https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/roman-empire/RSS feed for Roman EmpireenFri, 25 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/google-just-released-an-ai-tool-that-helps-historians-fill-in-missing-words-in-ancient-roman-inscriptions-180987046/Known as Aeneas, the tool was trained on an extensive dataset of Latin epigraphy. Experts hope it will help decipher segments of text that have been lost to historyFri, 25 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/athens-is-reviving-a-2000-year-old-roman-empire-era-aqueduct-to-deliver-water-amid-prolonged-droughts-180987013/With the capital's reservoirs approaching historic lows, officials are turning to ancient engineering to conserve potable waterTue, 22 Jul 2025 20:40:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-erotic-mosaic-stolen-from-pompeii-during-world-war-ii-finally-returns-home-180986992/A Nazi captain gave artwork, which depicts an intimate Roman romance, to a civilian. When he died, his heirs decided to return the piece to ItalyThu, 17 Jul 2025 14:07:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-roman-army-camp-in-the-netherlands-15-miles-beyond-the-empires-northern-border-180986910/Researchers think the camp was built during the second century C.E. Stretching across 22 acres, it was identified using a computer model developed by an archaeology studentMon, 07 Jul 2025 15:49:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-bewildering-bronze-lions-heads-with-slightly-different-facial-expressions-found-in-ancient-roman-grave-in-israel-180986922/Similar examples of ancient lion artifacts appear to have been used as door knockers. But the newly discovered discs may have served a different purposeThu, 03 Jul 2025 17:47:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-vibrant-colorful-mosaic-discovered-at-ancient-roman-settlement-in-france-180986887/Perched on a hill overlooking the town of Alès, the site, which was salvaged before construction on modern houses began, also boasts advanced architectureThu, 26 Jun 2025 18:28:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-say-theyve-pieced-together-the-ancient-fragments-of-theworlds-most-difficult-jigsaw-puzzle-180986855/More than 1,800 years ago, the thousands of pieces formed colorful frescoes that covered the walls of a luxurious villa in Londinium, the precursor to modern-day LondonWed, 25 Jun 2025 13:58:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-stumble-onto-sprawling-ancient-roman-villa-during-construction-road-in-france-180986800/Located near Auxerre, the grand estate once possessed an exorbitant level of wealth, with thermal baths and heated floorsFri, 13 Jun 2025 19:44:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-roman-casual-dining-joint-served-fish-chicken-and-fried-songbird-180986796/A new analysis of the bones in the eatery’s garbage pit challenges the elite status of thrush in the Roman dietFri, 13 Jun 2025 16:58:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-sarcophagus-unearthed-in-israel-portrays-an-epic-drinking-contest-between-the-god-dionysus-and-the-mythical-hero-hercules-180986785/Archaeologists say the marble coffin is the first of its kind found in the region. The story it depicts is more often seen in mosaicsThu, 12 Jun 2025 16:09:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-are-recreating-the-long-lost-recipe-for-egyptian-blue-the-worlds-oldest-known-synthetic-pigment-180986778/Created 5,000 years ago, the mysterious color has been found on artworks and artifacts throughout the ancient world. But the pigment's recipe was eventually lost to historyThu, 12 Jun 2025 15:47:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-was-life-like-for-the-women-who-lived-in-ancient-pompeii-2000-years-ago-180986714/A new exhibition is spotlighting the women who have long been sidelined in histories of the Roman Empire—from mothers and weavers to entrepreneurs and influential tavern ownersTue, 03 Jun 2025 19:50:18 +0000