There are some fascinating now-lost inscriptions from #Roman Britain. This one, originally on a rock-face in Coombe Crag (near #HadriansWall) reads: "Apollonius; I, Daminius, did not want (to do it)" But what did he not want to do? And why take the time to carve it into rock? #AncientBlueSky

A bold #Roman glass bowl, with quarters in blue, yellow, red, & clear, & a floral garland decoration in each section. It is a really skilled piece of ancient glasswork, & looks amazing given that it was made more than 2000 years ago! 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

It was found buried at a British shrine, used from the Iron Age through into the #Roman period. The remains of 7 ornate cheekpieces were found inside the helmet bowl, including one with a clear scene of a mounted #Roman (emperor?) riding down a 'barbarian' enemy

It might not look very fancy now, but with its original silver & gold decoration it would have looked amazing, as this modern reconstruction shows - a piece for any #Roman soldier to be proud of!

The Hallaton helmet, a #Roman cavalry helmet from the C1st AD. It is a very ornate piece, originally covered in silver sheet & gold leaf, with a female goddess on the brow guard; it is one of the earlist known Roman helmets from Roman Britain... #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

A #Roman tile marked with a child's footprints - they have really sunk their toes into the unfired clay here! There are also dog pawprints on the tile - a child & their beloved pet walking together, maybe, some 1700+ years ago... #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

A toy ball from #Roman Egypt, made from linen with strips of reed (painted red & green), & with stone chips inside so it would rattle when used. First played with some 1600+ years ago... (📷 British Museum) #AncientBlueSky

The #Roman ancestor of the Swiss Army Knife - made of silver with folding elements including a knife blade (mostly eroded away), spoon, fork, spike, spatula, & curved pick, perfect for the Roman traveller! (📷 Fitzwilliam Museum) 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

A #Roman mosaic depiction of a snake in a river scene - love the attention to detail in this piece, especially the patterning on its body, & the tongue sticking out 🐍🏺 #Archaeology #MosaicMonday #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman cobalt-blue glass cup with silver mounting decoration. The Greek letters around the top edge read 'congratulations' in English. It was found in a C3rd AD grave in Varpelev (Denmark) along with a range of other grave goods, probably the prized possessions of the deceased #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman lead tablet from Bath (Britain), which a woman named Lovernisca hoped to use to put a curse on whomever had stolen her cape. In a world where many ordinary people went without justice, curse tablets were an option to try & get it through divine means #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman glass 'circus beaker' (so called because the animals portrayed on it - a lion & a big cat - would mostly have been seen in the arena), found in a burial in Himlingøje (Denmark) - did it get there through trade, as war booty, or a diplomatic gift, maybe..? #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky

A very distinctive #Roman chicken figurine, with some of his original enamel plumage still on show! #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman clay tile, on which someone wrote out in Latin cursive the first lines of the 'Aeneid' before it was fired - well, that's one way to get some handwriting practice in! It was found in Italica (Spain), where it was written about 2000 years ago #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky

An ancient Greek rhyton (drinking vessel), with a duck's head as the bottom of the vessel. A nice piece of whimsy for a drinking party, some 2500 years ago! 🦆🍷 #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman glass vessel, in a beautiful cobalt blue with yellow-gold & white grain decoration around the middle. A beautiful piece of ancient glass from Spain, made some 1700+ years ago #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman mummy portrait from Egypt, depicting a young women with large, deep brown eyes & brown hair. The level of detail is beautiful, down to a slight blush in her cheeks. We don't know her name, but from the style of her clothes & hair she likely lived & died about 1850 years ago #AncientBlueSky

A classic #Roman helmet, with decorated cheek-pieces & a large neck-guard for extra protection. Imagine what this piece of kit might have seen in its original military use-life... On display in the National Archaeology Museum in Madrid #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology #AncientBlueSky

A selection of greeny-blue #Roman glass vessels, all found in Denmark, mostly in the graves of the elite - perhaps luxury imports for the rich, souvenirs of mercenary service in the Roman army, or diplomatic gifts. They're beautiful, however they ended up in Scandinavia! #AncientBlueSky

Two beautiful #Roman necklaces, made from gold with pearls & emeralds for decoration; these were originally worn by women in Roman Spain some 1700-2100 years ago, but their style is timeless! #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology

A #Roman mosaic octopus, found in a villa at Villaquejida (Spain) - laid some 1800-1900 years ago, but still looking fabulous today #MosaicMonday #AncientBlueSky

Twelve #Roman lead sling bullets (glandes), found at the site of Cabezo de Alcalá in Spain, & probably related to a siege of the site during the Sertorian War (82-70 BC) #RomanArchaeology #AncientBlueSky

Festius enlisted in the Cohors Prima Hamiorum Sagittariorum around AD 107, & served in a number of locations, including Carvoran & Housesteads on #HadriansWall. He ended up retiring to Thrace (modern Bulgaria) where he lived in a colony for retired soldiers

A #Roman military diploma issued to auxiliary soldier Longinus Festius when he retired from the #RomanArmy in AD 132 after 25 years of service in a unit of (Syrian) archers. It gave him, & his children (Longinus, Sestius, & Sestia), full Roman citizenship (no wife is mentioned) 🏺 #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman gem, once set into a ring, which is carved with the image of a left foot - not the most common design for this type of gem, but a lovely piece of work nonetheless! #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky

The tombstone of Gaius Saufeius, a #Roman soldier who served in the infamous 9th Legion. He was originally from Heraclea in Macedonia, but died while stationed in Britannia, at Lincoln. He died at the age of 40, after 22 years in the #RomanArmy - just a few years off retirement time #AncientBlueSky

Octopus vase! 🐙 This Mycenaean pottery jar, made more than 3000 years ago, is decorated with a fabulous image of an octopus - look at the swirling tentacles, & those big round eyes! 🏺 #AncientBlueSky

A pair of #Roman leather boxing gloves, excavated from the frontier fort at Vindolanda (Britain) - apparently daily life wasn't tough enough for some Roman soldiers, who needed a bit of extra fighting in their leisure time! 🏺 #AncientBlueSky

Grumpy #Roman soldiers on a relief from the Antonine Wall - probably sums up the frontier experiece quite well! #AncientBlueSky

A #Roman military luggage-tag, which marked out whatever it was attached to as belonging to Julius Candidus of the Legio XX (Valeria Victrix) - a handy way to make sure you didn't lose your personal belongings or military kit (vital, given that you had to pay for it!) #AncientBlueSky