Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal

Cover of the book Classical Controversies showing bronze statue of Leonidas

Thanks to @emilyhanscam.bsky.social for the invitation to review "Classical Controversies" for @traj-journal.bsky.social.
I took the opportunity to reflect on how, reviewing in 2025, some themes/emphases resound differently from when the book came out in 2022.
traj.openlibhums.org/article/id/2...

Obviously those feet and shoes would have trodden on roads. Roman roads.

Which, when you start to think about these things, starts to get quite mindblowing

NEW TRAJ #BookReview

Roman Feet and Shoes by Elizabeth Shaw, ✍️ Marquita Volken

"an invaluable resource and a starting point for identifying Roman mentalities regarding the significance of shoe- and foot-shaped artefacts"

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

@barpublishing.bsky.social

NEW #TRAJ Book Review 📚

Roman Urbanism in Italy: Recent Discoveries and New Directions edited by Alessandro Launaro, reviewed by Myles McCallum.

"an important and stimulating volume"

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

A very topical book review by @curtisdozier.bsky.social of pharos.vassarspaces.net

📚 Classical Controversies: Reception of Greco-Roman Antiquity in the Twenty-First Century ed. by Kim Beerden & Timo Epping

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

Performing Gender Normativity and Queerness in the Roman Funeral: An Analysis of Historical Sources and Iconographic Evidence This article contributes to the emerging field of Queer Death Studies by offering a queer analysis of the gendered performances of mourners during the Roman funeral through an examination of subversio...

NEW in #TRAJ Vol. 8:

Performing Gender Normativity & Queerness in the Roman Funeral: An Analysis of Historical Sources & Iconographic Evidence by Jessica Tilley

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

#AcademicSky #RomanArchaeology

a fresco of a person from Roman Egypt on the cover of the book

Kick off the fall with a #TRAJ #BookReview!

📚 'At Home in Roman Egypt' by Anna Boozer, reviewed by Stefania Alfarano

"she successfully highlights the complexity of household life in Roman Egypt, challenging assumptions of its exceptionalism within the broader Roman world"

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

A book cover showing a Roman relief of two satyrs picking grapes from central vine tree, small wicker basket before each.

🍇 Interested in #Wine and #AncientRome?

Check out this review of Methods in Ancient Wine Archaeology: Scientific Approaches in Roman Contexts ed. by @emlynkd.bsky.social & @divali.bsky.social, reviewed by Anna Meens.

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

Book cover image, showing three people field walking in Tuscany.

NEW #TRAJ review, 'In the Footsteps of the Etruscans: Changing Landscapes around Tuscania from Prehistory to Modernity, by Graeme Barker & Tom Rasmussen.

"The long-awaited publication of the Tuscania survey offers a dataset of high quality and importance." ✍️ Robert Witcher

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

Book cover showing Roman artefacts on a black background

Check out one of our latest book reviews!

Gabii through its Artefacts, ed. by Laura M. Banducci & Mattia D'Acri, reviewed by Adeline Hoffelinck.

"This volume stands out for its qualitative analysis of everyday objects ... contributions are of outstanding quality"

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

Command and Control on Hadrian’s Wall: Exploring the Use of Analogy in Roman Frontier Archaeology Analogy is a ubiquitous but contested feature in archaeological reasoning, used differently in the contexts of discovery, justification and communication. The limitations of the archaeological record ...

NEW Research Article in #TRAJ Vol 8 -

'Command & Control on Hadrian's Wall: Exploring the Use of Analogy in Roman Frontier Archaeology' by Paul Kitching @arcdurham.bsky.social

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

#HadriansWall #RomanArchaeology #Archaeology

a row of old leather-bound books

There are some great new Book Reviews in the latest issue of #TRAJ, including -

📘 Gabii through its Artefacts
📕 Methods in Ancient Wine Archaeology
📗 In the Footsteps of the Etruscans
📙 #Roman Feet & Shoes

Check them out here! traj.openlibhums.org/issue/1682/i...

Processional Routes, Orthopraxy and a Political Sacred Island: Exploring the Iron Age and Roman Religious Landscape of Hayling Island and the Chichester region The role of processions and pilgrimage in the pre-Roman to Roman transition in southern Britain is considered in this paper. The example chosen for detailed examination is the temple on Hayling Island...

NEW #TRAJ research article by Anthony King, Grahame Soffe & Kate Adcock

'Processional Routes, Orthopraxy & a Political Sacred Island: Exploring the Iron Age & Roman Religious Landscape of Hayling Island & the Chichester region'

traj.openlibhums.org/article/id/1...

#Archaeology #RomanArchaeology

A cover for a journal showing the mosaic floor of the Guildhall in London.

🎉 #TRAJ Volume 8 is launched!

Check out the first paper of our Cosmologies Special Issue on pilgrimage routes to Hayling Island in Britain, a review of ancient wine archaeology & more!

FREE traj.openlibhums.org/issue/1682/i...

‘There Buds the Laurel’: Nature, Temporality, and the Making of Place in the Cemeteries of Roman Italy Using the necropolis environments of the Vesuvian region of Imperial period Italy as a case study, this paper examines the ways in which multiple, overlapping, and temporally specific senses of place ...

Spring is a great time to read about the 'planty’ agency of trees, plants, flowers, and fruits in the creation of the Roman funeral landscape 🌷

Check out 'There Buds the Laurel’: Nature, Temporality & the Making of Place in the Cemeteries of Roman Italy' from #TRAJ Vol. 1

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

A green glass cup from the Roman Empire showing horses and monoliths

We used to celebrate #FindsFriday in the old place, for today, how about the Colchester Cup from the British Museum?

Read more about 1st century Roman mold-blown glass cups in Cassibry 2018, 'Spectacular Translucence: The Games in Glass' from #TRAJ Vol 1

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

A poster advertising a conference with lots of white text on a brown background

We are always pleased to see a new round of the conference which inspired TRAJ!

The Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference 2025 will be held online from 22-24 Oct, see the call for sessions.

#TRAC2023 was also held on Gather.town, for commentary see our Vol 7 editorial: doi.org/10.16995/tra...

Book cover of Revelation and Material Religion in the Roman East

Check out a recent #TRAJ #BookReview!

Revelation & Material Religion in the Roman East ed. by Leach, Smith & Keddie, reviewed by Constanze Graml

'contributions on the textual world of the New Testament, which provide interesting and creative thought experiments"

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

A book cover showing an archaeology site covered in grass.

NEW #TRAJ Book Review 'Archaeology of the #Roman Conquest' by Manuel Fernández-Götz & Nico Roymans, ✍️ by Al McCluskey

"excellent up-to-date references, well-written, lavishly illustrated & is highly accessible"

"new multidisciplinary methodologies to conflict archaeology"

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

Check out this recent #TRAJ review! 'Un insediamento di età romana dimenticato nel tempo' ed. by Paolo Visonà, ✍️ (in English) by Edoardo Vanni.

'a good preliminary historical-archaeological foundation history.. of the territory of the middle Agno-Guà Valley (Veneto, Italy)'

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

If the raccoons need a break, our Dino army 🦖 is standing by! They’ve been a little bored since the days of the earth shattering mosaic discovery.

The Role of the Digital in Roman Archaeology The editorial of the seventh volume of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal explores the intertwining relationships between digital platforms and Roman archaeology. When faced with powerful digit...

"The Role of the Digital in Roman Archaeology"

Read the #TRAJ Vol. 7 editorial by guest editors Cristina Crizbasan & Dragoș Mitrofan: doi.org/10.16995/tra... @traj-journal.bsky.social

The Role of the Digital in Roman Archaeology The editorial of the seventh volume of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal explores the intertwining relationships between digital platforms and Roman archaeology. When faced with powerful digit...

🎉 With the publication of the Editorial by our guest editors Cristina Crizbasan & Dragos Mitrofan, #TRAJ Vol 7 is now complete!

Don't miss 'The Role of the Digital in Roman Archaeology', with incisive commentary on digital platforms & misinformation

doi.org/10.16995/tra...

A restored Roman Samian bowl. Check it out. It's a beauty! Dramatic lighting shows off the scrolling patters to maximum effect. This Bad Boy is from our collections and dates to, give or take, 100AD (we can't be more precise as we don't have access to our catalogue at the moment).

If anyone thinks they have a Bowl more Super than ours, they are sadly deluded. 😎

NEW #TRAJ 📚 #BookReview

🌳 Trees in Ancient Rome: Growing an Empire in the Late Republic and Early Principate by Andrew Fox, reviewed by Giulia Caneva

"stimulating and extremely useful in this modern era of ‘plant blindness’"

FREE doi.org/10.16995/tra...

@bloomsburyacad.bsky.social #AcademicSky

The photo shows a Roman iron stylus pen used to write on wax-filled wooden writing tablets. It has an inscription which runs along its length on four sides. The image shows the four lines of inscribed text which read: ‘ab urbe v[e]n[i] munus tibi gratum adf(e)ro
acul[eat]um ut habe[a]s memor[ia]m nostra(m)
rogo si fortuna dar[e]t quo possem
largius ut longa via ceu sacculus est (v)acuus’ ‘I have come from the City. I bring you a welcome gift with a sharp point that you may remember me.
I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able (to give) as generously as the way is long (and) as my purse is empty.’ Excavated in London by MOLA. Photo by Juan Jose Fuldain/MOLA

Some things never change!

A 2,000 year-old Roman souvenir pen with a joke inscription roughly equivalent to:

“I went to Rome and all I got you was this cheap pen!" 😂

Dated to about 70 AD, this iron stylus pen was found in London during excavations by MOLA. 📷 MOLA

#EpigraphyTuesday
#Archaeology

PDF call for special issue proposals

📣 One week left until the deadline!

Submit a proposal for an #OpenAccess Special Issue of #TRAJ

- push the boundaries of traditional approaches to studying the Roman world

- Deadline 31 Jan, info below -

#RomanArchaeology #Archaeology #AcademicSky

The Roman Pantheon, a classical building with columns.

We are very happy to welcome 3 new Editorial Board members!

Dr Stuart McKie (U of Exeter)
Dr Cristina Mondin (U of Padova)
Dr Berber van der Meulen-van der Veen (U of Amsterdam)

Curious about the humans behind #TRAJ? Have a look at our current editorial team:

traj.openlibhums.org/editorialteam/

A red book cover with a blue and white map of iberia

Check out a recent #RomanArchaeology #BookReview!

GIS Applications in Roman Landscape & Territory. Methodologies & models in Hispania ed. by Pedro Trapero Fernández & André Carneiro, ✍️ José M. Costa-García

FREE traj.openlibhums.org/article/id/1...

@barpublishing.bsky.social

Pompeii: Spectacular new discoveries unearthed include private spa A huge private bathhouse is found after lying hidden for 2,000 years under volcanic rock and ash.

www.bbc.com/news/article...