The Freer and Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. are hosting the exhibit "Feast Your Eyes" on Ancient Iranian Luxury Metalwork beginning February 4, 2012. The exhibit "explores the beauty, role and function of luxury metalwork in ancient Iran."

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Victorian excavations at the site of the Chedworth Roman Villa in Gloucestershire, England led to some surprises, including a 35m (115ft) long Roman mosaic floor, "one of the longest in-situ corridor mosaics in the country." Soon the mosaic will be displayed for the public. (photo)

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London pastry chef Regis Cursan must have been surprised by his discovery of an ancient coin near Putney Bridge in West London, especially since the coin "depicts a man and a woman engaged in an intimate act." (photos)

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In a previous article I discussed the growing trend of civilian reenacting. But despite the interest and historical accuracy such portrayals bring there are still hurdles to clear. The bulk of these have to do with the history of reenacting as a hobby and the role of women in that hobby. All of the three [...]

Residents of Trier, Germany's oldest city, have become accustomed to the sounds of battle cries and metal on metal as more and more citizens join the city's gladiator school in its 2000-year-old Roman arena.

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Visitors to New York City with an interest in Byzantine or Early Christian art may want to pay a visit to the Onassis Cultural Center in Midtown Manhattan to view Transition to Christianity: Art of Late Antiquity, 3rd – 7th Century AD, a display of 170 pieces of art from museums in Greece and Cyprus.

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When Channel Four TV challenged a team of builders to construct a Roman town house, it never expected the crowds of visitors to converge on the site, leading English Heritage to require emergency repairs. The Roman Town House was the subject of the Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day program. (video)

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An essay from a recent issue of British Archaeology suggests that the city of London was  built as a military base by the captured Iceni tribesmen of rebel Queen Boudica, who were then executed. Author Dominic Perring bases his theory on the discovery of hundreds of skulls of young males.

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The Israel Antiquities Authority reports that remnants of a Byzantine oil jar, dating to the 6th century, has been found on Netanya's Poleg beach. The presence of the large jar suggests trade in olive oil along the Israeli coast. (photo)

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Archaeologist Neil Holbrook, chief executive at Cotswold Archaeology, called the discovery of an 1,800-year-old enamelled cockerel figurine in the grave of a child a "most spectacular" find. The figurine is believed to have religious significance. (photo)

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In the Israeli city of Acre around 500 CE, Larry the Baker left his mark. A ceramic Byzantine bread stamp has been unearthed bearing the classic Jewish seven branch Menorah and the name "Laurentius" written out in Greek letters.

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A Roman helmet found in Leicestershire, England is going on display after a 10 year restoration effort. The elaborate helmet dates to the 1st century CE.

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Curators at the British Museum are happy to accept a collection of "over 3,000 objects including coinage, jewellery, furniture fittings and pottery vessels" thrown in the River Tees at Piercebridge in Roman times as gifts to the gods. (photos)

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Curators at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer, Germany know they have a well-aged wine, but are unwilling to crack open the bottle for a taste. The vintage in question is a 4th century wine found in a Roman grave, which has stood in the same spot in the museum for 100 years.

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Sometimes nothing can be quite so depressing and demotivating as winter. So here are some suggestions for keeping up to speed even when the main reenacting season has gone into hibernation. Research – Remember all those book titles, suggestions, and tid bits your friends and the people in the forums suggested you look into? Well, [...]

The British Museum has given a Roman ring, found on Cefn Brithdir in Wales, to the Winding House Museum at New Tredegar for permanent display. The ring was discovered by a metal detectorist. (photo)

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Archaeologists continue to make new discoveries that shed light on the construction and use of Stonehenge. The latest discoveries are "evidence of two huge pits positioned on celestial alignment" marking the rising and setting of the sun.

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Somewhere is Scotland exists one man who carries Santa's DNA, the NM46 marker traced to eastern Siberia and to Lapland, Santa Claus's legendary home. The unidentified man, so far the only one recorded in Scotland, may find himself visited by a relative on Christmas Eve.

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A team from the Guernsey Museums and the Alderney Society in England has identified a Roman fort concealed in a ruin called the Nunnery. The site is believed to be one of the "best-preserved Roman military structures in the world."

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Scholar Andrew McGowan offers a paper on the Dating of Christmas on the Academia.edu website. Originally published as How December 25th Became Christmas, a 2002 edition of Bible Review, the paper is available in PDF format.

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