The decorated floor covering depicts stylized dolphins and several species of fish. It was located in a home likely owned by a wealthy and powerful family, according to a press release by Vianova Archaeology & Heritage Services, one of the organizations involved in the excavation.

The home was later remodeled, likely in the 3rd or 4th century, which helped ensure the mosaic’s survival after the room was filled with building debris to raise up the home’s interior.

The mosaic was the first of such archeological treasures uncovered in 165 years at the Roman city of Wroxeter. Additional discoveries made by the archaeological team (some 30 people, 20 of which were students) in the unexplored area of Wroxeter during July and August included “a possible shrine or mausoleum, a monumental roadside civic building, and tantalizing hints of a nearby temple”.

The public building was located along one of the Roman city’s main streets facing the city’s forum-basilica (its marketplace and city hall). The building was 26 feet wide but at least 164 feet long. There were also “a number” of complete and broken pottery vessels found.

In addition to Vianova Archaeology & Heritage Services, the archaeological excavation involved the University of Birmingham and Albion Archaeology on behalf of the English Heritage Trust. It was directed by Vianova Archaeology’s Dr. Peter Guest, University of Birmingham archaeologist Dr. Roger White, and Albion Archaeology manager Mike Luke.

The news of the discovery was first reported by CNN.

On August 12, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced that the skeletons of a man and woman with a small cache of treasure had been found inside a temporary bedroom during the renovation of the home. “The woman was found on the bed and was carrying a small cache of treasure with gold, silver and bronze coins, and some jewellery including a pair of gold and pearl earrings,” a press statement said. The man was located at the foot of the bed.

According to an article published in the archaeological park’s electronic journal, the man and woman were trapped inside the small room after pumice filled the adjoining areas of the house, blocking their ability to open a door and escape the situation.

The man and woman died as a result of being buried by hot gas and volcanic matter, also known as pyroclastic flow. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE killed thousands of Romans after the city was completely covered in a thick layer of ash, which preserved many of Pompeii’s residents and its buildings.

The park also said the archaeologists were able to reconstruct the home’s furnishings and their exact positions at the time of the volcano’s eruption. The research team was able to do so by identifying the impressions of the objects left in the ash by decomposed organic matter and casting the voids. These items included a wooden bed, a stool, a chest, and a table with a marble top, which held bronze, glass and ceramic objects. The impressions also showed a large bronze branched candlestick holder had also fallen over in the room.

“The opportunity to analyse the invaluable anthropological data relating to the two victims found within the archaeological context that marked their tragic end, allows us to recover a considerable amount of information about the daily life of the ancient Pompeiians and the micro-histories of some of them, with precise and timely documentation, confirming the uniqueness of the Vesuvian territory,” park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said in a statement.

Zuchtriegel also said he expected “significant developments” through archaeological excavations in the coming years due to investments recently announced by Gennaro Sangiuliano, the country’s culture minister.

Göbekli Tepe is a 12,000-year-old temple-like complex that contains intricate carvings depicting symbols. Researchers believe that the carvings were developed to record comet fragments that hit the Earth roughly 13,000 years ago, according to a study published in Time and Mind on July 24.

If the V-shaped symbols carved in the pillars each represent one day, the study posits, there are enough marks to account for a solar calendar of 365 days on one of the pillars. It consists of 12 lunar months, including 11 extra days, with a special demarcation indicating the summer solstice. Other symbols with similar markings around the neck are thought by the researchers to represent deities.

Researchers are sure, however, that the engravings on the monument track both moon phases and sun cycles, making this site the world’s earliest lunisolar calendar by more than a millennium.

The comet strike brought with it a miniature Ice Age that lasted for more than a millennium and led to the extinction of many large animals. As such, early humans may have been noting this lifestyle change from hunting and gathering to agriculture and the birth of civilization in the Fertile Crescent of West Asia.

A previous study published in the journal Earth Science Reviews in 2021 indicated that these comet fragments likely spurred the growth of human civilization in modern Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Additionally, per this latest study, a pillar found near the Göbekli Tepe site seems to depict the Taurid meteor shower, which is believed to be the source of the fragments. That meteor shower rained down for 27 days.

One of the oldest, largest, and most complex monasteries, the monastery dates back to the 4th century CE. The site was home to the first monastic community in the Holy Land. Though it has been on the organization’s tentative heritage list since 2012, its status was fast-tracked using emergency procedures.

A native to the area, Saint Hilarion founded the eponymous site, which boasts two churches, a baptism hall, a burial ground, and a public cemetery, as well as an audience hall and dining rooms. After it was damaged, the monastery was ultimately abandoned in the early 7th century CE. It was later rediscovered by local archaeologists in 1999.

Conservation projects undertaken by the Switzerland-based foundation Aliph and the British Council (led by Première Urgence Internationale) have helped to protect and restore the site.

“UNESCO expresses deep concern about the impact of the ongoing conflict on cultural heritage, particularly in the Gaza Strip,” a statement released by UNESCO explained, adding, “The organization urges all involved parties to strictly adhere to international law, emphasizing that cultural property should not be targeted or used for military purposes, as it is considered civilian infrastructure.”

Since the start of the conflict last October, more than 39,000 Gazans have been killed, according to the local health ministry, with most of the strip’s 2.3 million people being forced to evacuate their homes.

There have been more than 100 cultural landmarks and historic sites destroyed in Gaza due to Israeli airstrikes. The monastery joins four other landmarks in Palestine on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, which offers technical and financial assistance towards the protection and rehabilitation of each site.

THE HEADLINES

(RE)TAIL AWAY. Sotheby’s embarks on a new journey with its first-ever retail store. The two-story 24,000-square-feet space, located at Landmark Chater, in Hong Kong’s Central financial district, is set to open this weekend, on July 27, and to burnish Hong Kong’s credentials as a global center for the arts. This project comes after the city’s auction houses reported encouraging spring jewelers sales, although luxury spending has fallen in China. Apart from paintings and other pieces of art typically associated with auction houses, Sotheby’s new “cultural playground” will be stocking books, furniture, Nike x Louis Vuitton crossover sneakers and dinosaur fossils, with prices starting at several hundred dollars. The retail section will occupy one floor of Sotheby’s new premises, while another floor will be for exhibitions.

OLYMPIC TIMES. “2024 isn’t the year of the 13 moons, so we’ll console ourselves with “La Métropolitaine des 13 événements” (The Metropolitan of 13 events)—also a feast for the eyes!”, writes Le Quotidien de l’Art’s editor in chief Rafael Pic in a special issue devoted to La Métropole du Grand Paris’s cultural project for the 2024 Olympics. The event consists of exhibitions, concerts, dances, an opera by Maxime Rossi spreading across various venues. Supported by the Metropole du Grand Paris (Paris and its nearest surrounding suburbs where 7 million people live), La Métropolitaine stretches from Nanterre to Ivry, from Suresnes to Tremblay-en-France. This 13-event project is set to be one of the highlights of the Cultural Olympiad, the Games’ official artistic program. “[The whole thing] mostly shows a real sense of history: before 2024, there was 1924 (when the Summer Olympic Games were also held in Paris), and the present is always best read in light of the past…”, continues Pic. “Photography, painting, poetry, theater, music. It’s all faster, higher, stronger than ever imagined—and always collective. Truly Olympic!”

THE DIGEST

Intimate handwritten letters and cards from Princesse Diana will go under the hammer in Stansted Mountfitchet on July 30. They were sent to Violet Collison – who Diana knew simply as “Collie” – the housekeeper at Park House on the Sandringham Estate, where the princess spent her childhood years. Collie remained close to Diana and sent gifts to both her and the princes, William and Harry, for which Diana responded with thank you letters and Christmas cards. [BBC]

In a recent study using aerial photography and light detection and ranging (LiDAR), archaeologists from ARKIKUS have announced the discovery of a Roman circus at Iruña-Veleia, a former Roman town in Hispania, now located in the province of Álava, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. The town was an important transit center on the Ab Asturica Burdigalam (Roman road). A Roman circus was a large open-air venue used mainly for chariot races. [Heritage Daily]

Created more than 10,000 years ago, the cave paintings of Roca dels Moros de El Cogul are now coming to life thanks to “Els ulls de la història” (The Eye of History). The narrative project is supported by Spain’s Department of Culture of the Generalitat, which seeks to bring Catalan heritage closer to the public, through new technologies, scenographic innovations, and virtual reality devices. This project is to expand to other sites. [EL PAÍS]

Artist Sean Scully will present a solo exhibition “Away from the Sea” at the He Art Museum (HEM) from August 2 to October 27, 2024. Featuring 40 paintings and sculptures created since the 1960s, the exhibition will trace the artist’s practice spanning over half a century. Fusing the traditions of European painting with the distinct character of American abstraction, his work combines painterly drama with great visual delicacy. [Thaddaeus Ropac]

Demonstrations in Kenya over controversial tax hike proposals began in June as a youth-led movement and have since grown into larger civil unrest. Kenyan president William Ruto last month withdrew the bill, which would have raised taxes on goods like bread, sugar, vegetable oil and money transfers made on mobile phones. Still, protest continue. Agnes Waruguru, a multidisciplinary artist based in Kenya who is part of this year’s Venice Biennale, offered her thoughts in a new interview. [The Art Newspaper]

THE KICKER

DINNER WITH AN ARTISTIC VIEW. To celebrate the summer season, Net-A-Porter and Mr. Porter hosted a chic evening soirée at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York. The event began with an outdoor cocktail hour at sunset. After walking past the museum’s spacious entrance, guests mingled with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the outdoor sculpture garden. Attendees were dressed in both retailers’ latest High Summer and Pre-Fall 2024 collections. After dark, everyone strolled to the museum’s outdoor patio for a breezy candlelit dinner under the stars. The evening’s menu included grilled watermelon and lobster, heirloom tomatoes with caviar vinaigrette, and branzino with squash blossoms, complemented by a selection of Wölffer wines. A round of espresso, paired with madeleines, petits fours, and miniature macarons, ended the night on a decidedly sweet note. [Daily Front Row]

THE HEADLINES

RESCUE OPERATION. The National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) has announced that an extensive project to restore art vandalized during the 2023 insurrection at the Brazilian government’s headquarters should be completed in December, reports The Art Newspaper. Hundreds of works of art and design, as well as historical objects were targeted in the January 8 riots in Brasília, following the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The damage is estimated at $4 million. The final stage of the restoration project involves 11 paintings, six of which have already been fully repaired. Researchers are now focusing on As Mulatas (1962) by the painter Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, that was stabbed seven times during the uprising. In addition to the paintings, nine works made with wood, iron and paper are also nearing the final stages of the restoration process. “We still need to complete the scientific documentation of each piece”, said Andrea Bachettini the coordinator of this ambitious project.

CALL BACK. Zahi Hawass, who is considered to be the world’s most famous contemporary archaeologist, has announced he will work with Italy’s culture ministry to secure the return of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to the country, reports The Art Newspaper. When asked whether he would advise Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, to demand the return of the Mona Lisa, which is currently displayed at the Louvre in Paris, he replied: “Yes, I will talk to the minister when I see him. Italy and I can join together to return Italy’s stolen artifacts. The Gioconda [Mona Lisa] is the most important thing. It has to come back to Italy.” The archaeologist also reiterated his previous demands that three Egyptian treasures —the Rosetta Stone currently at the British Museum, The Bust of Nefertiti at Berlin’s Neues Museum and the Dendera zodiac at the Louvre—should be returned to his country of birth.

THE DIGEST

Over 50 paintings and drawings by a Yorkshire artist, whose works are in Buckingham Palace and The White House, are expected to fetch up to £8,000 at auction. The collection belonged to marine artist Jack Rigg, who died aged 96 last year. Auctioneers said most of the works going under the hammer on Sunday had “never been seen in public before” and had been on the walls of his home and studio in Hull. [BBC]

Artist Matthew Barney (b. 1967), who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing, got the profile treatment from Jason Farago. Misunderstood for decades, the sculptor and filmmaker is pushing ceramic to its limits. “He’s dancing. He’s making the best work of his career.” [The News York Times]

A new book by curator Gesine Borcherd, called “Dream On Baby”, compiles the childhood memories of 33 artists, from happy moments, to sad adventures, to moving anecdotes, and funny stories. At its heart is the premise that the artist is very often formed in the cradle of their upbringing, whether messed up or not. “The more fucked-up a childhood you have, the better artist you become because you have something to work with”, says Marina Abramović at the opening of “Dream On Baby”. [Artnet]

Since the late 1950s, marine archaeologists have been scouring the shoreline that descends from the slopes of the Campi Flegrei for treasures of its opulent past. An ancient mosaic floor, installed at the entrance to a Roman villa, has just turned up in the waters of Naples, near Baiae which was a cloistered seaside getaway for Rome’s elite, home to a villa belonging to Julius Caesar well as those of emperors Augustus, Nero, and Caligula. [Artnet]

With Ray Nashville, real estate companies Ray and VeLa are embarking on their second collaboration, enriched by local arts and culture: a new residential building located in a Nashville neighborhood called Pie Town. “Out with the boring all-white uber-modernist high-rises of today, and in with a curated living experience that pulls the best of its surroundings indoors,” reports Rebecca Goodman. [CULTURED]

THE KICKER

SWIFT SHOW. As of last May, Taylor Swift fans, aka Swifties, have traveled from cities all over the world to see their favorite pop star perform during her 2024 Eras Tour, a global event which is anticipated to collect almost $1 billion in ticket sales. The question is, will they rush to London to see an exhibition about design? This is what curators at the V&A Museum are banking on. Starting on July 27, a show called “Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail” designed by Tom Piper will take over much of the historic venue in South Kensington. The exhibition will showcase ephemera from the singer’s life that celebrates her lyrics and music videos. Also on view are personal instruments, music awards, storyboards, and archival material from Swift’s childhood. The show will run through September 8. [The Architect’s Newspaper]

THE HEADLINES

A SHARP DISCOVERY. Archaeologists in Burgas, Bulgaria have discovered over 100 glass objects dating back to the days of the Ottoman empire in the nation’s Chengene Skele bay, reports Artnet. It is not the first dive in the area. In the years 2020 and 2021, over 300 more glass objects were recovered from the seabed. According to a statement by Burga’s Regional Historical Museum, researchers found the objects at a depth of 6.5–8 feet. The glass artifacts are speculated to have fallen from the cargo of a ship battered by a storm in the shallow, rocky area of the sea. Experts attribute them to Murano, a Venetian island famous for its fine glassware. The ship’s wreckage is expected to be discovered in the vicinity. Iron fragments from anchor chains and chips of ceramic vessels bear identifiers similar to ceramic produced during the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

CONTROVERSIAL PICKS. Two works are to be removed from the “Young Artists’ Summer Show” at the Royal Academy of Arts (RA), in London, after an open letter from the Board of Deputies of British Jews raised “significant concerns” about their content. In a letter posted to X on 15 July, the board’s vice-president Andrew Gilbert described three works on display as containing “antisemitic tropes and messaging”, which had caused “significant concern to members of our community”, reports The Art Newspaper. The statement went on to apologize for any hurt or distress caused to artists or visitors, and confirmed that the RA will review its processes moving forward. The first work in question was described as including the words “Jews say stop genocide on Palestinians: Not in Our Name”. The second, by a 16-year-old artist, was said to portray a screaming woman and a swastika. A third work, THE MASS SLAUGHTER OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IS NOT HOW YOU DERADICALIZE GAZA, by Michael Sandle, an RA academician, was also criticized in the letter for depicting a faceless pilot and a plane bearing the Star of David.

THE DIGEST

TimeForArt, the first and only benefit watch auction to support contemporary art, is returning for the second time as part of “The Phillips New York Watch Auction: XI” at Phillips in December 2024. The inaugural edition gathered 17 exceptional time pieces from the world’s foremost watchmakers, and raised $1.2 million, with 100% of the proceeds from the watch auction, including Phillips’ Buyer’s Premium, going directly to supporting Swiss Institute’s innovative exhibitions, public programs, education & community engagement workshops. [World Tempus]

On June 4, 25 and 26, the Brussels Court of Appeal rejected the Direction générale de l’Inspection économique’s actions against Brussels antique art dealers and their collectors. In January 2020, the DGIE organization planned a raid on the BRAFA fair, targeting various galleries and collectors. [Le Quotidien de l’Art]

Chicago’s Smart Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary through an exhibition that explores what makes and defines a university art museum. A pioneer in arts-based learning, the Smart and its mission have evolved since its opening in the fall of 1974. The museum has yet remained a space for exploration and experimentation and a site for bringing people together from the University of Chicago, South Side communities, and beyond. [Ocula]

Camilla Engström got the profile treatment from Katie White. The Swedish-born artist is currently preparing for her London solo-show with Carl Kostyal in September. “For a long time, I was obsessed with Georgia O’Keeffe,” said Engström. “I love her art and I love the way she dressed, the way she lived. I wanted to be her I think.” Apparently, the painter (who also sees herself as a gardener) got over her obsession, finding her own personal voice. [Artnet]

Caruso St John Architects, a London-and Zurich-based office, recently was granted the privilege to renovate Kunsthalle Bielefeld, and a $52-million budget to do so. The refurbishment will entail modernizing the sandstone-clad building’s services, envelope, and interior fittings.  [The Architect’s Newspaper]

THE KICKER

ART MARATHON. The Olympics and Paralympic Games are upon us. For those you will be in Paris this summer, Catherine Bennett has concocted a list of sport-related exhibitions, from “En Jeu! Artists and Sport,” at the Musée Marmottan Monet, which looks back at how sport arrived in France from England, how it has opened to the world, the media, women, between 1870 and 1930; to “Fashion in motion” at the Palais Galliera, which has drawn from its own collections to show how sportswear has evolved since the 18th century and how it has invaded our day-to-day closet. Bennett has also thrown in two gallery shows—Gagosian presents “The Art of the Olympics”, featuring Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Tracey Emin, while Almine Rech’s “Sport and Beyond” gather three American artists, Jeff Koons, Laurie Simmons, and Hank Willis Thomas. On your mark, ready… [Artsy]

The archaeological efforts, which focused on a lesser-studied forest called the Balam Kú Biosphere Reserve, were spearheaded by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The area covers roughly 54 square miles of rough terrain. Given that terrain and its difficulty to farm, fewer settlements and structures have been found there previously.

“The inevitable impression is that the Maya culture of this region that we have just explored was noticeably less elaborate than that of Petén, to the south, and the regions of Chenes and Chactún, to the north and east,” Ivan Šprajc, an archaeologist from the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, said in a statement.

Using LiDAR laser remote sensing technology, researchers were able to record the topographical data of these previously hidden structures. They discovered a main plaza with a pyramid construction and a drainage channel among a group of structures near Nadzcaan, which was initially found in the 1990s.

Another large building believed to have been a center for civic and ceremonial duties, measuring at 43 feet tall, was also revealed. Though the building’s purpose is still unclear, experts believe the space would have held “socio-political importance,” given its size.

A ball court constructed over top of a substructure that may date to the Early Classic period (200 CE–600 CE) was additionally identified at the eastern part of the site.

Several structures located at a third site on a natural hill that dates to the Late Postclassic period (1250–1524) include a 52-foot-tall pyramid surrounded by a flint point, ceramics, and the fragment of an animal leg. This site would have operated just a few centuries before Spanish conquest and demonstrates how these cultures lived despite political downturn in the Central Lowlands.

Local environmentalists who found the wall alerted archaeologists, who have now been able to provide greater insight using advanced radar and laser scanning methods, as well as soil sample analysis.

The ditch and mound (or fossa and agger, respectively) was a common Roman defense system. This stone wall and earthwork, for instance, stretches nearly two miles through the Dossone della Melia forest in Italy’s Calabria region. A deep ditch once ran parallel to the wall.

“The wall is a sort of barrier due to its topographic location and other factors, like the absence of gates,” Andrea Maria Gennaro, the archaeology superintendent with Italy’s Ministry of Culture who worked on the excavation, told Live Science. “It divides the entire large flat area in two parts.”

Since the discovery, researchers have determined that the wall and ditches were constructed by Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus in 71 BCE in an effort to contain Spartacus and his army. These efforts have been documented in several volumes, among them, The Life of Crassus by Greek philosopher Plutarch. Experts believe that Spartacus would have attacked the wall in order to break through Crassus’s trap.

“After trying to go to Sicily, Spartacus was not able to move along the coastal roads because of the presence of Romans, so the only way to go [to] the peninsula and escape was crossing Aspromonte,” a mountain in Italy, Gennaro explains.

Along with some 70 enslaved gladiators, Spartacus escaped from a school in Capua and engaged in a series of slave rebellions against the Roman Republic, known by historians as the Third Servile War. Though ultimately suppressed, Spartacus lead a number of successful battles through the Italian countryside, posing a great threat to the Romans and spurring the creation of the Roman Empire.

Additionally, the team has discovered several broken iron weapons such as sword handles, large curved blades, javelin points, and a spearhead—all indicative of fighting at the site, according to the Archaeological Institute of America.

“We started studying weapons recovered along the wall, and the closest comparisons are with weapons from the late Republican period,” Gennaro added. “We believe we have identified the site of the clash.”

Experts were alerted by the local government to looting near the northern Peruvian town Zaña and quickly moved to the area before any destruction occurred, a press release from the Field Museum in Chicago said.

In June, the team began studying the Otra Banda, Cerro Las Animas archaeological site. They excavated a 33-foot square plot of land at a depth of six feet, where ancient walls formed from clay and mud were identified.

“It was so surprising that these very ancient structures were so close to the modern surface,” Luis Muro Ynoñán, a research scientist at the Field Museum who led the team, said in the release.

Further digging revealed one section of a large temple. According to Ynoñán, “one of the most exciting things” was a small theater “with a backstage area and a staircase that led to a stage-like platform. This could have been used to perform ritual performances in front of a selected audience.”

Flanking one of those staircases was elaborately engraved mud panels featuring a bird-like creature. Perhaps more importantly, they resemble depictions of mythological creatures dating to the Initial Period (2,000 BCE to 900 BCE).

“The Initial Period is important because it’s when we first start to see evidence of an institutionalized religion in Peru,” Ynoñán explained. The find, he continued, “tells us about the early origins of religion” in the area.

Several large murals were also found painted on the walls. Pigment samples from these works can also be used to help with identifying the age of the site using radio carbon dating.

“We still know very little about how and under which circumstances complex belief systems emerged in the Andes, and now we have evidence about some of the earliest religious spaces that people were creating in this part of the world,” said Ynoñán.

These discoveries predate the country’s most well-known archaeological site, Machu Picchu, by approximately 3,500 years. Machu Picchu was an ancient city built by the Inca Empire in the 15th century CE. The site also predates the pre-Inca Moche and Nazca cultures.

“We don’t know what these people called themselves, or how other people referred to them. All we know about them comes from what they created: their houses, temples, and funerary goods,” Ynoñán added. “The people here created complex religious systems and perceptions about their cosmos. Religion was an important aspect of the emergence of political authority.”