as are a variety of other structures and piles of rubbish.

Fisher-hunter-gatherers’ lifestyles throughout that time period can be gleaned from the abundance of organic and inorganic elements. 

Animal Bones Discovered at the Site

Cut marks on ancient gazelle bones found at the Ohalo II archaeological site.

In addition to a large number and variety of animal bones found at the site (including gazelles, deer, hares, and foxes), the team also examined other evidence, such as charred plant remains and flint tools, to draw the conclusion that Ohalo II presents a distinct picture of subsistence from most other early Epipaleolithic sites in the area. 

These individuals were able to take advantage of a wide range of edible plants, animals and reptiles as well as birds and fish in the Upper Jordan Valley at Ohalo II during the Last Glacial Maximum, according to The Times of Israel.

With the ability to hunt large creatures, these occupants also had the means and time necessary to fully exploit animal carcasses down to the marrow, said Steiner. 

Identification of the Animal Species 

An investigation into the three distinct occupants of one of the huts revealed the presence of reptile, bird, and mammal remains. Bone sizes were measured and spectroscopic analysis of bone surfaces was performed to detect evidence of cutting and wear as part of the study’s identification and quantification.

Additionally, Dr. Rebecca Biton, a herpetology expert and post-doctoral student at Hebrew University, found that the turtles were all the same size, which could indicate that the hunters deliberately selected a specific size of the turtle shell. 

Rather than showing a decrease in food availability, Steiner and her colleagues feel that the site’s data show an increase in the variety of food sources. At the beginning of the Epipaleolithic period, Ohalo II is a remarkable example of a truly broad-spectrum economy.

ASIA, EUROPE, RUSSIA, WORLD

Did ‘unicorns’ co-exist with humans? Yes, but they were just rhinos

Did ‘unicorns’ co-exist with humans? Yes, but they were just rhinos

Sorry, guys, but I’m going to be a killjoy on this one. But first, the good news: According to a study published last month in the American Journal of Applied Science, a species called Elasmotherium sibiricum — the “Siberian unicorn” — went extinct much later than previously thought.

Elasmotherium sibiricum: Technically a unicorn, but not a unicorn.

Researchers from Tomsk State University believe they’ve found fossil evidence of a Siberian unicorn prancing around just 29,000 years ago — more than 300,000 years after they were thought to have gone extinct.

Homo sapiens was stomping around by then, which means our ancestors may have encountered this beast.

But, um.

No.

Despite the image on that post, the Siberian unicorn was far from being, you know, a unicorn. It was a rhino.

Note that this finding isn’t cool: Whenever scientists discover evidence that something survived for hundreds of thousands of years past its assumed expiration date, it’s worth noting.

If the fossil — which is just a small fragment of the skull — was correctly categorized and radiocarbon dated, then it suggests that a small group of the species was able to survive in what’s now Kazakhstan, even as the rest of its kind died off.

Figuring out why that happened could help scientists understand how the planet was changing during that period and how resilient these kinds of animals are to climate shifts.

I just don’t get why we’re trying to pretend this rhino was a unicorn.

My roommate tried to convince me:

“Well, what’s the relative length and girth of the horn?”
“I guess it’s slightly longer than a modern rhino.”
“I rest my case.”

So that’s something, I guess. Forbes reports that the horn was “likely multiple feet long.”

(E. sibiricum, by Rashevsky, under supervision of A.F. Brant/Public Domain)

Still, I have to agree with Ben Guarino at Inverse, who argues that the Siberian unicorn “was a unicorn in the same way that a seahorse is a mustang.”

We can’t even really entertain the idea that this shaggy beast inspired unicorn mythology, because the time and place it lived just doesn’t jibe with that.

But, hey, scientists and future scientists of the world, take this as a lesson: Giving your newly discovered species (or even your research boat) a good name can go a long way.

Never hesitate to throw in a shout-out to a pop star or a mythical creature. Never. You are not too good at this. Science is not too good for this.

Because in an age when sources of entertainment are literally endless, people all over the world spent this morning reading about the radiocarbon dating of a shaggy ancient rhino.

EUROPE, IRELAND, WORLD

4,500-year-old Neolithic tomb collapses in South Dublin

4,500-year-old Neolithic tomb collapses in South Dublin

The tomb, which dates back to the Neolithic period before the start of the Bronze Age, appears to have collapsed in late 2021, with photos showing the capstone having fallen in. The tomb itself is located on farmland in Shankill and is known as the Carrickgollogan wedge tomb.

The Carrickgollogan Dolmen in Shankill Co Dublin

Andrew Bambrick, who runs a heritage conservation community, says that the capstone appears had fallen in between the two supporting stones and that it was sad to see it like this. 

“It’s sad, it’s been in the country for over 4,500 years and it’s collapsed,” said Bambrick.

Photos taken of the monument in early 2021 show it surrounded by fencing and overgrown with brambles. In more recent photos, there are fewer brambles surrounding the tomb, but the capstone has collapsed inwards.

Bambrick says that while wedge tombs have collapsed in the past, it is usually due to factors like tree roots displacing the tomb and over long periods of time, erosion.

Bambrick says that he has reported the collapse to the National Monument Service, but had yet to receive a response.

The tomb appears to have collapsed in late 2021

However, the Department of Heritage said that the National Monuments Service was made aware of the collapse and that they plan on investigating further.

“The National Monuments Service was recently made aware of an apparent collapse of a capstone at the monument and will be investigating the matter,” said a spokesperson for the Department.

The wedge tomb is included within the most recent Record of Protected Structures (RPS) published by Dun Laoghaire – Rathdown County Council. 

While there is awareness of large scale monuments, like Newgrange, Bambrick says that there needs to be more done to raise awareness of smaller, local heritage sites like the Carrickgollogan Dolmen.

He says greater awareness of these historical sites will lead to greater preservation efforts and called for local community groups to be set up to look after dolmens.

Bambrick said that while there were laws in place to protect historical sites like dolmens, there needed to be further efforts to investigate and enforce these protection laws.

He says that a separate organisation specifically to tackle monument vandalism needed to be set up by the Government.

The National Monuments Service is responsible for archaeological matters arising at larger monuments in the care of the State, as well as carrying out surveys on areas that may have historical monuments.

The body also provides advice to planning authorities on development proposals, like development plans, around the impacts they may have on historical sites.

Wedge tombs were the last tombs to be built during the Neolithic period, acting as burial grounds. All wedge tombs in the country are protected under the National Monument Service.

Similar tombs constructed during the Neolithic era include passage tombs, portal tombs and court tombs. These were constructed earlier in the Neolithic era, before wedge tombs became more common.

Well-known wedge tombs include the Labbacallee wedge tomb near Glanworth in Co Cork. It is noted as the largest in Ireland and dates back to 2300 BC.

4,500-year-old Neolithic tomb collapses in South Dublin
The Labbacallee wedge tomb near Glanworth in Cork
EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

The Mystery of the Death of 60 Prisoners From a Camp in the Stargard Area

The Mystery of the Death of 60 Prisoners From a Camp in the Stargard Area

‘During research in Stalag II-D, we found several dozen mass graves. We carried out exhumation in one of them and found the remains of 64 men. Based on the analysis of collected evidence, artefacts, we can now say that most of them were Red Army soldiers’, says Dr. Andrzej Ossowski, head of the Department of Forensic Genetics at the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin.

Archaeological and genetic research in the former German POW camp Stalag II D in Stargard.

He adds that the items discovered in the grave include fragments of Polish and Belgian soldier uniforms, but at this stage, it is not possible to confirm that those soldiers were also buried there.

Based on the Red Army soldiers data published by the OBD Memorial project, the researchers determined that the prisoners died within four consecutive days, in December 1941.

Preliminary findings also indicate that death occurred as a result of exhaustion, but scientists want to investigate it in more detail – precisely because of the short time, in which so many people died.

‘The scale is incredible – a dozen or so people per day died in the camp. There are no traces that would point to a brutal death mechanism – shooting or torture, which we have seen during our work in Stutthof, Treblinka or Sobibór’, explains Ossowski.

According to Ossowski, exhaustion made prisoners susceptible to infectious diseases, such as typhus. ‘We plan to carry out pioneering testing for the presence of pathogens in the preserved bone material – so far, no one has done that in Poland’, the geneticist says.

He adds that research in the former Stalag II-D will continue. The researchers assume that the 64 prisoners found in the grave are not the only such victims.

‘It was not a concentration camp or extermination camp. It was a POW camp. This shows the scale of the criminal system, and we can talk about a mass scale of death in POW camps. This is a terrifying image showing the enormity of criminal action.

It was extermination through the conditions, to which prisoners of war were exposed – hard work, malnutrition, lack of any medical care, emphasises Ossowski.

He notes that research is also underway to determine the identity of prisoners of other nationalities, about whom the researchers have very little information at this point. He also points out that in the case of soldiers of the Red Army, although their fate was known, the communist system never informed their relatives.

‘After taking possession of the German documentation, Soviets did not inform families what happened to their relatives – despite the fact that, as can be seen in the documents, even their addresses were recorded. The authorities allowed to brand the relatives of Soviet POW +families of traitors+’, the geneticist says.

The work that began in October 2021 is the first comprehensive research in the former camp. Earlier, the Military Property Agency, which owns the area, conducted surveys after history enthusiasts determined the approximate location of the burial site in the complex.

Stalag II-D was one of the largest POW camps in the Third Reich. From 1939 (initially, it operated as a temporary camp, Dulag L), prisoners from all over Europe were sent there, soldiers and non-commissioned officers, including soldiers from Gen. Kleeberg’s Army, as well as other Polish soldiers, French, Belgian and Soviet soldiers.

POWs from the camp worked on work details all over Pomerania, including farms and road construction. Many of them died during labour and were buried near their place of work. The camp functioned until its evacuation in February 1945.

Research in Stalag II-D was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. (PAP)

EUROPE, NETHERLANDS, WORLD

2,000-Year-Old Intact Roman Glass Bowl Uncovered in the Netherlands

2,000-Year-Old Intact Roman Glass Bowl Uncovered in the Netherlands

Archaeologists excavating a site in Nijmegen — the oldest city in the Netherlands, situated on the Waal river about six miles from the German border — have discovered a blue glass bowl estimated to be some 2,000 years old, in pristine condition. 

2,000-Year-Old Intact Roman Glass Bowl Uncovered in the Netherlands
2,000-year-old glass bowl unearthed in Nijmegen in the Netherlands

The bowl, just small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of a hand, has a trim rim and a vertical stripe pattern with ridges on the outside.

With no chips or cracks on its surface, the object is stunningly intact. Lead archaeologist Pepjin van de Geer remarked that it was “really special,” deserving pride of place in a museum. 

The ancient Roman bowl is thought to have originated from glass workshops in German cities like Cologne and Xanten, though van de Geer also entertains the possibility that it may have been traded from Italy. 

“Such dishes were made by allowing molten glass to cool and harden over a mould,” he told the Dutch regional newspaper De Stentor.

“The stripe pattern was drawn in when the glass mixture was still liquid. Metal oxide causes a blue colour.”

Archaeologists hope to produce a map of the historic settlement.

Van de Geer’s team had been excavating the site ahead of construction for a new housing and green development project called Winkelsteeg, which promises to be a “dynamic living and working area” for the growing city.

Around the time the bowl was in use, Nijmegen was a Roman military camp that subsequently drew civilian settlement.

It was the first city in the modern-day Netherlands that was named a municipium, or Roman city, so the local Batavi inhabitants were the first in the region to be granted Roman citizenship.

The same excavation effort has unearthed Roman tombs, trinkets like dishware and jewellery, and traces of construction — which the archaeologists hope will be definitive enough to allow them to produce a map of what the settlement layout looked like.