Those who travel to Venice do not necessarily have in mind that Venice is home to several masterpieces of ancient art. In particular, Venice has – and exhibits – the famous Grimani Collection, whose magnificent ancient sculptures are displayed in the Archaeological Museum of the city. In 2019 a very special event took place: an exhibition called “Domus Grimani”. At this date, part of the Grimany collection joined for a short period the palace of its former owner – the recently restored Palazzio Grimani. For the first time in 400 years the ancient marbles could be seen again in their original s ..read more

Many of us will be traveling in 2024. For those who haven’t made up their minds yet, here’s a list of exhibitions scheduled for 2024 in some of the most popular destination countries. The list is by no means exhaustive, but I hope it will give you some good ideas for making new artistic and archaeological discoveries in 2024. Some exhibitions are not new – they started in 2023 or are being extended. If you see an exhibition that’s missing – feel free to email me at contact@timetravelrome.com and I will add it to the list! :) ? USA ~New York, MET 19/11/2023 – 03/03/2024 “Africa and Byzantium ..read more

Written for Timetravelrome by Michel Giebels History of Carthago Nova Originally named Martia, this settlement on the southern Iberian coast was refounded by the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal Barca (Hannibal’s brother) around 227 BC as Qart Hadasht (the “New City”). Its time as a Carthaginian possession was short-lived. Just seventeen years later, as the Second Punic War was drawing to a close, the Roman general Scipio Africanus took the city, using it as a military stronghold. No doubt on account of its proximity to Spain’s vital silver mines, Carthago Nova prospered throughout the mid to la ..read more

Arlon, known as “Orolaunum” in Roman times, was an important settlement in the region during the Gallo-Roman period, which spanned from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The city was strategically situated at the intersection of the roads Reims-Trier and Metz-Tongeren and has enjoyed great prosperity during the first centuries of our era, thanks to trade with neighboring regions and as far afield as the Mediterranean. Arlon shares with Tongeren and Tournai the status of the oldest city in Belgium. Main roman roads of the Northern Gaul. Source: Les voies romaines par la Wallonie A Ro ..read more

By Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome Two Aqueducts of Arles As early as the Augustan era, the colony of Arles was fed by several springs located in the Alpilles mountain range, to the northeast of the town. The map of the Arles aqueducts exhibited in the Arles Archaeological Museum. Photo by TimeTravelRome. A first 51 km aqueduct (known as the Eygalières aqueduct) drew water from the northern slopes of the massif most of which flowed underground to the west following the rock face. This structure was remarkable for its extremely shallow slope, of the order of a few tens of millimeters per m ..read more

Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome The ruins of the ancient city of Glanum in the South of France Provence region are a popular destination on the tourist route that leads from Avignon to Arles, passing the site of Les Baux and the medieval abbey of Montmajour. Until the beginning of the 20th century, however, only two well preserved monuments, a mausoleum and an arch, known as “Les Antiques”, signalled Glanum’s location and its past glory. Situated at the meeting point of the wild Alpilles hills and the gentle plain, the secrets of this Gallo-Greek and Gallo-Roman city were uncovered by pains ..read more

I am publishing this article to bring to your attention an innovative and exciting project in the field of archaeology and history: “Bridging the North Sea”. This project was brought to my attention by Michel Gybels who is part of the project. Michel is one of the authors of this blog – he has shared with Timetravelrome several of his archaeological trips.  Thank you, Michel for this news ! The Bridging the North Sea Project The Bridging the North Sea project is a remarkable initiative that aims to connect regions, communities, and academic experts along the North Sea coast. The Roman Nor ..read more

Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome Paestum was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, which are in an excellent state of preservation. The city walls and amphitheater are largely intact, and the bottom of the walls of many other structures remain, as well as paved roads. The site is open to the public, and there is a modern national museum within it, which also contains the finds from the associated Greek site of Fo ..read more

Written by Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome The archaeological park of Baia stands out not only for the important remains of Roman civilization, but also for the beauty of the environment and landscape. You can see the Baths in a unique landscape, and with a view of the Golfo di Bacoli, where you can found a sort of “Roman Atlantis” that is a part of the ancient city of Baia, which was submerged by the sea. History The site is part of the “Parco archeologico dei Campi Flegrei”, that is located between Pozzuoli, Cuma and Capo Miseno. This area was appreciated for the beautiful landscape even ..read more

Written by Michel Gybels for Time Travel Rome Like Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Villa Oplontis was both destroyed and preserved by the eruption of the Vesuvius in AD79. Buried until its gradual discovery over the last four centuries, this huge and lavish palace has been associated on slender evidence with Poppaea Sabina, the unfortunate wife said to have been kicked to death by the Emperor Nero. Her family are believed to have come from this area, and the grandeur of the villa suggests it belonged to someone either very rich or very well-connected. A wine amphora found here bore the inscriptio ..read more