The palace was found at the site where, according to legend, Romulus and Remus were educated.

The remains of what might have been the residence of the Etruscan prince Sextus Tarquinius, son of the last legendary king of Rome Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin the Proud), have been found on the slopes of an extinct volcanic crater about 12 miles from Rome, Italian archaeologists have announced.

The palace was discovered on the site of the ancient acropolis of Gabii, where, according to legend, Rome’s mythical founders, Romulus and Remus, were educated. The building dates to the sixth century B.C and boasts the highest intact walls from the period ever found in Italy, standing at around 6.56 feet high.

“The dig has shown that the richly decorated monumental roof was dismantled, and the building filled with rubble. This has been a blessing, since it has allowed the palace to remain virtually intact,” archaeologist Marco Fabbri of Rome’s Tor Vergata University, told Discovery News.

Fabbri and colleagues from Rome’s Archaeological Superintendency believe that the residence was furiously demolished, probably during the Roman revolt in 510 B.C. that ultimately led to the foundation of the Roman Republic.
Read the rest of the article at Discovery News.

The manuscript fragments existed separately and with their relationship unknown, until a news photograph of one’s public unveiling in 2007 caught the attention of the scholars who would eventually link them.

Two parts of an ancient biblical manuscript separated across centuries and continents were reunited for the first time in a joint display Friday, thanks to an accidental discovery that is helping illuminate a dark period in the history of the Hebrew Bible.

The 1,300-year-old fragments, which are among only a handful of Hebrew biblical manuscripts known to have survived the era in which they were written, existed separately and with their relationship unknown, until a news photograph of one’s public unveiling in 2007 caught the attention of the scholars who would eventually link them.

Together, they make up the text of the Song of the Sea, sung by jubilant Israelites after fleeing slavery in Egypt and witnessing the destruction of the pharaoh’s armies in the Red Sea.

“The enemy said: ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My lust shall be satisfied upon them, I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them,’” reads the song, which appears in the Book of Exodus. “Thou didst blow thy wind, the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”

An exhibit at Israel’s national museum dedicated to the Song of the Sea is now bringing together the two long-separated pieces.
Read the rest of the article at Discovery News.

Underground Discovery

A pair of British filmmakers recently found remains of an aqueduct that delivered fresh water to Rome some 1,900 years ago.
The duo found the aqueduct through a concealed door in a ruined chapel in the Italian village of Manziana.
Beyond the subterranean chamber, a 410-foot-long gallery led to the beginning of the aqueduct and a large chamber that had been dedicated to spring nymph gods.
This three-chambered semicircular nymphaeum was converted into a Paleo Christian chapel after 392 A.D.
Read an article about the discovery here.

Where Water Flowed

This aqueduct was one of 11 that fed water to ancient Rome. It originated around Lake Bracciano, 25 miles from the city.
After collecting water from other springs on its way down to the capital, the channel finally reached Janiculum Hill in Rome, providing clean, drinkable water to the Trastevere district.

Map of Aqueduct from 1718

This map shows how by 1718, the chamber once dedicated to nymph gods had been converted into a church, called the “Madonna della Fiora,” or Madonna of the Flower in the parish of Manziana.

Ordered by an Emperor

This is a view of the aqueduct (full of mud), stretching towards Rome.
Trajan (the 13th Roman emperor) almost certainly came there for the aqueduct’s inauguration. The emperor commemorated the opening of the aqueduct by minting a Roman coin and building a fountain on Janiculum Hill, right where the waters entered the city.

Restoration Needed

The nymphaeum is now located inside a pig farm and is used today as a rubbish dump. Fig roots are pushing through the vaulted ceiling.
“The site is crumbling and could totally disintegrated in 20 years. It desperately needs to be restored,” said documentary-maker and co-discoverer Edward O’Neill.
Images courtesy of Michael and Edward O’Neill, MEON HDTV Productions
Discovery