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ROME, DEC. 14, 2006 (Zenit.org).- 2006 has been a year of discoveries for Rome. New frescos, new archaeological finds and statues returned after years of foreign residence have made this year a hit parade of novelties. But this week the Holy See topped the charts as it announced the unearthing of the tomb (a sarcophagus) of St. Paul. Vatican archaeologist Giorgio Filippi actually found the tomb three years ago, but further research established that "there is no doubt, the sarcophagus found under the pavement of the Basilica of St. Paul's is really that of the Apostle," as Filippi announced in...

St Paul's-Outside-the-Walls is one of the two stational churches for the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. In the 4th century, Constantine built the first church, according to the Liber Pontificalis. As might be expected from its more than a millennium-and-a-half history, the church has been nearly destroyed by fire and earthquakes, restored, rebuilt and renovated many times. The last great destruction was in 1823, another fire. The then reigning pope, Pius VII, had made his religious profession as a Benedictine in the adjoining monastery, and took a great interest in the renovation work proceeding when the...

Today, March 9, is the feast day of Saint Frances of Rome. She was an Italian woman who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. A previous post about this amazing saint may be found here. It was claimed that in 40 years of marriage, Saint Frances never once quarreled with her husband. St. Frances was invoked as an intercessor by the people of Rome even centuries after her death. In AD 1656, a ship entered the harbor at Barletta carrying a deadly pathogen—very likely, the Black Plague. The town was immediately infected and the impact was dramatic....

What you may consider to be a quintessentially American invention is actually mentioned in an ancient Roman cookbook called Apicius. The text was written by an unknown author sometime between the late 4th and 5th century AD and contains lots of recipes. One of those recipes describes a dish called 'Isicia Omentata'. It details how a cook should use minced meat, pepper, pine nuts and a rich fish-based sauce and form them all into a patty shape. This Roman delicacy looks very similar to modern day burgers once cooked. The Romans are also credited for being big users of 'fast...

Archaeologists excavating the Roman Forum have discovered an underground shrine dedicated to Romulus, the founder of the ancient city.

A shrine dedicated to the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus, has been discovered after archaeologists excavated the Roman Forum and stumbled upon the discovery. The shrine includes an underground chamber containing a 55-inch sarcophagus, and what experts believe may be an altar. The sarcophagus dates to the 6th century B.C., according to experts. "This is an extraordinary discovery," Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, told The Times of London. "The forum never ceases to yield amazing fresh treasures."

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius turned an ancient victim’s brain into glass, according to Italian anthropologists. The finding, dubbed as “sensational” and published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks the first time that scientists have verified such a phenomenon. […] The remains of a man found lying on a wooden bed were discovered in Herculaneum in the 1960s. He is believed to have been the custodian of the College of Augustales, a place of worship that was at the center of the cult of Roman Emperor Augustus. The glassy substance found inside of the victim’s skull...

Washington D.C., Jan 16, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Vice President Mike Pence will travel to the Vatican next week to meet with Pope Francis. Pence’s office confirmed with CNA on Thursday that the Vice President is scheduled to be received by the Pope during his overseas trip next week. No details have yet been released about the topics that might be discussed at the meeting. The Vice President’s visit comes immediately after the U.S. religious freedom ambassador traveled to Vatican City for the launch of the Abrahamic Faiths Initiative, held on Tuesday at the official residence of the U.S....

The Eastern Orthodox Church is breaking apart. The Russian Orthodox Church cut ties with the patriarch of Alexandria on December 26, following his decision to recognize an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This schism follows the Russian church’s decision to cut ties with the archbishop of Athens and the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople. Both leaders also recognized the new Ukrainian church. There are 14 universally recognized Orthodox churches, plus the Orthodox Church of America and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (which are not universally recognized). The Russian Orthodox Church holds jurisdiction in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet nations. Therefore, Patriarch...

November 27 marks the anniversary of one of the most cruel and lamentable acts in all of human history -- the execution of the Eastern Roman Emperor Maurice, and five of his six sons, at the hands of the usurper Phocas in AD 602. Having been proclaimed as emperor by the Balkan army who had numerous grievances against Maurice, Phocas entered Constantinople with the assent of the people, and Maurice and the imperial family fled. Their ship was forced ashore by a storm, however, and they sought sanctuary in a church near Chalcedon across the strait from Constantinople. According to...

"Let us go up at once, and possess the land; for we are well able to overcome it," shouted Joshua and Caleb, after they spent 40 days spying out the Promised Land. But the other ten spies gave a bad report, causing the Israelites to lose heart. This sad day was Tisha B'Av - the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. As a result of their doubt, the Israelites wandered in the desert 40 years. Tisha B'Av in the year 587 BC was the day the Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and carried the Tribe of Judah...

New DNA analysis has found that Roman satirists may have been right when they spoke of Greeks and Syrians taking over their city. Things started to change however from 900 BCE to 200 BCE, as Rome grew in size and importance, and the diversity shot up from 27 BCE to 300 CE, when the city was the capital to an empire of 50 million to 90 million people, stretching from North Africa to Britain to the Middle East.

Nobody watching President Barack Obama talking to President Dmitry Medvedev to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and addressing a university audience could have failed to notice that Moscow was not a pre-Presidential election Berlin audience. The first was courteous, the second displayed no emotion and the third was cool. No chemistry there; added to which his visit was overshadowed by Michael Jackson's funeral. The main achievement was a missile deal that favoured Moscow, which did not go down well with his political opponents at home and has yet to receive the Senate's fiat. But there was also agreement reached to allow...

The 4th through 7th centuries are often considered periods of decay and decline for the Roman Empire. I view them, however, as times of crisis and regeneration, as the previously pagan Empire was transformed into an amazingly resilient Christian Empire which persisted for another millennium despite attacks on all sides and myriad convulsions from within. Who were the most effective rulers during this period? Opinions vary, but here are my choices. Portraits of all, taken from antiquity, may be found in the above image: Constantine the Great (AD 306-337). Constantine may be considered the founder of the Christian Roman...

Cardinal Burke expresses ‘respect…gratitude’ for man who threw Pachamama ‘idol’ in Tiber November 11, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Raymond Burke praised the young man who last month threw Pachamama statues used in rituals connected to the recently concluded Amazon Synod into the Tiber river in Rome, saying he has “respect” for him and has “gratitude” for his “courageous witness to the faith.” In a new interview with The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, Cardinal Burke for the first time commented on the Pachamama controversy that took place during the recent October 6-27 Pan-Amazon Synod in Rome. In this...

"ROME, November 6, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A reconstruction of a pagan idol who demanded child sacrifice was stationed at the entrance of Rome’s Colosseum as part of a secular historical exhibition. The statue of Moloch, worshipped by both the Canaanites and the Phoenicians, is part of an exhibit dedicated to Ancient Rome’s once-great rival, the city of Carthage. The large-scale exhibition, titled Carthago: The immortal myth, runs until March 29, 2020. . .Three ancient Greek historians all attest that it was customary in Carthage to burn children alive as offerings to the deity, whom they called Baal and Cronus or...

Statue of ancient god of child sacrifice put on display in Rome ROME, November 6, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A reconstruction of a pagan idol who demanded child sacrifice was stationed at the entrance of Rome’s Colosseum as part of a secular historical exhibition. The presence of the idol raised particular concern among Catholics, as it was erected nine days before the Amazon Synod and the subsequent scandal over the veneration of the Pachamama idol at the Vatican. The statue of Moloch, worshipped by both the Canaanites and the Phoenicians, is part of an exhibit dedicated to Ancient Rome’s once-great rival, the city...

Ostia Antica is an archaeological site located on the outskirts of Rome. Although the Romans referred to the site as Ostia, this article will use the term Ostia Antica, so as to avoid confusion with the modern Roman municipio of Ostia (known officially as Lido di Ostia). Ostia Antica was the harbor city of ancient Rome and was therefore an important commercial center.

The wooden shield has rotted and no image remains, but fragments of paint could be detected, says Christian-Heinrich Wunderlich, the head of the restoration workshop at the Landesmuseum in Halle. Under a microscope, the pigments were identified as "Egyptian blue", which was widely used in the Roman Empire, and vermilion, which was only available in a few Mediterranean locations at that time. "These pigments were not cheap and must have been Roman imports," Wunderlich says. Examinations under the microscope revealed that the paints were applied in layers, and that the wood was prepared with a chalk and lime base to...

Archaeologists have identified a grand street in Jerusalem that was built by Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea who is famous for overseeing the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. The nearly 2,000-foot-long (600 meters) street would have connected the Siloam Pool -- a place where pilgrims could stop to bathe and get fresh water -- to the Temple Mount, the most holy place in Judaism. The street was likely used by ancient pilgrims on their way to worship at the Mount, the researchers said. Archaeological evidence for Pontius Pilate is limited and the discovery sheds a bit of light...