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Dr Jo Ball@drjeball.bsky.social |
936 followers 510 following 157 posts
#Roman & conflict archaeologist; Freelance archaeological writer; Honorary Research Fellow & University Teacher at the University of Liverpool.
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A beautiful #Roman glass perfume bottle, made in the shape of a seashell - looking pretty good for a 2000 year old artefact as well! AncientBlueSky #Archaeology
2 replies 3 reposts 8 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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I remember them, I still have & wear a Medieval-style necklace I was bought from there in a January sale once - I miss that shop!
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A beautiful pair of #Roman earrings, made of gold, amethyst, & pearl - they have an amazing timeless & classic look, I would more than happily wear them today (& I suspect I am not alone in that!) #Archaeology AncientBlueSky
2 replies 4 reposts 28 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A beautiful #Roman glass bowl, in bands of vivid blue, yellow & colourless. It was found in the area around #Vesuvius, & was buried in the AD 79 erruption - fortunately, it was later found & put back together, giving us another lovely example of #AncientGlass!
#Archaeology 🏺AncientBlueSky
1 replies 22 reposts 58 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Probably illness or an accident I'd guess, as he got a tombstone - could be from a wound sustained in action some time earlier as well, maybe. He got so close & yet so far!
0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A #Roman tombstone from Carnuntum (Austria), dedicated to Quintus Veratius, a soldier in the Legio XV Apollinaris, who died at the age of 40 after 19 years in the #RomanArmy. Above the inscription is a male face - perhaps a portrait or representation of the dead Veratius? #Archaeology AncientBlueSky
2 replies 3 reposts 17 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A peaceful moment on the #Roman streets of #Pompeii (if only it was always this quiet), beneath a beautiful blue spring sky #Archaeology AncientBlueSky
0 replies 5 reposts 33 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A terracotta #Roman oil lamp decorated with the image of a very waggy-tailed dog - a very popular animal in the Roman world! #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology
1 replies 8 reposts 32 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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It is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A very cute #Roman brooch in the shape of a tortoise / turtle, with colourful enamel decoration - a lovely piece of ancient jewellery! #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology
2 replies 2 reposts 18 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Happily not, bronze!
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A beautiful #Roman enamelled flask - the ancient equivalent of the reusable (water) bottle. It was made about 1800-1900 years ago, & was found in a grave in Buzet (Croatia) #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology
1 replies 15 reposts 63 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A #Roman tile stamped - multiple times! - with the mark of the Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix (someone wanted to make sure they got the credit for making it!), alongside multiple animal paw prints as well! #Archaeology 🏺AncientBlueSky
0 replies 4 reposts 18 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Loaves of carbonised #Roman bread from #Pompeii. They are strangely moving objects to me - because the people who prepared them & baked them had no idea of the oncoming disaster, & those who intended to eat them were displaced or dead before they got the chance to 🏺AncientBlueSky
5 replies 29 reposts 134 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A beautiful & brightly-coloured #Roman glass bowl, found in the area around Vesuvius & buried in the AD 79 erruption - but this initial loss means it survives in amazing condition today #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology AncientBlueSky
0 replies 7 reposts 43 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A gold necklace from #Roman Egypt - a beautiful & elegant piece of jewellery, made about 1800-1900 years ago #Archaeology AncientBlueSky
0 replies 3 reposts 20 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A tantalising first glimpse of #Pompeii from beyond the site fence, ahead of my (first ever!) visit tomorrow - excitement levels could not be much higher right now!
2 replies 1 reposts 23 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A papyrus letter from #Roman Egypt, written by Paniskos to his wife Ploutogenia, asking her to travel to Koptos. He asks her to bring olives, wine, wool, their clothes, his military kit, & her gold jewellery - but he warns her not to wear it on the journey!
(📷 Uni Michigan) 🏺AncientBlueSky
1 replies 11 reposts 50 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A beautiful #Roman glass bowl, made in a pale bluey-green grass with a ridged pattern all around it. Made about 2000 years ago, probably in Italy, it is a wonderful example of Roman glasswork in the early Imperial period.
0 replies 3 reposts 19 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A #Roman tombstone dedicated to a soldier named Gaius Saufeius, who died at the age of 40 after 22 years in the #RomanArmy with the 9th Legion. He was originally from Heraclea (Macedonia) but died in Lincoln (Britain), probably in the first decades after the conquest of Britain.
0 replies 9 reposts 21 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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An amazing piece of #Roman graffiti - a sketch of a centurion, complete with helmet & spear, scratched into the rock of the theatre at Leptis Magna (Libya). A fantastic & very unusual piece of Roman military art!
(📷 From E Lennox Manton 'Roman North Africa') #Archaeology 🏺AncientBlueSky
0 replies 3 reposts 35 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A #Roman temple to the god Mithras (a Mithraeum), hidden below the ground in the ancient port city of Ostia - almost impossible to spot if you don't already know it's there, but incredibly atmospheric if you do manage to find it!
4 replies 16 reposts 53 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A selection of beautiful #Roman gold rings, many decorated with previous gems (or gaps where they used to be). They were found as a hoard in Norfolk (England), perhaps the stock of a single jeweller or workshop who buried them for some reason & weren't able to recover them later.
0 replies 5 reposts 19 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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This is thought to be the place in the ancient #Roman Forum in #Rome where Julius Caesar's body was cremated after his assassination; it later became part of the Temple of the Divine Caesar. People still leave coins, flowers, & other offerings there #IdesOfMarch 🏺AncientBlueSky
3 replies 13 reposts 36 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Me too!
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A selection of beautiful Roman glass bowls in a range of sizes & colours - amazing to think that they are up to 2000 years old! Absolutely beautiful workmanship on display in them.
1 replies 9 reposts 62 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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The amazing Nijmegen Helmet, a Roman 'cavalry sports' silvered bronze & iron helmet with facemask, brow band, & side ear/neck guards (but missing the back of the helmet). It was made about 1900-2000 years ago, & found around 1915 in a bank of the river Waal 🏺AncientBlueSky
1 replies 8 reposts 37 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Two Roman glass dishes, decorated with vivid spiral patterns & stripes around the edges. The colours are so vivid & eye-catching, almost hard to believe that these dishes are 2000-2200 years old! 🏺AncientBlueSky
2 replies 25 reposts 104 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A Hellenistic/Roman glass bowl, with a vivid pattern of blue, yellow & clear spirals circling from the base upwards. An amazing, almost hypnotic piece which survives in amazing condition despite being 2100-2200 years old!
2 replies 10 reposts 47 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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One of my favourite pieces of Roman pottery - a fragment with an incised sketch of a big round human face. I hope this was made as a portrait of a real person - although I'm not sure they would have been flattered by it..!
23 replies 45 reposts 337 likes
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Dr Sophie Hay
@pompei79.bsky.social
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Witnessing the vibrant colours of freshly uncovered frescoes in Pompeii is a privilege and joy that never fades. Seeing the latest discovery of a mythological scene—Phrixus seated on a ram while his sister Helle drowns—in the context of the room it decorated is no exception. 🏺
5 replies 25 reposts 107 likes
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RoaminTheEmpire
@roamintheempire.bsky.social
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#RomanSiteSaturday; the Roman settlement at Alesia, including excavations of a theater, part of the forum, and a reconstruction of Caesar's fortifications from the 52 BCE battle there.
www.roamintheempire.com/index.php/20...
#AncientBlueSky #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology
0 replies 3 reposts 16 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Hopefully they weren't looking for a wild snack!
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A wild tortoise wandering near the ruins of the Library of Hadrian in Athens - love finding these little guys across the city!
6 replies 15 reposts 103 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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The tombstone of a Roman soldier named Pintaius, a signifer (standard-bearer) in the 5th cohort of Asturians, who died at the age of 30 after 7 years service in the #RomanArmy. The portrait on the stone shows Pintaius in his military dress & holding the standard he bore in life 🏺AncientBlueSky
0 replies 6 reposts 22 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A Roman glass bowl made of vivid blue glass with white spiral patterns as extra decoration. It was made about 2000 years ago, probably in Italy 🏺AncientBlueSky
1 replies 6 reposts 34 likes
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Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social
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And you thought *your* commute was tough! One of three identical feet from a bronze cista (cylinder-shaped lidded casket) that shows a charioteer running over a fallen man. 😬
Etrusco-Latin/Hellenistic
From Palestrina, Italy
ca. 325-275 BCE
#BritishMuseum 🏺 AncientBluesky
4 replies 15 reposts 55 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A stunning Roman bowl made of vivid blue glass. It was found in Nijmegen (Netherlands) in absolutely perfect condition - without even the slightest fracture or chip - despite being around 2000 years ago. An absolutely amazing find! 🏺AncientBlueSky
5 replies 47 reposts 239 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Excellent! I think it is a vital point about Varus & the Teutoburg, that (for me, at least) it is 100% a German victory - the Romans did little wrong, they had just been put in a situation where there was no chance of escape, as their reactions had been too-well anticipated by Arminius.
1 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Really exciting to see a review of my Varus book in Ancient Warfare magazine! I have written articles for AW for a few years now, & when I started I didn't think I would ever see a book I had written reviewed in it (& very glad they liked it!)
1 replies 5 reposts 33 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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The oculus of the Pantheon in Rome - such an amazing piece of Roman architecture! 🏺AncientBlueSky
2 replies 9 reposts 41 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A small child's sock, found at the Roman fort of Vindolanda. It was made from 2 old pieces of cloth sewn together, & is the only complete piece of clothing found at the fort to date. I hope the child didn't get in trouble for losing it! 🏺AncientBlueSky
0 replies 3 reposts 28 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Ruins of the Roman port of Ostia Antica, just a short distance from Rome - an amazing place to just wander the remains of an ancient city, free from the crowds you see in Rome! 🏺AncientBlueSky
0 replies 6 reposts 28 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A Roman lead curse tablet, which directed divine ill-will towards a man named Antonius, who is also seemingly pictured on the tablet, & named twice. The curse was laid on him about 1600-1700 years ago - but the curse sadly does not tell us what he had done... (I'd love to know!)
1 replies 2 reposts 10 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A Roman figurine of a chicken,with some colourful decorative enamel on its front & back. He is a very charming little chap, made in quite a distinctive style about 1800-1900 years ago - chicken figurines seem to have been popular in Roman Britain 🐓 🏺AncientBlueSky
0 replies 9 reposts 41 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Me three!
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A glass Roman inkwell, in a lovely rich blue with white decoration - a relatively everyday & functional item, & yet a beautiful one. It was made 1700-2000 years ago - hard not to wonder what documents it once helped write!
1 replies 11 reposts 42 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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Four beautiful Roman necklaces, variously made of gold, pearls, precious stones & gems, & glass - each one of which I would wear today in a heartbeat. Some elements of Roman style are just entirely timeless!
2 replies 6 reposts 23 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A charming little Roman dog figurine - it looks almost ready to play Monopoly with! It was found on #HadriansWall, & might once have been a toy, ornament, or religious offering (dogs were often associated with healing by the Romans) 🏺AncientBlueSky
1 replies 9 reposts 48 likes
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Dr Jo Ball
@drjeball.bsky.social
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A Hellenistic/Roman-period glass bowl, decorated in a series of colours & spirals. It is a beautiful piece of glass, despite some signs of weathering & age - even so, it looks pretty amazing for a vessel some 2100-2200 years old!
3 replies 13 reposts 46 likes